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
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
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
Ambassador says Canada-South Korea deal on horizon
DES MOINES, Iowa – South Korea’s ambassador to the United States says his country will likely sign a free trade agreement with Canada before the end of 2011. “We are negotiating with Canada and Australia. Canada, I think, can be signed, and Australia can be signed by the end of this year,” Han Duk Soo […] Read more
Flood aid program announced in Manitoba
The federal and Manitoba governments have committed $194 million to help farmers in the province who can’t grow crops or feed livestock because of pervasive and persistent wet conditions this year. The provincial government released details of the 2011 Manitoba AgriRecovery Program June 30: $30 per acre for unseeded and flooded cropland $50 per acre […] Read more
Goodale insists CWB plebiscite legally required
WINNIPEG — The Liberals dove into the Canadian Wheat Board plebiscite debate June 29, as deputy leader Ralph Goodale and Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamoureux insisted that farmers, not politicians, should decide the board’s future. During a news briefing held at Lamoureux’s office in a strip mall in northwest Winnipeg, Goodale said amendments to the Canadian […] Read more
Insect bugs humans, animals alike
Another plague has been unleashed on western Manitoba this year. An insect known as biting midge, black fly, sand fly or no-see-ums has been driving people and livestock in southwestern Manitoba to distraction since the middle of June. “They’re just a nightmare,” said Melissa Atchison, Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist in Melita, Man. “I’ve been processing […] Read more
Water quality key to chemical effectiveness
Most farmers know that water with a pH level higher than seven can affect the performance of insecticides, said Jason Deveau, an application technology specialist with the Ontario agriculture ministry. However, he said only a few producers know how to treat alkaline water so that it’s suitable to mix with pesticides. “If it’s outside of […] Read more
Biting midge numbers up in western Manitoba
Another plague has been unleashed on western Manitoba this year. An insect known as biting midge, black fly, sand fly or no-see-ums has been driving people and livestock in southwestern Manitoba to distraction since the middle of June. “They’re just a nightmare,” said Melissa Atchison, Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist in Melita, Man. “I’ve been processing […] Read more
Tissue tests provide instant snapshot of crop condition
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
