A Canadian Wheat Board computer model that estimates the risk of fusarium head blight performed well during its debut last year, says CWB agronomist Mike Grenier. However, more data and evaluation are required to prove that it can predict the risk of fusarium outside of Manitoba’s Red River Valley. The board launched the fusarium risk […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Plastic made from potatoes?
Earl McLaren and his colleagues at Manitoba Starch Products travelled to Europe several years ago for two weeks of meetings. The Carberry, Man., company manufactures and sells potato starch as a food ingredient and it wanted to meet Europeans in the same industry. After many conversations about potential uses for potato starch, McLaren and his […] Read more
Military called to fight rising flood waters
The federal government is sending Canadian soldiers to build up dikes along the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. Prime minister Stephen Harper authorized members of the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the flood fight in Manitoba following a May 8 conversation with premier Greg Selinger. “The City of Brandon, Man., declared a state of emergency […] Read more
Canada regains bird flu free status – for May. 12, 2011
Canada is once again free of avian influenza following a bird flu outbreak at a turkey breeding farm north of Winnipeg last fall. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced May 5 that Canada has regained its disease-free status for notifiable avian influenza, according to the World Organization for Animal Health regulations. In November, the CFIA […] Read more
Marketing canola through CWB nixed
The Manitoba Canola Producers Association has shelved plans to voluntarily market canola through the Canadian Wheat Board. In April, the association placed ads in farm newspapers to gauge interest in the concept of selling canola in a pool through the wheat board. However, the ads and related media coverage didn’t generate sufficient interest in the […] Read more
Man. to decide by noon on controlled flood
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is considering a controlled release of the Assiniboine River, which will flood 225 sq. kilometres of land southeast of Portage la Prairie. Provincial transportation minister Steve Ashton said cutting a hole in the river’s dike to release 2,000 to 6,000 cubic feet per second of water is necessary because the […] Read more
Decision to break dikes near Portage put on hold
The Manitoba government is putting off a decision to intentionally flood farmland and property near Portage la Prairie. The province had scheduled a “controlled release” of the Assiniboine River, which would flood 225 sq. km (87 sq. miles) of land southeast of Portage, for May 11 at noon. But the province will now make that […] Read more
Manitoba flooding forces cattle off pastures
Farmers with pastures near Lake Manitoba will have to move 100,000 cattle to higher ground because water levels are rising higher than expected. The Manitoba government is diverting millions of litres of water out of the flooding Assiniboine River into Lake Manitoba, which is expected to flood summer pastures near the lake for two months […] Read more
Canada regains bird flu free status – for May. 9, 2011
Canada is once again free of avian influenza following a bird flu outbreak at a turkey breeding farm north of Winnipeg last fall. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced May 5 that Canada has regained its disease-free status for notifiable avian influenza, according to World Organization for Animal Health regulations. In November, the CFIA discovered […] Read more
Floods worsen in Manitoba; soldiers recruited to help efforts
The federal government is sending Canadian soldiers to build up dikes along the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. Following a May 8 conversation with Manitoba premier Greg Selinger, prime minister Stephen Harper authorized members of the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the flood fight in the province. “The City of Brandon, Man., declared a state […] Read more
