Ian Bell

The numbers tell a story sure to warm the hearts of Canadian cattle producers. Recently released figures show retail sales of fresh beef have hit record levels in Canada. Retail sales during the year ending June 30 topped $1.6 billion, said Joan Perrin, the Beef Information Centre’s producer communications manager. Those sales represented 250 million […] Read more

Wade Moser agrees a lot of work has been done to lower the barriers for moving cattle between Canada and the United States. But there is still more work needed, he said, to eliminate the hoops that North Dakota’s cattle producers face when shipping north into Canada. “In the past, there hasn’t been a market […] Read more

BRANDON — Dylan Biggs resembles a football coach as he describes ways to handle livestock that lessen stress to the animals and the people working them. A tall, sturdy figure, he talks about positioning and timing and how to read the livestock. At one point, he kneels in a sorting pen and illustrates a point […] Read more

Peter Jaman watched helplessly last week as a deadly bacteria continued to kill off his cattle, one by one. Jaman, who farms near Vita in Manitoba’s southeastern region, has lost at least 18 cattle in an anthrax outbreak. As of Aug. 28, six of his cattle were missing and were suspected victims of the disease. […] Read more

The Manitoba government has set its sights on hunt farms. Earlier this month, the government passed legislation that sets the stage for a ban on new hunt farms and the gradual elimination of existing hunt farms in the province. It was something the New Democrats have been wanting to do for years. “We’re not going […] Read more

The Manitoba government passed legislation Aug. 17 that gives it authority to regulate drainage in the province. The legislation follows a Manitoba Court of Appeal ruling earlier this year that said jurisdiction over drainage belongs to municipalities. The latest move by the province disappointed Ninga, Man., farmer Ray Hildebrandt. “I think this is just an […] Read more

Joanne Maxymovich was alarmed last week when one of the cows at her family’s farm started showing symptoms of anthrax, a deadly bacterial disease. Other farmers in her area were losing cattle to the disease and Maxymovich feared the worst. “It looked like someone had given her a tranquilizer. Her head was hanging down.” By […] Read more

RIVERS, Man. – A flock of sheep rushes to greet Clayton Robins as he steps into a corral on his family’s farm. Robins gives one of the ewes a gentle rub under the neck while he looks at the flock. In a nearby pasture, sheep and a few head of cattle graze together on alfalfa […] Read more

The Manitoba government last week passed legislative amendments that will benefit implement dealerships and producers, according to the Canada West Equipment Dealers Association. The amendments to Bill 20 allow farm implement dealerships to carry competing lines of equipment. The legislative changes put Manitoba on par with other Canadian jurisdictions and will make Bill 20 comparable […] Read more

Harold Bjarnason calls it a “chicken-and-egg thing.” He knows that if he had scientists working in labs it would be easier to attract funding for a $23.3 million research centre in Manitoba. But before those labs can be set up, there needs to be money for a building and equipment. Bjarnason learned recently that the […] Read more