ST. JEAN BAPTISTE, Man. – Julien Brais didn’t have time to despair about how he would farm after losing much of his right arm. One day after the farm accident, as he and his wife sat in the hospital wondering what would happen to their life, he received a visit from the head of Manitoba […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Founding family still big on farm days
ST. JEAN BAPTISTE, Man. – The Sabourin name is stamped all over this small French town in the middle of the Red River Valley. Not only does the name adorn a number of local businesses, but wherever you go, you run into a Sabourin. That’s especially true at St. Jean Farm Days, a popular event […] Read more
USDA reports spark surges on markets
World grain markets acted like it was St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its Jan. 11 report on crop supply, demand and seeded acreage. But Oklahoma State University analyst Kim Anderson sensed that the euphoria would be followed by a hangover. And where the market would be by the […] Read more
Straw burning heats up farmers
ST. JEAN BAPTISTE, Man. – Resentment is still smoldering in the farm country south of Winnipeg about the restriction on straw burning. Farmers at St. Jean Farm Days expressed resentment and resignation about the permit system that is making it hard for farmers to burn residue, and some warned against making it too difficult. “He’s […] Read more
Soybean aphid could affect Manitoba crop
ST. JEAN, Man. – Red River Valley farmers didn’t have a problem with soybean aphids last summer. “We almost didn’t see one,” said Manitoba Agriculture oilseed specialist Bruce Brolley. That’s bad news for this year, because soybean aphids tend to have a two year cycle. Brolley spoke to a roomful of eager farmers at St. […] Read more
High fertilizer prices unlikely to fall soon
Fertilizer prices have jumped since the fall. To David Rolfe, there’s little reason to believe they are going to peak and fall before farmers need to buy what they need for their 2008 crop. “It’s going to mean even higher prices in the spring,” said Rolfe, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. That means farmers will […] Read more
New factors determine crop prices – Hedge Row
Crop markets have a history of being predictable. In the autumn, prices fall as farmers dump their grain onto the market after harvest. In the winter, no one worries about supply as demand gets into the driver’s seat. In the spring and summer, volatility rules as weather threatens supply assumptions. Well, that predictability is now […] Read more
Market analysts predict good year
Commodity market soothsayers at the big banks have been poring over the entrails of the 2007 market and picking out promising and worrisome organs. Right now many are focusing on the concepts of decoupling and supercycles. The good news for farmers is that most analysts think 2008 will be another year of strong commodity prices, […] Read more
Hog report carries bad news
Hog prices were bad in 2007 and the outlook for 2008 was ugly. It just got uglier. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found more hogs on American farms than most analysts expected. Those animals will swell the numbers heading for slaughter through most of 2008. That will mean more suffering for all North American […] Read more
Flaten/Grant
Producers are not alone as they search for a bigger bang from their farming buck. Prairie researchers are trying to lend them a hand by developing high-efficiency farming methods. “I look for win-win solutions that allow farmers to make more efficient use of nutrients,” says Don Flaten, a soil scientist with the University of Manitoba. […] Read more
