The new environmental farm plan in Manitoba is not all that new, according to the province’s agriculture minister. “It’s a continuation of the previous program,” said Rosann Wowchuk. “It’s very much the same program, but it’s being delivered in a different way now.” On Sept. 1, Manitoba Agriculture officially launched the Environmental Farm Action Program, […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Pathogens unaffected by production system
Researchers at Kansas State University have found no difference between cattle raised in organic, natural and conventional systems when it comes to the prevalence of E. coli bacteria. In a study published in the August issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, T.G. Nagaraja and his team at Kansas State looked at the two main niche […] Read more
Money lenders’ co-sign policy annoys farmer
If Grant Rigby works on the farm and his wife doesn’t, why does she have to co-sign so he can get a loan from his local credit union? Rigby, who holds a master’s degree in food science from the University of Manitoba, said requiring both husband and wife to sign off on a loan is […] Read more
H1N1 report delayed by glitch
After a two month delay, Manitoba’s provincial veterinary office has confirmed that the H1N1 flu virus was detected in several hog barns in the province earlier this summer. Wayne Lees, the province’s chief veterinary officer, said H1N1 was found in late June and early July, but details were not released until late August because of […] Read more
Money lenders’ co-sign policy annoys farmer
If Grant Rigby works on the farm and his wife doesn’t, why does she have to co-sign so he can get a loan from his local credit union? Rigby, who holds a master’s degree in food science from the University of Manitoba, said requiring both husband and wife to sign off on a loan is […] Read more
Late blight found in Manitoba
Three cases of late blight have been confirmed in Manitoba but only one of those is in the commercial potato crop, said a provincial potato specialist. “One is in what’s defined as the southern region… the area of Plum Coulee, Rosetown, Winkler, Carman… the southern production area,” said Tom Gonsalves of Manitoba Agriculture. The other […] Read more
Soil better off moving uphill
New research has found that prairie farmers can increase yields by moving soil from the bottom of a slope to the top of a knoll. “Farmers have been doing this for hundreds of years because they know this is what you have to do if you have a lot of severe erosion,” said David Lobb, […] Read more
Infrared touted as fire stopper
A Saskatchewan insurance firm believes it has reduced the number of hog barn fires in the province by using infrared thermography. Garth Driedger, risk consulting manager at Mennonite Mutual Fire Insurance in Waldheim, Sask., said he and other employees started scanning hog barns with infrared equipment six or seven years ago and that practice has […] Read more
Manitoba gets new assembly yard for hogs
The Manitoba hog industry got a rare bit of good news this week with the opening of a new hog assembly yard just north of Winnipeg. On Sept. 3 the Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op will begin operating its assembly yard at the corner of Highway 6 and the Perimeter Highway. The site is already home […] Read more
Historic building gets new lease on life
One of Manitoba’s most significant agricultural buildings may soon be renovated because the federal government has committed $425,000 to restore Brandon’s Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. 2., a national historic site and rare example of prairie architecture. “This building is a symbol of the excellence of agriculture that has been an important mainstay of Brandon,” […] Read more
