Daniel Winters

The soybean aphid, a troublesome Asian immigrant that first appeared in North America less than a decade ago, could add to disease headaches already facing potato growers. That’s because of its documented ability to transmit potato virus Y (PVY) from plant to plant as it feeds on the juices of vines and leaves. PVY, which […] Read more

A dozen agronomic approaches are being thrown at the problem of potato early dying syndrome by a team at a research farm in Carberry, Man. Led by Mario Tenuta, a soil ecologist from the University of Manitoba, the Canada Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre studies are looking at green manures, soil amendments and fumigation as ways […] Read more

The risk of late blight is high but so far there has been no report of the disease in Manitoba or neighbouring provinces and states. Cumulative scores based on environmental conditions over the 2008 growing season for late blight risk are at levels as high as 49 in Glenboro, and 39 in Carberry South, according […] Read more

The new kid on the potato block, an import from Eastern Canada, is attracting interest from growers in Manitoba. But some processors are skeptical that it has potential to bump off the venerable Russet Burbank, which accounts for 80 percent of the spud acres in the province. Prospect, a red potato variety owned and developed […] Read more

Better cattle prices and a shortage of hay in some areas might be enough to drive some older ranchers toward selloff, but industry observers say herd dispersal is unlikely to match the stampede witnessed last year. Heavy rainfall in Manitoba’s Interlake region and north of Dauphin, and continued dry conditions in the southwest have reduced […] Read more

On a stretch of lonely road somewhere west of Hartney, Man., Kimber Sider takes a call on her cell phone. She’s on horseback, moving slowly under the wide expanse of a prairie sky. “So far, so good. We’re kind of doing one day at a time,” she said, with the unmistakable sound of her horse’s […] Read more

Wet weather, higher prices for pulse crops and global demand for agricultural inputs have led to a supply crunch for a commonly used desiccant, especially in Saskatchewan. The shortage of Reglone, a Syngenta product also known as diquat, has some pulse producers scrambling to get their hands on the product. Others are exploring their options, […] Read more

Manitoba researchers are finding it might make more sense for organic producers to roll cover and green manure crops rather than discing or plowing them under. During a recent tour of organic no-till experiments at the Ian N. Morrison Research Farm in Carman, Man., University of Manitoba plant sciences professor Martin Entz pointed to a […] Read more

Manitoba farmers who want to burn stubble, straw and other crop residue before mid-November will be out of luck unless they receive authorization under the province’s strict crop residue burning program. Under the program, which this year will have enhanced surveillance and enforcement to ensure compliance, a burning ban was imposed Aug. 1 and will […] Read more