Historical acreage levels for crops have no bearing on the future, said a biofuel researcher speaking at Manitoba Ag Days last week, because farmers will plant whatever pays the most. If biofuel delivers as promised, and offers superior financial returns in the coming years, farmers could be planting new ultra-vigorous varieties of canola developed in […] Read more
Stories by Daniel Winters
Biodiesel plant kicks off equity drive at Ag Days
Local people have been showing strong interest in a proposal to build a biodiesel plant near Souris, Man., according to Dustin Williams, a director with the Southern Manitoba Biofuels Co-op. “We’ve had some pretty good interest in it so far,” he said. The location of the proposed $5.4 million biodiesel plant was announced Jan. 17 […] Read more
Seed agreement puts onus on grower
Bayer CropScience has added a new requirement to its Gaucho seed treatment user agreement – a requirement that will require growers, rather than seed cleaning plants, to prove that they are not applying Gaucho to illegal brown-bagged canola seed. Last year, the Gaucho user agreement left many small co-operative seed cleaning plants afraid to treat […] Read more
Ag Days assignment opens students’ eyes
Just how much would it cost to set up a 1,500 acre mixed grain and cattle operation, if you bought everything new? Students from Neepawa Area Collegiate Institute, in Neepawa, Man., were assigned the task of finding out during a field trip to Manitoba Ag Days Jan. 17. They were given no budget restrictions for […] Read more
Marketing grass-finished beef takes time
In his quest to generate more profits from his farm, Don Armitage first had to stop thinking of himself as a livestock producer. “I started to think of myself as a grass farmer,” he said. “Then I just looked into ways that I could put cattle on that grass and make a profit.” By tapping […] Read more
Centre tackles rural-urban divide
A farm research facility in Manitoba is taking on the ambitious goal of putting urban schoolchildren back in touch with the agriculture industry. The Glenlea Farm Education Centre will be built alongside long-term research into sustainable intensive livestock practices at the new National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, which is already operating at the […] Read more
Buckwheat anxious to turn a corner
Manitoba is still buckwheat capital of Canada, even though its seeded acres of the crop have been steadily declining. A plant breeder determined to improve the agronomics of the drought resistant crop believes new developments will revive the crop’s popularity, particularly demand for high-quality buckwheat in Japanese noodle restaurants. Clayton Campbell, president of Kade Research […] Read more
Second shift still on at Maple Leaf
Maple Leaf Foods intends to continue with plans for a second shift at its Brandon plant, even though it has stopped bringing in Chinese workers after reports they had paid thousands of dollars to come to Canada. “Would this affect the second shift? The answer is no. This will have no impact on the second […] Read more
Producers head south for generic Ivermectin
Although a number of versions of generic drugs that contain the deworming medication ivermectin have been approved for use in Canada since 2003, demand still exists for even cheaper generic drugs that are available in the United States. An advertisement in a prairie farm paper recently offered special pricing for large quantities of pour-on ivermectin, […] Read more
Wood fuels diesel engine
Anyone who has ever sat next to a crackling fire knows there is plenty of energy stored in wood. It’s getting it into your gas tank that’s the problem. Arthur Zegil and Jude Sanson, president and vice-president of Winnipeg-based W2E Technologies believe they may have found the solution to that problem. For nearly three years […] Read more
