Ian Bell

KILLARNEY, Man. – Maureen Heymans considers her son lucky to be alive after he fell 15 metres while working at an inland grain terminal being built here. Gabriel Heymans, 19, suffered broken legs, broken heels and fractures to his back after falling from an I-beam Oct. 24. He remains in stable condition at Brandon General […] Read more

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. – The prospect of Puratone having a role in the dairy industry has sounded alarm bells for at least one Manitoba milk producer. The Puratone Corporation of Niverville, Man., is working with a group of dairy farmers considering merging their quota and building a corporate-managed barn. Puratone is best known for […] Read more

Researchers are hoping to shed new light on a method for turning beef heifers into better cows. A study is planned that explores the effects of extra light on beef heifers housed outdoors in the winter. The study is being led by Julie Small, a scientist in beef reproductive management at Agriculture Canada’s research centre […] Read more

CLEAR LAKE, Man. – Les Jacobson sees a tide of financial trouble sweeping over Canada’s farm industry. Prices for most farm commodities, including wheat and barley, have dropped this year. In the hog industry, producers are losing money on every animal they sell. “I think we’re all hurting,” said Jacobson, a farmer from Arborg, Man., […] Read more

Earle Farley trains his eyes on the sales ring, studying the draft horses as they chug past. “We’ve always had horses,” said the 80-year-old farmer from Douglas, Man. “I think we’d miss them if we didn’t have them.” At the Oct. 13 annual sale of the Brandon Keystone Draft Horse Association, Farley was on the […] Read more

BLUMENORT, Man. – Investigators were still gathering clues this week in attempts to learn who set fire to a poultry production plant here. The Oct. 7 fire at Granny’s Poultry Co-operative caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. More than 100 employees have been laid off because of the blaze. The office of the fire […] Read more

Fire tore through one of Manitoba’s largest poultry processing plants last week, causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage. The fire at Granny’s Poultry Co-operative in Blumenort, Man., started shortly before 10 p.m. on Oct. 7. Four area fire departments fought the blaze for six hours before it was controlled. The northwest wing of the […] Read more

The Saskatchewan government has no plans to seek compensation for producers affected by the recent trade skirmish over Canadian grain and livestock shipped to the United States. Agriculture minister Eric Upshall said the emphasis should be on preventing a similar event in the future. “I think the best compensation, to some degree, is getting tighter […] Read more

SWAN RIVER, Man. – Bill Barker sees Manitoba’s elk-capture program as a dollars and cents issue. Every year elk roam across his land, damaging crops and munching on his hay. Just recently, the four-legged foragers cost him $1,000 in his canola. “We’ve still got some combining to do, so there could be some more damages […] Read more

PIERSON, Man. – Corinne Elliott had her eyes on a special item during Pierson’s annual craft fair Oct. 3. Among the many crafts displayed, Elliott was pondering the purchase of a homemade doll. “I have a granddaughter who I think would like one of those,” said Elliott, a Napinka, Man., resident. Elliott had already bought […] Read more