Instead of flipping burgers or pumping gas for his first job, Troy Payne plunged headlong into the entrepreneurial world. At 18, he started a business called Carpe Diem Painting with a staff of one – himself. A year later, he added a partner, then two more employees. Then he sold his half of the business […] Read more
Stories by Daniel Winters
Fusarium toxins higher than expected
Grain inspectors in fusarium-plagued Manitoba are finding that there is more vomitoxin in the winter wheat this year than meets the eye. Until survey results for spring wheat are analyzed, the jury is still out as to the extent of infection in that crop, said Randy Clear, a mycologist with the Canadian Grain Commission. FDK, […] Read more
Phosphorous origin baffles water experts
Work toward pinpointing the exact sources of nutrient phosphorus in runoff from farm fields is ongoing, but the goal of finding the smoking gun continues to prove elusive. “We really don’t know where the phosphorus is coming from on agricultural fields,” said Jane Elliot, a research scientist with the National Hydrology Research Centre in Saskatoon. […] Read more
2,4-D alternative promising, says researcher
A new bioherbicide developed by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Centre in Saskatoon may offer farmers and homeowners a “reduced-risk” alternative to chemicals such as 2,4-D for killing broadleaf weeds. Karen Bailey, a research scientist specializing in biological control of weeds and plant pathology at Ag Canada in Saskatoon, said the “new tool in […] Read more
Loss of wetlands harms Lake Winnipeg: DUC
Research by Ducks Unlimited Canada claims to have connected the dots between the continued loss of wetlands in Manitoba and increasing phosphorus loads into Lake Winnipeg. Bob Grant, manager of provincial operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada, said the loss of wetlands upstream from the lake has the same effect as dumping 114 tonnes of commercial […] Read more
Loss of genetic diversity in chickens poses risk, says study
Stunning gains in poultry achieved over the past century have come at a cost, according to a study by researchers from Purdue University in Indiana. Bill Muir, an animal sciences professor at the university, said a recent study has found that more than half of the genetic diversity in the world’s poultry was lost before […] Read more
Impact of dollar plunge doused by COOL
NEPAWA, Man. – A recent plunge in the Canadian dollar to below 80 cents US should have sent American cattle buyers scrambling to fill their orders north of the border. One reason that hasn’t happened is uncertainty over the implications of country-of-origin labelling in the United States. COOL has forced packers there to back off […] Read more
Proper deworming prevents resistance
Keeping worms out of goats requires special attention. Dr. Reuben Neumier, an expert in small ruminants, says dosages for goats must be modified because most medications are used off-label. For common deworming medications such as ivermectin, a typical dose would be 1.5 to two times that given to sheep. “Goats metabolize the dewormer faster than […] Read more
Website has green focus
A new website will offer Manitoba residents information and advice on minimizing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Registry website is the first phase of a provincial program that aims to establish a local carbon credit trading system for businesses and individuals. The second phase is to be rolled out early next spring. […] Read more
Age identification saves: beef specialist
Beef producers who haven’t age verified their calves might be costing themselves money at the auction mart. Manitoba Agriculture beef production specialist John Popp says the process is not rocket science, and efforts have been made to simplify it. Batch-verifying an entire spring’s calf crop is the simplest way to get it done, Popp recently […] Read more
