Ian Bell

MORDEN, Man. – The meeting room was already packed and more people were trying to squeeze in. For Anthony Mintenko, it was a welcome sight. “I was impressed at the number of people and the number of young people there,” said Mintenko, Manitoba Agriculture’s fruit crops specialist. “I think that bodes well.” The meeting was […] Read more

MORDEN, Man. – Good returns can be earned from a saskatoon orchard, but people should not enter the industry expecting a quick profit. That became evident during a meeting here earlier this month to discuss opportunities in growing saskatoons. It takes years for a new orchard to establish, and there typically will be no returns […] Read more

A sense of unease has settled on the hog industry as Health Canada contemplates further restrictions on the use of carbadox, an antibiotic no longer used by Canadian hog producers, but still available in the United States. The sale of carbadox ended in Canada several years ago. Health Canada now is proposing a more complete […] Read more

A national seed growers group sees benefit rather than peril in changes proposed to the system for registering new crop varieties. The National Farmers Union went public this month with concerns that proposed changes to the system could allow companies to register candidate varieties with less scrutiny while further limiting farmers’ ability to use common […] Read more

MELITA, Man. – The announcement was made with little fanfare but it carried huge importance to farmers, particularly those in southwestern Manitoba. During a tour of crop variety trials near Melita last week, two area farmers quietly outlined plans for an ethanol venture that potentially will consume 27 million bushels of peas and two-row barley […] Read more

Manitoba’s general farm group wants a moratorium on rail line abandonment, fearing the loss of more branch lines in the province could spell lost opportunities for rural communities. Keystone Agricultural Producers worries more branch lines will be abandoned due to the high value of salvaged steel. However, the farm group believes those rail lines could […] Read more

ONANOLE, Man. – The ability of farmers to save seed is being threatened by a proposed change to the crop variety registration system, according to the National Farmers Union. There is a proposal to extend the boundaries of contract registration to better accommodate candidate varieties that do not fit well within the current regulatory system. […] Read more

Manitoba farmers wonder whether they are getting a fair shake from grain companies for dockage on grain delivered to elevators. During its general council meeting in Brandon July 6, Keystone Agriculture Producers approved a resolution to begin investigating that issue. “The committee felt it would be worthwhile to look into the whole issue and find […] Read more