Industry worries about what ‘double whammy’ labour disputes will mean for the country following Vancouver port strike
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s reputation in international grain markets took another hit when the most recent labour dispute shut down six grain terminals in Vancouver, industry says. Workers reached a tentative deal late last week, but transportation observers say the damage is being done. “Every two years, roughly, we end up with some form of […] Read more
Don Norman
Stories by Don Norman
Federal gov’t renews foodgrains bank grant
Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is welcoming the renewal of a $100-million federal grant to provide emergency food assistance. The funding echoes a previous agreement between the organization and Global Affairs Canada. The deal, which has stood since 1985, matches donations made from Canadians four to one, up to $25 million annually. The […] Read more
Winnipeg waste water to feed struvite fertilizer
Company has made deals with dozens of gov’ts to set up struvite extraction units; this will be the third on the Prairies
Glacier FarmMedia – The City of Winnipeg is getting into the fertilizer manufacturing business. When the upgrades to its waste water treatment facility are complete in 2030, they’ll include equipment to extract agricultural-grade phosphate fertilizer from the struvite in the city’s waste water. In medical circles, struvite is better known as a culprit behind kidney […] Read more
Weed management sees new future
Intercropping, predictive weed control could redraw the battle lines in the fight against herbicide resistant weeds
Herbicide resistance in weeds is rising and there are no new chemistries on the horizon, so farmers will need fresh approaches to integrated weed management strategies. “I think the best management practice that someone could do for weed resistance is the one you’re not currently doing on your farm,” said Rory Cranston, technical strategy lead […] Read more
Eastern Prairies slow to adopt precision soil sampling
Soil scientist says it likely hasn’t caught on because flatter regions still have enough variability to warrant zone sampling
Glacier FarmMedia – John Brecker, soil scientist at Agvise Laboratories in North Dakota, says Manitoba’s soil testing trends echo what he sees in his state. About half the samples processed from both North Dakota and Manitoba are feeding into precision systems. “But in other areas, like South Dakota, Minnesota, or even Saskatchewan, about 80 per […] Read more
Rest rules a matter for legislation: law professor
University of Manitoba academic says fatigue management should never have been on the rail dispute bargaining table
Glacier FarmMedia – A University of Manitoba labour law professor says employee fatigue management should be the government’s purview, not an issue dealt with in labour negotiations. Scheduling and fatigue management were among the major sticking points in the recent conflict between Canada’s railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, the union representing the two […] Read more
Prairie winemakers tap local grapes
Manitoba business partners make wine using hardy grape hybrids that are suitable for harsh Prairie growing conditions
Glacier FarmMedia – When Zach Isaacs and Christopher Willows decided to start a wine business, they wanted to use Manitoba fruit, but there weren’t any suitable locally produced grapes on the market. In 2017, they learned of a farm near Winkler that was experimenting with grape vines. It had planted vines a few years earlier […] Read more
Damage assessed as railways resume operations
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada narrowly averted a transportation disaster in August. Now legal experts are digesting the repercussions of the recent labour dispute at the nation’s two major railways. When the conflict between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union and both Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway came to a head Aug. 22, […] Read more
Railway labour dispute takes twists and turns
The Canadian agriculture sector is taking stock after the labour dispute between Canada’s two main railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union came to a rolling boil last week. Just after midnight Aug. 22, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Canadian National Railway made good on their threat to lock out employees. The TCRC […] Read more
Federal government intervenes to end rail lockout with binding arbitration
Glacier FarmMedia – Federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon has intervened in the labour dispute between the railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). The minister said he hoped trains would be moving again “within days.” Related stories: WP rail stoppage coverage He added that he couldn’t be more specific due to the involvement of […] Read more
