Ian Bell

Good news has appeared on the horizon for Prairie hog producers, according to a market analyst with Manitoba Agriculture. Hog prices have already bounced back from the devastating lows of late 1998, and Janet Honey believes hog producers should start seeing profits by the end of the winter. Honey foresees Manitoba Index 100 hog prices […] Read more

Gerald Martens figures he broke even on the sunflower crop he grew last year. He grossed about $150 per acre and spent just as much on seed, fertilizer and other costs. The farmer from Kola, Man., isn’t discouraged, however. He plans to grow sunflowers again this year. He said last year’s crop was hampered by […] Read more

El Nino, La Nina or El Normal? It was a fitting title for a presentation given at Manitoba Ag Days last week by Danny Blair from the University of Winnipeg. Blair, a climatology professor, shared his views on what prairie farmers can expect from the whacky weather phenomena affecting the world’s climate. In a nutshell, […] Read more

Last fall, Walter Heaman watched his flax straw go up in smoke. Burning the straw was the best option he could find for getting rid of it. He didn’t need the straw for livestock bedding and no one came pounding on his door offering to buy it. Heaman, who farms near Virden, Man., hopes that […] Read more

The suspense may soon end for communities hoping to land a processing plant for industrial hemp fibre. Consolidated Growers and Processors said last week it will build the $6 million plant somewhere in Manitoba. Out of 20 locations, CGP had narrowed its options down to the Dauphin area of western Manitoba, the Manitou area in […] Read more

Overcapacity is at the heart of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s decision last week to close two bakery-products plants in Quebec and Ontario. “The bottom line is simply that we have overcapacity and we needed to consolidate our operations in Eastern Canada,” said Bill Hunt, executive vice-president of the food and industrial services group of the pool. […] Read more

United Grain Growers has signed a letter of intent to buy Pattison Bros. Agro Ltd., a farm chemical and fertilizer dealer at Lemberg, Sask. The purchase is subject to the approval of UGG’s board of directors. In addition to chemicals and fertilizers, Pattison Bros. Agro sells a full range of custom application services to farm […] Read more

Cheques should soon be in the mail for Manitoba sugar beet growers awaiting final payment for their 1996 crop. A deal was reached last week that means another $2 per tonne for the growers, said Gilbert Fontaine, secretary-treasurer of the Manitoba Sugar Beet Producers Association. He hopes Rogers Sugar will issue the cheques later this […] Read more

A fire last fall failed to take the pluck out of Manitoba’s largest poultry processor. The Oct. 7 fire caused at least $4.5 million in damages to Granny’s Poultry Co-operative at Blumenort, Man. However, the company has rebounded in a hurry and now has plans for expansion. The expansion, to be phased in over several […] Read more

Allan Brigden has a dream. He and about 600 other durum growers want to build a pasta plant that could process more than five million bushels a year. They hope to have a business plan completed this spring telling them whether that dream could become reality. “Value added has become the buzz phrase in Western […] Read more