Grain stolen in Saskatchewan

May 17, 2022

Thieves took about 1,300 bushels of grain, RCMP say

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Grain from a property in southwestern Saskatchewan has been stolen.

A May 5 community update from the Ponteix RCMP indicates 1,300 bushels of durum seed went missing from a rural property about 8 kilometres south of Ponteix.

The investigation has determined the theft occurred between April 28 and May 5, and the criminal(s) removed the seed from a bin.

It’s estimated the volume of seed weighed about 78,000 pounds, or 35 tonnes.

Based on the May 11 price of $562.48 per tonne for 1 Canada Western Amber Durum posted on the Saskatchewan government’s website, the value of the durum seed was about $19,686.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ponteix RCMP at 306-625-6400.

This is at least the second instance of grain theft to occur in Western Canada this year.

In March, Les Wedderburn, a farmer from Rivers, Man. lost 1,600 bushels of canola, worth about $40,000 after thieves tampered with one of his grain bins.

Prairie farmers have been victims of other thefts in 2022 as well.

In February, Bashaw RCMP in Alberta received a call that a tractor and grain truck had been stolen from a local farm.

And in April, Airdrie RCMP in Alberta began investigating after two dead cows were discovered behind a cemetery in Swalwell.

The cows were found skinned and with their meat taken.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.