The 1929 Massey Harris 9B combine in Manitoba is believed to be the only one of its kind operating in the world
AUSTIN, Man. — Jake Hamm and Helmut Neufeld have the attitude it takes to rebuild farm mechanical history. “There’s always a way,” said Hamm, a retired farmer and mechanic, about the 1929 Massey Harris 9B combine he, Neufeld and other volunteers worked on daily throughout July. It’s an aged creation of metal and wood that […] Read moreAuthor Archives
Man. growers less enthusiastic about soybeans
Manitoba farmers are proving they can ignore the siren song of soybeans. This year they appear to be seeding about 370,000 fewer acres of the popular crop, which, at about 1.9 million acres, is 84 percent of what they seeded in 2017 at 2.26 million acres, according to Manitoba crop insurance authorities. This is a […] Read more
Assuming you produce superior product is dangerous
Never believe your own BS. That’s something our American friends in agriculture need to focus on right now, in this time of fake news and Trumpian bravado. But it’s also something we need to keep in mind in our own Canadian trade and policy debates. Today’s absurdities emanating from the White House may offer a […] Read more
New name shows commitment to trade diversification
Sometimes government department name changes are unnecessary and costly political spin jobs. And sometimes they communicate something worthwhile. Renaming the federal international trade ministry as international trade diversification seems worthwhile because it appears to signal further commitment by the federal Liberal government to keep expanding Canada’s overseas trade access. In the light of the hostility […] Read more
Manitoba farmers move out of soybeans
Manitoba farmers are proving they can ignore the siren song of soybeans. This year they appear to be seeding about 370,000 fewer acres of the popular crop, which, at about 1.9 million acres, is 84 percent of what they seeded in 2017-18, at 2.26 million acres, according to Manitoba crop insurance authorities. This is a […] Read more
Marketing with your gut can often end in disaster
What were you thinking? What are the markets thinking? I’ve been away for two weeks, and that’s what I wondered when I looked at the crop markets and saw the carnage on the charts. Canola futures have slumped from around $510 per tonne to $485, while cereal crops have continued and extended the weakness that […] Read more
Family takes on project for air ambulance
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — Sometimes modern technology helps farmers grow bigger and better crops. And sometimes it helps to give them away. “The guys were sitting in their tractors this spring and they got talking,” said Jill Verwey, who is married to one of the four Verwey brothers who farm together around the Portage […] Read more
Study highlights Americans’ protectionist dairy policy
If you listen to U.S. President Donald Trump, the United States is a free-trading hero that is being abused by protectionist “freeloaders” like Canada. Especially with Canadian restrictions on dairy imports, the U.S. president has presented an image of fair-trading American dairy farmers being taken advantage of by outrageous Canadian rules to protect that country’s […] Read more
Vitamin research need IDed
DES MOINES, Iowa — Outdated and inappropriate vitamin knowledge could be cleared away with some major research centres being established, nutrition company DSM thinks. “We’ll be able to produce a lot of data quickly,” said Casey Bradley, who is organizing a network of large-scale hog research farms. While there is a lot of macronutrient research […] Read more
Sow reproductive issues may be traced to other causes
DES MOINES, Iowa — Vitamin inadequacies are being ignored in swine management because of misunderstandings in sow-culling reports, some nutritional experts think. “Producers check (off) what they see last,” said Iowa State University nutritional researcher Ken Stalder. “The primary reason often doesn’t get recorded in their reporting systems.” Many North American sow herds have “unacceptable” […] Read more
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