A new fat tax in Denmark generated an international media buzz in early October as television pundits, nutritionists and obesity experts debated the merits of a tax on unhealthy eating habits. The Danes introduced the world’s first tax on fatty food earlier this month, which will increase the price of lard, sausages, pastries and other […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
U.S. ratification of S. Korean trade deal worries Canadian pork industry
The U.S. Congress approved a free trade agreement with South Korea Wednesday morning, which could dramatically increase U.S. pork exports to the Asian country. The agreement is good news for American hog producers, but Canadian pork exports to Korea, worth $100 to $150 million annually, are now officially in jeopardy, says the executive director of […] Read more
Strange year of rain, heat takes toll on crops
This summer has been one of the strangest and most difficult growing seasons in the history of Manitoba: two months of flooding followed by two months of blistering hot weather. Although it wasn’t the hottest or the driest summer on record, it definitely wasn’t normal, said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada. “There were […] Read more
KAP to push issues to forefront during Manitoba fall election
Keystone Agricultural Producers hopes to influence the debate during Manitoba’s upcoming provincial election campaign. The province goes to the polls Oct. 4 in what is expected to be one of the closest races in history between the incumbent NDP and the opposition Progressive Conservatives. Given the closeness of the race, any issue, large or small, […] Read more
Rainfall limits quality of this year’s canola in Manitoba
Chuck Fossay knew canola yields would be down on his farm near Starbuck, Man., after an incredibly wet spring and a blazing hot summer. However, the severity of the yield loss was astounding when he began combining his fields in late August. “Our yields have been very disappointing. As low as six bushels (per acre) […] Read more
Manitoba hog producers frustrated by political manoeuvering
It’s not shocking that Manitoba’s political parties are playing divide and conquer politics to win the provincial election this fall, says a hog farmer from Morris, Man. Yet, the political games are especially frustrating when the party that traditionally supported the hog industry sacrifices farmers to gain votes in Winnipeg, said Rolf Penner, a hog […] Read more
Record canola predicted for Prairies
Statistics Canada is predicting that Prairie farmers will produce a record canola crop of 13.2 million tonnes in 2011. But this kind of supply data will have little impact on canola prices, said Errol Anderson, a commodity broker at Pro-Market Communications in Calgary. The sickly global economy and fears of another recession will determine canola […] Read more
What’s killing our bees?
BALDUR, Man. — Sitting on the deck of his trailer and looking out over his acreage, Bill Lockhart makes it clear that he doesn’t have a quarrel with sunflower growers. In fact, Lockhart, a full-time apiarist in south-central Manitoba, said beekeepers and sunflower growers need each other. If you prevented bees from getting to the […] Read more
Stripe rust keeps changing its stripes
Stripe rust, which hammered crops in southern Alberta this summer, didn’t severely limit winter wheat yields on Rod Lanier’s farm near Lethbridge. But the disease definitely cut into Lanier’s bottom line, because the grower had to spray his crop twice to restrain the fungus. “In some of our fields, we had two applications of fungicide […] Read more
CWB expects quality crop if no frost
WINNIPEG, Man. — In the coming days, Canadian Wheat Board weathe r specialist Bruce Burnett will closely monitor nighttime temperatures in Alberta, because an early fall frost could have a significant impact on this year’s wheat crop on the Prairies. “There’s a portion of the crop… north of Calgary and up to Edmonton and certainly […] Read more
