Ian Bell

His voice was tinged with apprehension early this week. Jim Lorette has 1,000 acres of land to seed this spring. When interviewed June 7, he still had not planted the first kernel. Lorette farms near Storthoaks, an area of southeastern Saskatchewan punctuated with potholes. Those potholes are brimming with water. “Even the old-timers say they’ve […] Read more

Marcel Hacault cut to the chase last week when asked whether Maple Leaf Pork will be able to get enough hogs for its new slaughter plant at Brandon, Man. “The success of that Maple Leaf plant will depend on how competitive they are,” Hacault said. “If the dollars aren’t there, they won’t get any hogs […] Read more

MANOR, Sask. – Claude Poirier was making more turns than a mouse in a maze last week. The Saskatchewan farmer was guiding a spray coupe through a field dotted with potholes and saturated with water. The high-clearance sprayer kicked up mud each time it passed through a low-lying area. Heavy rains have set seeding back […] Read more

An agreement reached between Manitoba and Egypt has stirred hopes Canadian canola products can one day flow into much of the Middle East. A memorandum of understanding was penned earlier this year to develop a market for canola products in Egypt. The memorandum was signed in February, but was made public only recently. The Canola […] Read more

There might be at least one silver lining in the rain clouds that have plagued farmers trying to seed their crops in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The lush grass brought on by the rampant rains could keep grasshoppers from devouring farmers’ fields. The abundance of forage in ditches and along the edges of fields will offer […] Read more

The Manitoba Securities Commission is certain the Securities Act was violated by people selling shares to support the hemp industry. The securities commission began investigating last month after questions were raised by people approached to buy shares in unnamed Manitoba companies. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shares were sold around the Dauphin region […] Read more

Tough questions were asked last week about shares being sold as an investment in the hemp industry. The Manitoba Securities Commission issued an investor alert. The suspicions were triggered by forms people were asked to sign when buying shares. “There were such obvious problems with the forms that it raised flags immediately,” said Doug Brown, […] Read more

Simon Cleal was on the hunt last week for wild boar. He was crisscrossing the Prairies to learn more about the wild boar industry and the number of animals raised here. He represents a company that wants to buy about 500 head per month for export to the United States. That demand might grow. Southern […] Read more

Derailed train cars tore up a stretch of track near Binscarth, Man., last week. Four cars at the end of a train derailed during the early morning hours of May 20, said CP Rail spokesperson Ian La Couvee. No one was injured and no estimate of damages was available. In a May 21 interview, La […] Read more

Seeding equipment was parked in farm yards and fields last week as rain and overcast skies moved through large portions of the Prairies. It was week three of wet weather, which left farmers wondering how soon they will be able to finish seeding. When they do return to planting, farmers may want to consider the […] Read more