Anthrax continues to appear in Manitoba’s Interlake region. The bacterial infection has been found on 11 quarter sections of land owned by nine farms. “It’s shown up on small farms and large ones. Some of our (Manitoba) staff characterize the situation as swampy land that is drying up,” said Sandra Stephens of the Canadian Food […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Good grass key for bison ranch
FAIRBURN, S.D. -Â Mimi Hillenbrand knows her stock and her farm. It’s no small feat; there are 1,800 bison and 26,000 acres. “We aim for 25 acres per cow-calf pair,” said Hillenbrand. “Seven years of drought means we keep having to adjust, but this grass is oddly resilient to the conditions.” A little dust lifts from […] Read more
Cereal pest emerges in prairie crops
LETHBRIDGE – It’s new to the Prairies and it’s nasty. Cereal leaf beetle is an oat-loving pest prevalent in the United States and Europe that can cut yields in that crop by 55 percent and by 25 percent in wheat and barley. The insect chews on plant leaves as larvae and adults. Larvae damage appears […] Read more
New sensor monitors plant health
LETHBRIDGE – Farmers have been telling plants’ fortunes for thousands of years by reading their leaves. Electronic tools are building on that experience and a new one is now being tested in Western Canada. Called Dualex and made by the French manufacturer Force A, it adds to two others, the Green Seeker and SPAD meter, […] Read more
Texas anthrax case sparks producer worries
Texas’s first anthrax case of the year killed 17 cattle July 13. Heavy rain this year followed by dry conditions left state officials wondering when, rather than if, anthrax would appear there. Steve Sturtz of the Tom Green County Extension Office said the area had ideal conditions for an outbreak. “We like it when it […] Read more
New pig antibiotic reduces injections
RED DEER – No-repeat workdays aren’t just for radio stations; they’re also finding their way into hog barns. In the past, producers have had few options when treating respiratory disease in pigs: either add antibiotics to water or feed or perform repeated injections. Now a new triamilide antibiotic is available that gives producers a one-shot […] Read more
Higher prices make spraying pay
Farmers across the Prairies might be wise to spray for insects this year even if they find fewer bugs than what they would normally consider the economically viable point for spraying. The economic thresholds for applying insecticides are dropping as commodity prices rise. The higher the price farmers can get for their crops, the less […] Read more
Landmark gets solid foundation
After 68 years in one place, a Saskatoon area landmark has picked up stakes and moved on – to another farm, that is. Built in 1939 at the end of the horse era, the Dreger barn was a fixture along Highway 5, just east of Saskatoon. “Big draft horse barns weren’t being built. Draft horses […] Read more
Feds confirm biofuel spending
STRONGFIELD, Sask. – Reannouncing a $1.5 billion government biofuel initiative brought out 300 people in the midday sun July 5 at Strongfield, Sask., population 42. Prime minister Stephen Harper, federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl and Saskatchewan MPs were at the Gardiner Dam Terminal to remind those gathered of the nine year, $1.5 billion biofuel strategy […] Read more
Fertilizer prices behind hay yield decline: study
LANIGAN, Sask. – Canada’s hay crop is getting smaller, and producers’ reluctance to fertilize is mostly to blame, researchers have found. With the exception of the Maritimes, Canadian farmers have steadily harvested less hay per acre in each of the past 30 years. Researchers at Saskatchewan’s Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC) and the Agriculture Canada […] Read more
