Ian Bell

Lori Warren was 16 years old when she first decided to buy a horse on her own. She planned to show it in 4-H and on the Quarter horse circuit. The horse was three years old, had shown in two futurities, and came with a pretty good pedigree. It also displayed good natural ability and […] Read more

Walter Finlay spent much of last year tending to weeds rather than wheat crops. He was among the farmers in western Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan whose land was too wet to seed. He planted only 20 acres of his usual 2,000 in 1999. But there was still the cost of spraying and cultivating to keep […] Read more

Word that there may be a buyer for the canola crushing plant at Ste. Agathe, Man., has spurred hopes that its fortunes are finally turning. The owner – Canadian Agra Foods – went into receivership more than a year ago and the plant, which was expected to employ as many as 55 workers, never reashed […] Read more

Heartland Livestock has pulled away from efforts to build a 10,000-head cattle feedlot near Russell, Man. Earlier this year, it was reported that Heartland would join with a group of local investors to build the feedlot. It was thought construction might start as early as this fall on the $13 million project. Heartland’s decision to […] Read more

A construction worker died Sept. 6 after falling 25 metres at an AgPro grain elevator in Winnipeg. The accident happened while the 31-year-old man was dismantling an enclosed walkway between two annexes at the elevator, said Geoff Bawden, executive director of Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health. Bawden said the walkway on which the man was […] Read more

Three men who allegedly took a locomotive for a joyride are scheduled to make their first appearance in Manitoba provincial court Sept. 20. The suspects, who were employed at the AgPro grain terminal near Boissevain, Man., are accused of theft and mischief. The charges stem from an incident in late July. Boissevain RCMP const. Mike […] Read more

The spread of anthrax in southeastern Manitoba last week forced cattle producers near affected farms to think more seriously about vaccinating their livestock against the disease. There were unconfirmed estimates Sept. 1 that 38 cattle had died from anthrax during August. The disease first appeared at five farms near Vita, Man. But last week, six […] Read more

When in bloom, leafy spurge looks like an ordinary wild flower in the pastures and ditches of rural Manitoba. Its yellow flowers offer no hint that it is capable of infesting pastures and snuffing out the potential for livestock grazing. But don’t be deceived by the plant’s benign appearance, caution researchers who are seeking controls […] Read more

David MacKenzie was encouraged by a survey that shows Manitoba’s vegetable and potato growers plan to increase the acres they have under irrigation. MacKenzie is director of operations for Midwest Food Products Inc., one of the largest buyers and processors of potatoes in the province. An increase in irrigated potato acres would add to the […] Read more

Harvey Tedford heard through the grapevine this summer that hay is in demand in Montana, so he decided to test the market. With at least 200 round bales of hay to spare, Tedford found an internet site where he could list his hay for sale. “There’s quite a lot of hay going from Saskatchewan into […] Read more