The most popular variety of hard red winter wheat planted in Manitoba is highly susceptible to fusarium head blight, according to Anita Brule-Babel, a winter wheat breeding expert at the University of Manitoba. Testing of the winter wheat lines at the U of M’s research centres in Winnipeg and Carman, Man., has shown that CDC […] Read more
Stories by Daniel Winters
Green leaf corn grazing offers low cost, flexibility
August can be a bad month for cattle producers if the rain doesn’t fall. That’s why corn seed grower Ron Catt has a back-up plan: a few acres of green corn. A rancher with predominantly hay and bushy sand hills near Pratt, Man., Catt first became interested in corn grazing as a way to produce […] Read more
Wild turkeys a success story
Considering that domestic turkeys are infamous for their lack of hardiness it is surprising that the introduction of their wild cousins in Manitoba has been a success. From the first seven birds introduced near Miami in 1957, the population has grown to at least 10,000, according to John Krupinski, chapter president of the National Wild […] Read more
Equine extremist has way with horses
Horse owners who sometimes have trouble getting their horses into a trailer may feel somewhat chagrined by the prowess of Tommie Turvey, who brings his equine showmanship and training skills to this year’s Royal Manitoba Winter Fair scheduled for March 31 to April 5 in Brandon. Born in California, the son of a former rodeo […] Read more
Producer bows out of ailing swine industry – Special Report (story 1)
There have been hogs on Darvin Firman’s farm since 1924, but by the end of March, the last 100 finishers will be gone. His two barns, which until last July were used to feed 3,600 hogs a year, will be mothballed until the dark clouds swirling around the industry disappear. Firman wouldn’t rule out the […] Read more
Famine, war, death loom: analyst
For years, military analyst Gwynne Dyer paid little attention to discussions about climate change. Eventually, however, he started to connect the dots that link the looming issue with future geo-political considerations. The newspaper columnist’s interest was first piqued by the cryptic phrase, “lifeboat Britain,” uttered in a private conversation by an official from a military […] Read more
Producers look offshore to fill labour shortage – Special Report (story 2)
Temporary foreign workers are being brought in to fill the breech as Alberta’s labour shortage pushes hog producers to the limits of their endurance. The problem is that they can’t be brought in fast enough, forcing producers and their families to work long days trying to keep their animals fed and properly housed. Stuart McKie, […] Read more
Feed costs will vex producers for some time – Special Report (story 3)
Canadian hog producers aren’t likely to see their feed costs dip below those in the United States any time soon, according to Mario Thierren, a research scientist at the Brandon Research Centre. After watching the United States gain a feed cost advantage with more than a decade of steady yield gains achieved with hybrid corn […] Read more
Manitoba to give cattle producers $14.7 million
Manitoba has come up with cash to help struggling cattle producers faced with high feed costs, a drop in livestock prices and a high Canadian dollar. “This is an industry that only recently was able to begin to recover from the impact of the BSE crisis and now cattle producers are being hit again,” said […] Read more
Pesticide crisis prompts organic switch
Marc Boulanger’s family, which farms in southwestern Manitoba, decided to switch to organic production methods eight years ago after seeing the dark side of pesticide use. After spraying to control a plague of grasshoppers, a common problem in some years in the light, sandy soil in their area, they noticed unexpected collateral damage. “The chemical […] Read more
