A hog farmer from Notre Dame, Man., has become the first person in the province banned for life from owning or caring for livestock. Judge Kelly Moar sentenced Martin Grenier June 3 after he pleaded guilty to starving hundreds of pigs under his care. Grenier also received a $60,000 fine for his role in what […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Prairies to bask in summer sun
Weather forecasting is not an exact science, but Environment Canada climatologists are confident this summer will be warmer than usual on the Prairies. Environment Canada’s forecasting models are predicting warm weather this summer for the entire Prairies, with the exception of the western edge of Alberta, which will likely have normal temperatures in June and […] Read more
Animal cruelty case results in life-time ban
A hog farmer from Notre Dame, Man., has become the first person in the province banned for life from owning or caring for livestock. Judge Kelly Moar sentenced Martin Grenier June 3 after he pleaded guilty to starving hundreds of pigs under his care. Grenier also received a $60,000 fine for his role in what […] Read more
Seeding in jeopardy in western Manitoba
A heavy rain in late May has many farmers in western Manitoba wondering if they will get a crop in the ground this spring. More than 110 millimetres of rain fell in Souris from May 27 to June 1, 92 mm in Brandon and 77 mm in Ste. Rose du Lac. The rain drenched fields […] Read more
Push to produce causes stress
The arrangement between man and livestock has been described as an ancient contract that provides benefits for both parties. “(But) now there seems to be some stress on that ancient contract,” said Henry Janzen, a soil biochemist with Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge. Several factors are putting stress on that contract, he told a […] Read more
Abuse charges spark calls for harsh penalties
It’s been nearly a year since RCMP officers found hundreds of dead and starving hogs inside a barn near Notre Dame, Man. The discovery led to criminal charges and the largest case of animal cruelty in Manitoba’s history. Last fall, the province charged Martin and Delores Grenier, owners of the hog barn, with six violations […] Read more
Compensation package ignores water dumping issue
The Manitoba government has announced a multimillion-dollar compensation package to help farmers and residents affected by near record water levels on Lake Manitoba this spring. However, producer Jonas Johnson says the compensation plan ignores the central issue that for years the province has deliberately dumped water into Lake Manitoba, sacrificing farmers to save the citizens […] Read more
High prices don’t boost sunflower acres
Sunflower prices have doubled in the last 12 months, but acreage is expected to drop in the United States and Canada. Producers would rather grow canola, soybeans and corn, said John Sandbakken, marketing director with the U.S. National Sunflower Association. Prices for 2010 oil sunflowers have topped $40 per hundredweight, a record high. New crop […] Read more
Manitoba unveils new plan to save Lake Winnipeg; hog farmers targeted
The Manitoba government’s plan to reduce phosphorus levels in Lake Winnipeg by 50 percent is a noble goal but probably not realistic, says a University of Manitoba soil scientist. Premier Greg Selinger released a highly anticipated plan June 2 to save Lake Winnipeg. The lake is suffering from unsustainably high phosphorus levels, which are choking […] Read more
Warm summer in the forecast
Weather forecasting is far from an exact science, but Environment Canada climatologists are confident that the summer of 2011 will be warmer than usual on the Prairies. Environment Canada’s forecasting models are predicting warm weather t for the entire Prairies, with the exception of the western edge of Alberta, which will likely have normal temperatures […] Read more
