Farmers should prepare for higher fertilizer prices, but nothing like they experienced in 2008. The latest crop production estimates from the United States Department of Agriculture will likely push nitrogen prices higher during the next couple of months, says a fertilizer industry analyst. But in the longer run, prices won’t jump rapidly like they did […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Oxides in wood ash give soil a boost
Calcium may be the main ingredient in wood ash but that doesn’t mean that calcium is making soil more fertile, says a researcher at the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station. In actuality, it is the oxides in wood ash that improve soil fertility because those chemicals combine with hydrogen to increase the pH of acidic […] Read more
Calcium crucial to soil balance, says agronomist
His theory may go against conventional wisdom, but an Alberta farmer says calcium is causing yield boosts associated with applying wood ash to acidic soils. Peter Lundgard, who farms near Peace River, Alta., said wood ash can be an effective soil amendment but its effect in treating soils has less to do with soil pH […] Read more
Manitoba slaughter plant supporters vow to proceed
A Manitoba Cattle Enhancement Council director remains confident that a proposed beef slaughter plant in Winnipeg will go forward, even though the federal government has pulled a $10 million loan and the Manitoba Beef Producers want to terminate a checkoff that supports the project. David Wiens, a dairy farmer from Grunthal, Man., said it’s too […] Read more
Manitoba to build emergency water channel
The Manitoba government is digging a $100 million channel to lower record water levels that flooded farms and forage land around Lake Manitoba this spring and summer. The emergency channel, which will drain Lake St. Martin into Lake Winnipeg, is necessary because doing nothing is not an option, said Manitoba premier Greg Selinger. “If no […] Read more
Experts educate to prevent blight spread
CARMAN, Man. — Bent over at the waist and gazing intently toward the ground, Vikram Bisht used his hands and arms to spread apart a dense canopy of plants as he searched for signs of early blight in a potato field in south-central Manitoba. Fortunately for the owner of the field, but unfortunately for Bisht, […] Read more
Ag byproducts come with price tag
WINNIPEG — Engineers shouldn’t assume crop residue is a worthless byproduct of farming, says the director of agri-food innovation and adaptation for Manitoba Agriculture. Daryl Domitruk recently told the Canadian Society for Bio-Engineering’s annual meeting that Canadian engineers and scientists are developing innovative processes to convert agricultural byproducts into biofuel or other forms of energy. […] Read more
Manitoba plans emergency flood channel
The Manitoba government will spend $100 million to lower record water levels that flooded farms and forage land around Lake Manitoba this spring and summer. The emergency channel between Lake St. Martin and Lake Winnipeg is necessary because doing nothing is not an option, Manitoba premier Greg Selinger said yesterday during an afternoon press conference,. […] Read more
Manitoba set to turn manure into electricity
WINNIPEG – A dairy operation near Winkler, Man., could be producing electricity next winter from manure. Manitoba Hydro, the crown corporation that generates and distributes energy in the province, intends to build a biogas digester that will generate 50 kilowatts of electricity and heat from the manure of 200 cows at Sweetridge Farms. The digester, […] Read more
Hog plant receives $10 million to expand
The federal government has announced $10 million in funding to expand a hog processing plant in Neepawa, Man. The announcement came on the same day that it was made public that Ottawa was pulling a $10 million loan for a proposed cattle slaughterhouse in Winnipeg, The interest free loan will pay for renovations at the […] Read more
