November 28, 2003 general meeting:

A well attended meeting took place at the Rural Service Center in Yorkton on November 28, 2003. Committee members, resource staff and special guests from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization were in attendance to hear two presentations:

• Keith Head of Head & Associates Ltd., an agrologist who is our contract consultant currently doing the soils monitoring project on behalf of the SCWMC. Year 2 has just been completed in a four-year project;
• Dr. Huiqing Guo of the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Agricultural-Bioresource Engineering spoke about odour monitoring research project being carried out by the U of S. She gave us a progress report to date, with the research project scheduled for completion in March 2004.

The water monitoring subcommittee of the SCWMC has completed its fall sampling program in the Rama area with sampling being done at 10 wells and 25 dugout sites. The water subcommittee has also added six sites in the Pelly area that were sampled this fall (four sites on the Swan River and two sites on the Maloneck Creek).

September 30, 2003 general meeting:

Spring water sampling results were presented; 9 wells and 25 dugouts were sampled. No change in water quality was reported. This fall water sampling will be carried out again.

Soil monitoring will be done during the week of October 6 to 11. The soil subcommittee also conducted yield test results on four quarters, comparing the yield on commercial fertilizer verses hog manure. In all sampling fields, the area fertilized with hog manure outperformed the commercial fertilizer area.

Results are as follows:

• Dutchak's quarter of wheat: 45 bu/acre commercial, 50 bu/acre hog manure;
• Dean's quarter of wheat: 41.2 bu/acre commercial, 43.2 bu/acre hog manure;
• Matsalla's quarter of barley: 52.3 bu/acre commercial, 82.1 bu/acre hog manure;
• Nieckar's quarter of canola: 24.2 bu/acre commercial, 32.3 bu/acre hog manure.

Sask Pork reported that two million hogs are now being produced in the province, as opposed to one million in 1996. A total of 8,200 jobs are directly related to the hog industry in Saskatchewan.

February 20, 2003 public meeting:

A public information meeting was held in Rama, Saskatchewan on February 20, 2003, in the R.C. Hall at 1:30 p.m. Two presentations were made:

• Dr. Phillip Willson presented the results of the VIDO research project that was carried out in the area during 2002;
• Dr. Huiging Guo and Wendi Dehod made a presentation on a new "odour research project" they wish to carry out this year in the area, with the support and participation of local residents.

Questions from the crowd followed the presentations.

Local residents directly affected within the five-mile radius of the three barn site locations picked up odour forms and a future educational meeting will be called involving these residents regarding odour form instructions.

January 30, 2003 meeting:

General meeting was held at the rural service center in Yorkton. Minutes of the October 21 general meeting were approved. Subcommittee reports on soil, water and odour monitoring were presented, along with a Big Sky Farms Inc. site report.

Special guest in attendance was Clay Serby, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Revitalization.

An presentation on odour was done by Dr. Huiging Guo and Wendi Dehod, both from the College of Agriculture at the U of S. Their research project will be carried out at the three barn locations at Rama during 2003. Resident support and cooperation is vital for the project to succeed. All samples will be taken within a five-mile radius of the three barn sites. A meeting will be held at the Rama Hall on February 20, 2003 starting at 1:30 p.m. to explain the project to the local residents. In addition, Dr. Philip Willson will make a presentation on the VIDO project that was carried out (described above under the October 21st meeting summary).