Hostile takeovers have dominated agricultural news in Western Canada recently, but two Manitoba companies are taking a different approach to expand their market reach. Buhler Industries and Westeel are forming a global alliance, in which the two companies will jointly market their grain handling and storage products. In the first phase of the alliance, Buhler […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Fungus finds foothold in farmers’ fields
The summer of 2010 might go down as a dismal one for most farmers, but for fungus, it was a fantastic year. The disease types and affected crops were different in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, but the impact was the same. Producers spent more time scouting fields and more money on fungicide and they will […] Read more
Sclerotinia attacks sunflowers again
Sunflower growers in Manitoba are facing a familiar predicament this fall – fields with high levels of head rot and stem rot. Although producers were just starting to harvest the crop last week in the Carman and Morden areas, sclerotinia head rot and stem rot are a concern across the province, especially in the Red […] Read more
What goes in, must come out — with correct cable
The first reaction of most farmers who get their combine or tractor stuck in the mud is to reach for that old chain in the back of the half-ton. But how do they know if it is up to the job? “That’s a million dollar question,” said Don Sayenga, executive director of the North American […] Read more
Animal welfare expert on board with slaughter
The Western Producerpublished a story last month about Sue Wallis, a state legislator in Wyoming who’s attempting to build a horse slaughter plant in that state. Wallis told theProducerthat Temple Grandin, the celebrated livestock expert, was designing procedures and protocols to ensure that horseswere killed humanely at the proposed slaughter house. Grandin was unavailable to […] Read more
Buhler, Westeel announce marketing alliance
Hostile takeovers have dominated agriculture news in Western Canada recently, but two Manitoba companies are taking a different approach to expand their reach in the agriculture marketplace. Buhler Industries and Westeel are forming what they are calling a global alliance, where the two companies will jointly market their grain handling and storage products.In the first […] Read more
Humane society plans to mark World Farm Animals Day
The Winnipeg Humane Society will release a pig from a sow stall at the Manitoba Legislature Oct. 2 to mark World Farm Animals Day.The pig released on the front steps of the provincial capital won’t be a real sow, but will be a model sow the society uses in its campaign against stalls in the […] Read more
Heavier coat prepares barley for swath grazing
A heavy coat comes in handy on cold and wet days. While plants don’t have the means to buy a coat, many species have the ability to grow their own protection from the weather. For example, barley has a waxy coat and scientists at Agriculture Canada’s research station in Brandon have found a way to […] Read more
Small hive beetle found in Ontario
When a beetle looks like Darth Vader, chances are it isn’t a beneficial insect. In early September, Ontario government inspectors found the small hive beetle within bee colonies in Essex County, in the southwestern corner of the province. The detection was significant because the small hive beetle, an invasive species originally from Africa, can destroy […] Read more
Grandin urges transparency in horse slaughter
Temple Grandin has a simple answer to the ongoing debate surrounding the ethics of horse slaughter in North America: do it, do it right and make it as transparent as possible.”I’m getting to the point where they (slaughter plants) should stream the video out to the Internet and let everybody watch it,” said , the […] Read more
