A $100 million drainage channel to lower water levels in Lake Manitoba is now open and moving water toward Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba premier Greg Selinger announced yesterday. “Building this channel was an enormous undertaking completed in a very short period of time,” said Selinger, who visited the construction site at Lake St. Martin, a small […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Fertilizer ban comes to light in Manitoba
As the leader of Manitoba’s largest farm organization, Doug Chorney normally knows almost everything going on in the province when it comes to agriculture. But in late October the Keystone Agricultural Producers president was surprised to learn that Manitoba farmers are no longer allowed to apply fertilizer between Nov. 10 and April 10. “It’s been […] Read more
NDP fails to address wetland preservation
After a spring of record flooding in Manitoba, Ducks Unlimited can’t believe the provincial government is unwilling to protect wetlands throughout the province. The organization was hoping that Manitoba’s NDP government, elected to a fourth consecutive term in early October, would finally recognize the important role that wetlands play in flood mitigation. However, the government […] Read more
Wet prairie spring sees winter wheat acres nearly double
Official estimates aren’t finalized, but growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan likely planted 800,000 acres of winter wheat this fall, said Winter Cereals Canada executive director Jake Davidson. “In western Manitoba, there is winter wheat everywhere you look,” said Davidson, who maintains an office for Winter Cereals Canada in Minnedosa, Man. If Davidson’s figures are correct, […] Read more
U.S. hog deal with South Korea bad news for Canadian exports
The U.S. Congress has approved a free trade agreement with South Korea that could dramatically increase American pork exports to the Asian country. The agreement is good for American hog producers, but Canadian pork exports to Korea, worth $100 to $150 million annually, are now in jeopardy, says the executive director of the Canadian Pork […] Read more
Soil study digs deeper into carbon sequestration
The scientific debate over whether plowed soil sequesters the same amount of carbon as no till doesn’t apply to the Canadian Prairies, says an Agriculture Canada researcher. Studies over the last 20 years have shown that zero tillage sequesters more carbon than plowed soil, but some soil carbon experts, including John Baker of the University […] Read more
Food drive keeps donations local
NIVERVILLE, Man. — Grade 5 students at Niverville School helped fill a trailer with 1,300 pounds of groceries on Oct. 12 as part of their school’s contribution to Drive Away Hunger. Since 2004, the FCC’s national food drive campaign has collected 5.2 million lb. of groceries for food banks across the country. Most comes through […] Read more
Man. plans to work with Ottawa to minimize CWB fallout
Manitoba’s NDP government remains opposed to the federal government’s plan to end the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly. Nonetheless, the province’s approach has shifted from outright opposition to working with the federal government to limit the economic damage to Manitoba. In the throne speech kicking off the 40th session of Manitoba’s legislative assembly, lt. gov. Philip […] Read more
Tillage not critical to carbon sequestration
Alberta producers who practise zero tillage have been paid millions of dollars over the past few years as part of an emissions trading scheme in the province. The Alberta Offset System has compensated them for conservation tillage because the management practice is supposed to hold more carbon in the soil, reducing the amount of greenhouse […] Read more
Price of offsetting emissions
Companies that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year have been under the gun in Alberta since July 1, 2007. They must either reduce emissions intensity by 12 percent annually, relative to baseline levels, or offset their production. Emissions intensity is measured relative to economic output, so a decrease in emissions may […] Read more
