Cool, wet weather and seeding delays have been the primary story in Manitoba this spring, but slow emergence is also a concern for producers with crops already in the ground, says Ken Gross, an agrologist with Ducks Unlimited. Growth of winter wheat is likely delayed this spring, Gross noted, which means winter annuals have an […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Winter wheat enticement for the ducks
Ducks Unlimited will pay eligible producers, who have not previously grown winter wheat, a $4 per acre rebate for planting winter wheat in 2009-10. In addition, DU is offering a $2 per acre rebate for the first 12,000 acres in the program. The overall goal of the initiative is to increase winter wheat acreage by […] Read more
Canola migrates to southern U.S.
Canola has won over another producer, this time in Scottsburg, Virginia. Last fall Korey Snead planted his first canola crop on his Virginia farm, and although harvest is still a few weeks away, Snead is officially on the canola bandwagon. “At this point I’m fairly confident we’ve made a good crop …. he pods have […] Read more
Anthrax conditions ideal in Interlake
It’s nearly impossible to predict when and where anthrax will happen, but a disease control specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says conditions are nearly ideal for an outbreak in Manitoba’s Interlake region. “The conditions are good this year… and there is a past history in that area as well,” said Betty Althouse, who […] Read more
Canola group boosts security safeguards
The Canadian Canola Growers Association says it has taken every possible step to ensure farmer’s privacy since a laptop containing the personal and financial information of 32,000 producers was stolen last spring. “Within a week of the incident we completely encrypted all data in our offices,” said CCGA general manager Rick White. “We implemented security […] Read more
Horse owners urged to vaccinate for West Nile
West Nile virus killed hundreds of horses in Manitoba in 2002. Since then, the number of cases in the province has dropped, and last year only five horses died from the virus, said Ken Johnson, a veterinarian in Oak Bluff, Man., and past-president of the Western Canadian Equine Association. “We have seen fewer clinical cases […] Read more
Holistic cattle management seeks maximum from inputs
Cattle producer Gary Hill thinks conventional animal medicine can lead to over-treatment of cattle. “It seems like the more and more we do to our cattle, the more and more we have to do to them,” said Hill, who runs a cow-calf operation near Langruth, Man. Hill vaccinates his animals for blackleg but tries to […] Read more
Stay off fields, KAP tells ATV drivers
Keystone Agricultural Producers want riders of all-terrain vehicles to think before riding across a farm field because the impact of that decision can be serious. In a recent news release, KAP said riding on cropland or pastureland can spread weeds to crops and disease to livestock when material lodged in ATV tires moves manure and […] Read more
Ag retailers feel spending pinch
A quick glance at the radar on Lloyd Fehr’s office computer screen tells him all he needs to know. It’s time to shut down spraying because storm clouds are rolling in from the northwest toward Rivers, Man. The middle of May is a busy time for Fehr, branch manager of Redfern Farm Services in Rivers, […] Read more
Weather woes hamper progress of spring work
Larry Fast had just finished filling his seeder with wheat last week and was ready to start up the tractor when it starting hailing on his field 30 kilometre north of Brandon. The hail and the dark clouds to the northwest convinced Fast that seeding would have to wait for another day, so he grabbed […] Read more
