Amber Waves

26,569,062 hectares of land, or roughly 46% of Saskatchewan’s total land base, was under farms in 1996 - meaning it was in use for crop production or livestock. This figure would include both natural pasture as well as seeded crop land, woodlots, and farm sites. Although wheat provided the economic justification for settlement of the province, other crops have become more common, including canola, flax, mustard, and specialty crops.

The Fields

"He had looked down at his feet; had seen nothing but the furrow; had considered the prairie only as a page to write the story of his life upon. His vision had been bounded by the lines of his farm; his farm had been floated on that prairie as the shipwright floats a vessel on the sea, looking not so much at the waves which are to batter it as at the fittings which secure the comfort of those within. But such a vessel may be engulfed by such a sea."

~ Frederick Philip Grove, Fruits of the Earth

63. A field lying fallow for the summer	64. Field of Spring Rye in 1938	65. A field cultivated by a weeder - 1940-1950

66. Field of Brush in the Emma Lake area	67. Partially Swathed Field of Grain in the Emma Lake area	68. Farmer Burning Stubble off Field

69. Aerial View of Wild Rice Growth	70. Field of Flax in Bloom

The Crops

The wheat in spring was like a giant’s bolt of silk
Unrolled over the earth.
When the wind sprang
It ripples as if a great broad snake
Moved under the green sheet
Seeking its outward way to light.
In autumn it was an ocean of flecked gold
Sweet as a biscuit, breaking in crisp waves
That never shattered, never blurred in foam.
That was the last good year...

~ Anne Marriott, excerpt from "The Wind Our Enemy"

71. Field of Barley at in the Emma Lake area	72. Field of Wheat	73. Close-up of Barley stalks

74. Close-up of Wheat stalks	75. Close-up of Wheat stalks	76. Close-up of Wheat stalks

77. Pathway through Wheat field	78. Close-up of Wild Rice

Harvest

Bounteous harvest, we’ll sell at cost —
To-morrow we’ll have an early frost;
Glorious autumn, red with rust;
We’ll live on the general store on trust.

~ Sarah Binks, excerpt from "Song to the Four Seasons"

79. Aerial view of Swathed Field near Indian Head	80. View of Swathed Field near Regina, 1952	81. View of wheat on ground due to snow

82. Aerial View of Harvesting - 1976	83. Aerial View of Harvesting	84. View of a Combine and Swathed Grain

85. An Airboat is used to Harvest Wild Rice on Bigstone Lake	86. An Airboat is used to Harvest Wild Rice

Sheaves and Bales

87. A Farmer Stooking Straw	88. A Field of Stooked Wheat	89. A farmer with stacks of straw - 1929

90. A field with stacks of straw - 1929	91. A field with stacks of straw - 1929	92. A Stack of Rolled Straw

93. A Field with Several Rolled Hay Bales	94. A Field with Several Rolled Hay Bales	95. A Single Rolled Hay Bale near Debden

96. A Field with Stacked Square Hay Bales

Artistic Interpretations

Ruth Pawson

97. Painting - Late Autumn - 1959	98. An Untitled Painting of Field and Sky - 1959	99. Painting - Sudden Storm - 1969

100. Painting - Prairie Winds A-Blowin’ - 1981	101. Painting - Bales of Hay Near Craven - 1979	102. Untitled Painting of a Spring Field and Sky - 1970’s

103. Painting - Rhythm of the Prairies - 1986	104. Painting - John Ebert’s Stooks, near Regina Beach - 1991	105. Painting - It’s Spring Again - 1992

106. Painting - Autumn Panorama	107. Painting - Reminder of the Old West	108. Painting - Ripening Wheat

Myles Charles

109. Untitled Painting of Harvesting Wild Rice

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