Well, You Win Some...

...you lose some. This will be bad news for this here town.

 Great program lopped

"The announcement of the closure of the PFRA Shelterbelt Program at Indian Head in 2013 as a result of cuts in the federal Agriculture Department is incredibly shortsighted and a very significant loss for prairie municipalities, farmers, and conservationists. The program is also a significant cultural and historical loss for Saskatchewan, with an enduring legacy of over 650 million trees planted and more than a century of land stewardship in partnership with citizens and communities. The program should be strongly supported as a part of Canada's broader agricultural, research, environmental and adaptation initiatives. The program plays a critical role in prairie soil and water conservation, supporting wildlife and biodiversity, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Meh! Some people just can't seem to accept change. 40 jobs going down the drain or transferred to Manitoba.

The man interviewed in this CBC piece graduated from High School the same year I did and has been working for the "Tree Farm", as it's known here, ever since then: Future uncertain for shelterbelt trees

Shit happens. Hopefully, these people will be given retraining opportunities, 'cause lord knows, Saskatchewan is booming and in desperate need of skilled tradesmen. And no, Mr. Johnson, just because a service has been around for more than a century doesn't mean it should last forever:

"In fact, when the tree nursery at Indian Head was started in 1901, there wasn’t a tree or shrub to be found on the bald prairie. In the more than 110 years since, the tree nursery has produced more than 650 million seedlings to provide shelter from the elements for tens of thousands of Prairie farmsteads. But it was during the height of the Great Depression in 1935, when the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration was created, that the federal tree nursery became the PFRA’s shelterbelt centre, producing trees and shrubs for use in shelterbelts that conserve moisture and reduce the soil erosion that had turned Canada’s breadbasket into a desert. True, farming methods have changed over the years and the zero-till cropping techniques and use of air seeders and other large agricultural equipment have resulted in the large-scale removal of shelterbelts. But there’s ample evidence to suggest that prolonged use of zero till has compacted and hardened the Prairie soil, which will result in increased tillage, leading to more soil erosion and loss of soil moisture.Moreover, despite the wet springs we’ve had recently, all indications are that with climate change, the Prairies will become hotter and drier in the decades ahead. The destruction of shelterbelts and closure of the Agroforestry Development Centre in Indian Head are exactly the wrong things to be doing in light of global warming."

Sorry, but those who have swallowed the global warming guff have proven they can't be taken seriously.

Unions are lining up, eager to protect their turf, fangs showing, likely because Ritz is looking for private sector partnerships. Can't have that, now, can we.

Still, the PFRA has been part of this town's character for many, many decades. I have many fond memories of church picnics and family reunions held on the grounds of the Forestry Farm and the Agricultural research station. Won't be good for my sister, though. She and her husband are in Real Estate. There will be a glut of houses put up for sale.

I was out and about earlier today and noticed a petition on the counter of a local store. The petitioners were citing the PFRA as a CO2 sink. Bad choice as far as arguments go. At least Ritz hasn't fallen for such silly arguments.