Predicting insect populations isn’t an exact science, but Manitoba entomologists are confident grasshoppers won’t be a problem in the province this year. “Most of Manitoba has a low risk of economical populations of grasshoppers in 2011,” Manitoba Agriculture concluded in its annual grasshopper forecast. Two factors led to that prediction: an extremely low number of […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Couple finds ways to reduce labour, increase fun
STE. ROSE DU LAC, Man. – Life is often a story of compromises. For instance, if an entrepreneur wants to run a successful business, it usually means less time for family, friends and fun. But cattle producer Dean Gamache has found a way to increase profits on the farm and spend more time with his […] Read more
Monsanto taking precautions to keep GM alfalfa out of Canada
Monsanto is taking all the necessary precautions to ensure that Roundup Ready alfalfa doesn’t wind up on Canadian fields, says a seed dealer in Montana. Dale Strouf, operations manager at Heartland Seed in Moccasin, Mont., said there are plans to monitor farmers who buy the genetically modified forage seed. “Once a producer has purchased a […] Read more
Manitoba braces for floods
A larger than expected snow pack in North Dakota has increased the likelihood of a flood in Manitoba larger than the one in 2009. The flood in the Red River Valley that year was the second biggest in the last 100 years. Manitoba Water Stewardship issued an updated flood forecast Feb. 24 that said there […] Read more
Manitoba Food Development Centre looks to upgrade, expand services with new money
The federal and Manitoba governments have invested an additional $2.6 million into the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie. The centre, an agency of Manitoba Agriculture, will use the funds to add food processing space and a warehouse to its building in Portage. “It will allow the Food Development Centre to take on more […] Read more
Manitoba community college plans horticultural research – for Feb. 28, 2011
Saskatoon bushes, strawberry plants and grape vines will greet visitors to the Assiniboine Community College campus in Brandon this summer. The college is establishing a fruit crop orchard that will be part of the new applied research program in horticultural production. “ACC has stepped up to train the next generation of horticultural workers,” Manitoba agriculture […] Read more
CWB announces plans for moving stored grain in flood zones
With flooding forecast for parts of the Prairies this spring, the Canadian Wheat Board has developed plans to allow farmers to move grain out of farmyard bins in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The CWB announced it would move additional rail cars to several regions to ensure there is enough space in elevators for producers […] Read more
Research questions value of treatments on soybean seed
An American entomologist who conducted field trials on insecticidal seed treatments for soybeans and determined the product has little value for farmers says other researchers have reached similar conclusions. In the Feb. 17 edition ofThe Western Producer,Palle Pedersen, a Syngenta seed treatment expert, said most research done across the U.S. Midwest has proven that insecticidal […] Read more
Not all hemp contracts high
A representative of Hemp Oil Canada, a hemp processor in Ste. Agathe, Man., says hemp growers around Dauphin, Man., may be signing contracts this year for 90 cents per pound but those prices represent a fraction of the hemp industry. Kevin Friesen, seed production manager for Hemp Oil Canada, said the majority of contracted acres […] Read more
Manitoba group on fundraising drive for rail line
Older folks are sometimes skeptical of new ideas, possibly because they’ve been around long enough to understand the consequences of unfounded optimism. But many members of the older generation are jumping on board what is still a new idea in Manitoba – a short-line railway owned and operated by farmers. “What we’re really finding is […] Read more
