The Times - Friday, July 22, 2016 A5
Fundraising concert held for the hungry Submitted by Marilyn Leuty St. Paul’s United Church, Assiniboia A fundraising concert to raise funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank was held in Assiniboia on May 27. This concert was one of 49 fundraising concerts held across Canada. The concert was held at the Assiniboia Alliance Photo submitted from Assiniboia and District Ministerial Association. Church, which was sponsored by the Assiniboia and District Ministerial Associa- bours around the world who do not have enough to eat. tion. The performance included 18 participants from five The Ministerial Association is grateful to all who donated congregations. It raised $2,675, which is matched 3:1 by and helped in any other way to make this event a success. The music, script and PowerPoints were provided by the Federal Government for food relief and agricultural the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which is a partnership of training in places of need around the globe. The participants enjoyed coming together to sing and 15 church and church-based agencies working together to celebrate God’s abundant Earth, as well as to help neigh- end global hunger. Together, these churches and church-
based agencies represent 30 denominations. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, almost 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to eat. The Hunger Project reveals that 98 per cent of the world’s hungry live in developing countries. Asia, SubSaharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean top the list of the most undernourished regions.
Francophone Affairs’ report is good guide
Downpours soak crops in Assiniboia area
Photo by Marusia Kaweski
Muddy fields are soaked after two days of downpours in Assiniboia. According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly crop report, 25 per cent of the region’s hay crop has been cut and 24 per cent has been baled or put into silage. The hay crop has been slow to dry due to frequent rain showers and high humidity. Hay quality is deteriorating.
Heavy rain slows down crop development The Assiniboia-Gravelbourg agricultural crop districts escaped the worst of the heavy downpours during the week of July 11, avoiding the flash-flooding experienced in southeastern Saskatchewan. Environment Canada recorded 17.1 mm of rainfall at the Assiniboia airport on July 11 and 12 mm on July 12. In the Rockglen-Grasslands region the heavy rainfall during July 11 to 13 left 17.1 mm. This precipitation was evenly distributed over the three wet days: 7.1 mm on July 11, 4.4 mm on July 12 and 5.6 mm on July 13. The daily precipitation totals for July 11 and July 12 exceeded the entire previous week’s rainfall numbers. The Weather Network reported rainfall in the 10 to 20 mm range for June 28 to July 4 for the Assiniboia-Gravelbourg region. The big question for producers was how the additional rain will affect crops, especially hay crops and those nearing maturation for harvest. “We don’t like to see too much rain at this time of the year,” said Shannon Freisen regional crop specialist from the Saskatchewan Government Agricultural Regional Ser-
vices in Moose Jaw. The heavy moisture can lead to damage in some crops like lentils, chickpeas and peas which do not tolerate wet conditions, she added. Hay crops that have been cut could also see heavy quality loss. Freisen noted that some crops like the cereals are hardier and will recover from so much rainfall with little damage. But farmers won’t be able to assess damage for at least a week as they wait for their cropland to dry out before checking for diseases. The main impact on crops will be lodging and disease. The excess rains weren’t all bad. Pastures and grazing lands can be expected to be flourishing green from the extra precipitation. According to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report for the period of July 5 to 11, crops across the province are developing normally. Overall, 51 per cent of all fall cereals, 69 per cent of of oilseeds and 70 per cent of spring cereals and pulses are developing normally for this time of the year. Last year, crop were in poor-to-good condition due to excessive dryness, reported the Ministry. In southwestern Sas-
katchewan the majority of crops are either at or ahead of their normal developmental stages for this time of year. Crops remain in good-to-excellent condition, although many low spots have flooded out and pulse crops are yellowing in some fields. Much of this week’s crop damage came from localized flooding, strong winds, lodging and hail. Root rot in pulses and leaf spot diseases in cereals have also caused some damage. Farmers are busy applying fungicides and trying to hay. Little haying progress
was made during the first week of July in Southwestern Saskatchewan due to wet fields and high humidity, says the Crop Report. In the southwestern region 25 per cent of the hay crop has been cut and 24 per cent baled or put into silage, higher than the provincial average. The hay crop has been slow to dry due to frequent rain showers and high humidity. Hay quality had been deteriorating since early July due to weather conditions and is now rated as four per cent excellent, 89 per cent good and seven per cent fair.
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The Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs’ report on Francophone Seniors has been received by Provincial Secretary Nadine Wilson. “I’d like to thank the Advisory Committee for this report on the issue of seniors in Saskatchewan,” said Wilson. “I look forward to reviewing the report’s recommendations. Saskatchewan’s francophone communities have played no small part in the development of our great province and, within those communities, it is often the seniors who inspire a deep sense of connection and belonging.” The recommendations in the report are to help guide in the delivery and access of French-language health care services to francophone seniors in our province. The recommendations look to improve well-being and mental health. They also include initiatives that support “aging in place,” the concept of more seniors choosing to stay in their communities, surrounded by familiar places.
The Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee developed its report following consultation with the Ministry of Health and various community organizations. The committee was created in 2009 to advise the Provincial Secretary on the implementation of the provincial government’s French-language services policy. For more information on the committee’s work and the full report, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/fab. The Francophone Affairs Branch serves as a liaison between the provincial government and the province’s French-speaking population. We provide policy and translation support to all provincial government ministries and agencies to offer and improve French-language services. The Francophone Affairs Branch is responsible for the French-language Service Centre. The Centre serves as a single window for the public to access services and programs of the Government of Saskatchewan in French.
Rural Municipality of Excel #71 For Summer Holidays THE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED August 1st – 14th, 2016. Also closed August 24th - 25th, 2016. Have a great summer!!