Canadian honey producers are asking the federal government for $50 million in disaster relief assistance to help recover from a second year of heavy winter losses. Canadian Honey Council chair Ed Nowek said producers would use the money to rebuild hives decimated by losses averaging more than 30 percent across the country and reaching as […] Read more
Stories by Daniel Winters
Pencilling out farm costs
As sure as death and taxes, the cost of farming only moves in one direction: higher. The new custom rate guides for the three prairie provinces show that trend in spades. Driven by higher fuel prices, scarce labour and strong demand for new equipment, the cost of getting a crop in and off has risen […] Read more
Study to look at flax use in heart patients
A two-year clinical trial of the benefits of flax in patients with heart disease is being undertaken at St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre in Winnipeg. In the study, 250 volunteers with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) will eat three tablespoons of ground flax per day to see what effects, if any, the treatment has on their […] Read more
Honey prices expected to continue climbing
The price of honey, which at $1 per pound is already 20 percent higher than last year, continues to rise. Heather Clay, chief executive officer of the Canadian Honey Council, said analysts expect production problems in China, Argentina and Australia to raise prices another 50 percent in the coming months. “They are tipping it at […] Read more
Weekend showers help parched Manitoba
It wasn’t a billion-dollar rainfall, but it should paint some of Manitoba’s pastures and fields a brighter shade of green for a while, according to Andy Nadler, an agricultural meteorologist based in Carman. “It’ll hold things off for a week, depending on the temperatures,” he said. Nearly two days of soggy weather over the weekend […] Read more
Aussie Bullet designed to seed with speed
Efficiency is a matter of survival in modern farming. To get the crop in before the optimum seeding window slams shut, many operators have embraced massive equipment that allows them to cover hundreds of acres in hours. That’s fine for farmers with large, square empty fields but for those with potholes and bush to steer […] Read more
Managed grazing fights drought
Before rain drenched dry parts of Manitoba last weekend, many ranchers were wondering where the grass to feed their cattle was going to come from. Trevor Atchison, who has practised rotational grazing since the early 1990s on his farm near Deleau, Man., said he has seen real benefits on his operation this spring, as cool, […] Read more
Producers anxious for spring rain
The fluffy white clouds floating overhead weren’t fooling Bob Vandaele, who farms 7,400 acres near Medora, Man. His farm lies in the centre of Manitoba’s big dry, which covers the area south of Highway 2 and west of Highway 10 to the Saskatchewan border. “I’m waiting for the actual rain to fall,” said Vandaele, who […] Read more
Flax plant up and running
Eighteen months after breaking ground, the Shape Foods plant on Brandon’s east side is bottling Manitoba-grown omega 3 flax oil for export to major supermarkets in the United States. The 70,000 sq. foot, fully automated facility, which employs 60 people at a starting wage of $14 an hour, is capable of processing 40 tonnes of […] Read more
Manitoba women’s group not sold on food charter
Citing a lack of information, the Manitoba Women’s Institute (MWI) voted overwelmingly against signing the Manitoba Food Charter at the group’s annual convention in Brandon last week. The resolution, seconded by Jan McIntyre, a delegate from Clearwater, Man., followed other motions urging action to promote earlier diagnosis of breast cancer, support for women’s rights in […] Read more
