The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has verified that videotapes showing improper and inhumane methods of killing horses were taken at horse slaughter plants in Quebec and Alberta.It has not fined or penalized Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod or Vandes Richelieu near Montreal, because the agency doesn’t issue fines for improper slaughter practices.”The enforcement tools available […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Rain could put 12 million acres in limbo
The Canadian Wheat Board predicts that eight to 12 million acres of prairie farmland will remain unseeded this year because of wet conditions.If that figure holds up, it means 15 to 20 percent of cropland in Western Canada will lie dormant this summer.Less than 300,000 acres remain unseeded in a typical year on the Prairies, […] Read more
Man. turf at World Cup
Terry Scott had no idea what to expect when his seed company sent out a news release this spring.Pickseed, which produces forage and turf seed, announced that the world’s best soccer players would be playing on fields sown with ryegrass seed from Manitoba when the World Cup was held in South Africa this year.Since the […] Read more
Late blight found in Manitoba tomatoes
Tomato plants infected with late blight were on sale at retail stores in Manitoba this month. Most of the plants have been removed and destroyed, thanks to the keen eye of a Manitoba Agriculture employee.However, some infected tomato plants have ended up in Manitoba gardens, and the provincial government is asking gardeners to check for […] Read more
Central Man. soaked, crop insurance deadline looms
Chuck Fossay must be an optimist.The Manitoba farmer was calculating the potential profit of reseeding canola as he scouted his soaked cropland west of Winnipeg June 14.”If we could get a 25 bushel crop from canola and if the price rallies up to $9 (per bu.), that’s a pretty viable option,” said Fossay, who farms […] Read more
CWB calls unseeded area unprecedented
The Canadian Wheat Board is predicting that eight to 12 million acres of farmland in Western Canada will remain unseeded this year because of excess moisture across the region. At its annual weather and crop briefing, Bruce Burnett, the CWB’s director of weather and market analysis, said the number of unseeded acres is unprecedented. “I’d […] Read more
Diamondback moths make debut
In addition to saturated fields, western Canadian canola growers face another threat this summer – diamondback moths.”Significant populations have moved in early. It’s something that people need to really watch out for,” said John Gavloski, an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture.Provincial government monitoring programs indicate the moths are present across the southern Prairies. They also arrived […] Read more
Farm councils respond to animal cruelty report
Farm animal councils across the country are attempting to minimize the impact of a new report on livestock transportation in Canada.Last week, the World Society for the Protection of Animals released a report called Curb the Cruelty, which documented incidents of extreme negligence and unnecessary suffering of livestock during transport. The WSPA reviewed Canadian Food […] Read more
Canola must wait to join U.S. biofuel standards
Canola will not be part of the American renewable fuel standards when new regulations become law July 1, said a spokesperson for the U.S. Canola Association. But if things go according to plan, canola will be included in the new standards later this summer.“There’s going to be a gap. We just don’t know how long,” […] Read more
Two biodiesel plants hope to begin this summer
Two biodiesel plants are set to open this summer in Manitoba.Bifrost Bio-blends, which is partly owned by canola growers in the Arborg area, has built a three million litre plant. It will use canola as its feedstock and is expected to be running in one or two months once technical hurdles are overcome.“We have a […] Read more
