An early spring snowstorm that dumped 50 centimetres of snow on parts of North Dakota last week should cause only a slight increase in water levels on Manitoba’s Red River this spring, say provincial forecasters. However, peak water levels along the Red will likely exceed 2009 by 0.4 to 0.7 metres, forecasters announced March 25 […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Manitoba beef plant plans major expansion
Plains Processors is planning a $13 million expansion of its beef plant in Carman, Man., which will increase the plant’s slaughter capacity to 1,000 head of cattle per week. It will employ 80 to 100 workers when at full capacity, said owner and president Calvin Vaags. “This is a major expansion,” said Vaags, a cattle […] Read more
No shortage of phosphorus, but environmental concerns may restrict use
Journalists have written dozens of articles in recent years warning of the impending danger of dwindling supplies of phosphorus. Widely read publications, includingForbes, Scientific AmericanandThe Timesof London, have told readers that peak production of the critical plant nutrient will arrive by 2035, followed by a mad scramble for a shrinking and irreplaceable resource. But according […] Read more
Farmer questions wheat board program surplus
Ron Krahn, who farms near Rivers, Man., normally doesn’t pay close attention to Canadian Wheat Board financial statements. But when Krahn attended a CWB farmer forum in Reston, Man., last week, he was shocked by a couple of lines in the board’s financial report. The Producer Payment Option program handled 1.8 million tonnes of grain […] Read more
Reuse, reduce, recycle: researchers find ways to make fertilizer green
Phosphorus is a plant nutrient with an essential role in helping farmers keep up with the world’s growing food demand. A recent reassessment of rock phosphate reserves calmed worries that the global resource was running low. However, it remains in the spotlight because the nutrient, from farm fertilizer, livestock manure and municipal sewage, washes into […] Read more
The fate of phosphorus
Phosphorus is a plant nutrient with an essential role in helping farmers keep up with the world’s growing food demand. A recent reassessment of rock phosphate reserves calmed worries that the global resource was running low. However, it remains in the spotlight because the nutrient, from farm fertilizer, livestock manure and municipal sewage, washes into […] Read more
Man. sheep decline
Manitoba sheep farms were home to 40,000 ewes in January 2005. By January 2011, however, the number had dropped to 28,000, according to Statistics Canada. The decline, despite high prices for lambs, is troubling for Manitoba’s sheep industry because other provinces have increased ewe numbers. “A lot of producers are still small in Manitoba and […] Read more
Farmers told to expect less gov’t help
One of Manitoba’s farm leaders says Canada’s agriculture sector will need to adapt rapidly to less support from provincial and federal governments. Owen McAuley, who farms with his son-in-law near McAuley, Man., told the audience at the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) annual meeting in Portage la Prairie March 17 that farmers should expect substantial […] Read more
Meet a Manitoba matchmaker
There can be many obstacles when searching for the love of your life: shyness, bad experiences in the bar scene and, particularly in rural Canada, a lack of singles in the vicinity. But for Lise Mitchler, who grew up in St. Leon, Man., the obstacle was more basic: nearly every male in her community was […] Read more
Man. pulse growers launch web training partnership
The Manitoba Pulse Growers Association has unveiled a new communications strategy, which will enable its members to learn from agriculture experts in Western Canada and around the world. The MPGA is joining with the Farm Leadership Council (FLC), a producer led organization that provides professional development training, to offer pulse growers information on a range […] Read more
