Back to back barn fires last week killed 450 dairy cows and 5,000 pigs near La Broquerie in southeastern Manitoba. The first fire destroyed the Hausammann and Sons dairy farm, causing an estimated $10 million in damage, said Alain Nadeau, the community’s fire chief. The second fire razed three pig barns, resulting in a loss […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
AgriRecovery assistance insults Man. producers
Producers in Manitoba’s Interlake, who were unable to plant a crop last spring due to flooding, will receive $15 per unseeded acre from the Manitoba and federal governments. Manitoba’s agriculture minister, Stan Struthers, and MP James Bezan, who represents the Selkirk-Interlake riding, announced details of the funding April 30. “This assistance will help north Interlake […] Read more
Precision agriculture with low cost netbook
Darin Grimm has a simple solution for farmers who want an economical way to get started in precision agriculture: get a netbook computer. “The netbook and software route is way cheaper,” said Grimm, a corn and soybean grower from Morrill, Kansas. “I think it’s a lot more flexible.” Grimm, who does precision ag consulting when […] Read more
U.S. horse exports hurt Alta. trainers
She’s not ready to give up just yet, but Rita Artemenko is thinking of getting out of the horse business. Over the last few years, prices for saddle broken horses have dropped dramatically in Alberta, making it impossible for Artemenko to make money raising and training Quarter horses at her farm near Westlock, Alta. Three […] Read more
Spring: here today, gone tomorrow
It seems like a distant memory after a cold, wet beginning to May, but Manitobans and residents of eastern Saskatchewan enjoyed the warmest March and April ever this year, said David Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist. Using data from the Brandon weather station as an example, Phillips said the average daily temperature this spring was […] Read more
Fusarium fight: choose your weapons
Producers have better tools to control fusarium head blight than they did a decade ago despite growing concerns about new types, a plant pathologist with North Dakota State University said. “Overall we’re probably at less risk than we were in 1997, 2001, 2005, because we have plants that are resistant varieties,” said Marcia McMullen, an […] Read more
New fusarium found more toxic
The rapid emergence of a new and more toxic type of fusarium head blight may force the Canadian Grain Commission to alter its grading protocols for the disease. Researchers at Agriculture Canada, in collaboration with scientists at the grain commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have determined that 3 acetyl deoxynevalenol (3-ADON) is now […] Read more
Taking steps toward conservation
Holly Hennin set out two years ago to determine if converting cropland to pasture increases species diversity in Saskatchewan. The master’s student in biology at the University of Regina didn’t find evidence that such a conversion helps burrowing owls or the number of ground squirrels and mice in the province. “In small mammals, permanent cover […] Read more
Beef exporter puts money where his mouth is with fundraiser
Harvey Dann, a beef exporter in Manitoba, will celebrate his 25th year in business in 2010. But instead of the typical anniversary festivities, with a giant cake and candles, the businessman will celebrate by feeding steaks to Canadian soldiers. Dann and his daughter, Jackie, are leading a campaign called Sponsor a Steak for returning soldiers […] Read more
Manitoba government eases proposed restrictions on sewage ejectors
The Manitoba government has backed down from its plans to eliminate sewage ejectors. Last fall, the province introduced regulations requiring homeowners to replace sewage ejectors with a septic field or other waste disposal system when they sold their property. However, the government amended those rules earlier this month and will now allow homeowners to keep […] Read more
