If the public wants to continue enjoying the creature comforts offered by civilization, it had better start getting used to the idea of building more nuclear power plants, says Patrick Moore, a former Greenpeace activist. That’s because the only alternative, as natural gas and oil supplies dwindle, is coal, which as a major emitter of […] Read more
Stories by Daniel Winters
Cattle lease deals risky
Given today’s prices, a cattle leasing agreement requires either a foolhardy investor or a rancher willing to work for free. Unless a cash-rich investor is seeking a tax shelter, no cattle producer with business sense would agree to a leasing agreement that will end up costing him money, said Manitoba Agriculture beef production specialist John […] Read more
Young people lured back by rural lifestyle
Higher grain prices are putting the shine back on agriculture, according to the young farmers in a panel discussion at the recent Ag Days in Brandon last week, but lifestyle is still the biggest magnet drawing them back to the farm. “I’m positive about the short term, and a little less positive about the long […] Read more
Manitoba ag societies see positive changes for towns
Rural depopulation, a trend that has sucked the life out of many prairie villages, is like the teenagers say, so yesterday. What’s new, according to community development expert Flo Frank, is that many people, attracted by affordable housing and living costs, are coming back to rural areas. “There’s a trend worth watching. Young families are […] Read more
Man. farm group won’t give up fertilizer fight
Outraged by the apparent disparity in fertilizer prices between Canada and the United States, a Manitoba farm organization wants manufacturers to know that they are being watched. “The issue is not over. As an organization we are going to keep asking questions until we get to the bottom of it,” said Keystone Agricultural Producers president […] Read more
Precision fertilizer control more precise
With fertilizer prices these days, an investment in GreenSeeker technology for applying nitrogen at variable rates could pay for itself in short order, according to new research at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Indian Head, Sask. Guy Lafond, a production systems agronomist with Agriculture Canada, has studied the effectiveness of variable rate application technology for […] Read more
Strawboard plant dismantled
The saga of the strawboard plant in Elie, Man., and its fairy-tale like proposal of turning straw into gold, is finally coming to a close. Efforts to find a buyer for the whole operation were unsuccessful, said Mimi Long, a spokesperson for Dow Chemical Canada, the plant’s owner. “During the course of our efforts, Dow […] Read more
Beef connoisseur tells buyers to be discerning
A Frenchman in Scotland, whose discerning palate is stirring the meat industry pot, is calling on carnivores to pay closer attention to the flavours of beef. Laurent Vernet, head of marketing for Quality Meats of Scotland, can tell a lot about how a beef animal was raised from the taste, texture and flavour of the […] Read more
Sausage entrepreneur proposes abattoir
Feasibility studies are underway for a proposed 120-head-per-week abattoir to be built in a former school in Belmont, Man. Arvid Dalzell, who has a 200-head cattle ranch on 780 acres near Baldur, Man., said if environmental regulators approve the $2 million project, it would employ 20 local workers and provide an additional marketing channel for […] Read more
Greenpeace fires at fertilizer
Greenpeace, the flagship for the environmental activist movement, knows how to grab headlines and spark furious reactions. But after the launch last week of a report entitled Cool Farming: Climate Impacts of Agriculture and Mitigation Potential that attacked industrial farming practices, the activists were forced to retreat. Loaded with incendiary language, a News release news […] Read more
