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
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Winnipeg cattle slaughter plant likely dead
Keystone Processors, a proposed cattle slaughter plant in Winnipeg, is likely dead because the federal government has backed away from its $10 million commitment to the project, says Manitoba agriculture minister Stan Struthers. “My fear is that the project is dead…. All this work has been done and then the federal Conservatives pull the rug […] Read more
Canola roots struggle in wet, compacted soil
It has a reputation as a resilient crop, but canola is struggling to rebound from June’s wet growing conditions in southwestern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. Many canola fields south of Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park are bolting prematurely because the crop was sitting in soaked soil this spring, said Elmer Kaskiw, a crop […] Read more
Manitoba buckwheat acres shrink but Sask. climbs aboard
Marc Durand should net a tidy profit from his 210 acres of buckwheat if the weather is just right this summer. Prices for the specialty crop are at “unprecedented levels” of around $15 per acre. Durand, who typically seeds 160 to 300 acres on his farm near Notre Dame, Man., knows he can reap profits […] Read more
Feds pull plug on slaughter plant proposed for Man.
Keystone Processors, a proposed cattle slaughter plant in Winnipeg, is likely dead because the federal government has backed away from its $10 million commitment to the project, says Manitoba agriculture minister Stan Struthers. “My fear is that the project is dead…. All this work has been done and then the federal Conservatives pull the rug […] Read more
Institute initiates food price volatility warning
Market analysts like to say that commodity prices were “volatile” over the last week, last month or last year. As well, legislators have conducted investigations to determine the factors behind extreme volatility in wheat, corn and oilseed markets. However, there isn’t a measuring stick to define “volatility” in grain and oilseed prices, which is partially […] Read more
Man. livestock producers get tax deferral help
Flooded out cattle producers in Manitoba will be allowed to defer taxes on livestock sales this year, the federal government announced today. “The spring of 2011 was very difficult for our farmers due to the destructive flooding on both Lake Manitoba and Shoal Lake,” agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said in a statement. “The tax relief […] Read more
Turn ash into cash
Cutting down trees was a common way to clear land for agricultural production a century ago on the fringes of the Prairies. When they were done, the pioneers dragged the trees into windrows or brush piles and burned them. But a strange thing happened when they finally got around to sowing a crop, said Jerome […] Read more
Tissue tests can pay by revealing true crop needs
Tissue tests are money well spent for growers who are unsure if their crop needs more nutrients, says John Heard, a soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “If (it) looks like there’s some ailment, you should do a complete diagnostic evaluation, which generally includes a tissue test and a soil test,” he said. Farmers Edge, […] Read more
System puts hogs in charge
DES MOINES, Iowa — It would have been difficult to have chosen a better location for a trade show booth at World Pork Expo in Des Moines. Pigtek’s large display of housing and feeding equipment was immediately to the right of the main entrance of the international show, an annual event in June that attracts […] Read more
