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'The saving grace for agriculture': Farmers look to irrigation amid climate woes

Sean Stanford's wheat farm just south of Lethbridge, Alta. falls within the far left corner of Palliser's Triangle — an expanse of prairie grassland encompassingmuch of southeast Alberta, a swath of southern Saskatchewan, and the southwest corner of Manitoba.

The area is named for explorer Capt. John Palliser, who in 1857, famously declared the entire region a wasteland — so hot and arid that no crops would ever grow.

More than 160 years later, with parts of the prairie provinces suffering through another summer of drought conditions, Stanford's farm is certainly dry.

"I think we've had three inches of rain since we started seeding. It's been pretty dismal, honestly," he said in an interview in July.

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CHP Talks: Paul Bootsma—Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario #farmers #agriculture

Video: CHP Talks: Paul Bootsma—Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario #farmers #agriculture

My guest this week is Mr. Paul Bootsma, Policy Coordinator for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO). We discuss his policy work at the CFFO and how the organization advocates for farmers with both the federal and provincial governments. We also discuss the current issue of waste at some small abbatoirs (slaughter facilities) in Ontario where there seems to be a pattern of excessive condemnation of animal carcasses by provincial inspectors, raising cost for both farmers and abbatoir owners.