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
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Farmer-owned short line starts rolling
Manitoba’s first producer-owned railway will operate a short line on 35 kilometres of track from Manitou to Morden starting this spring. Boundary Trails Railway Co. (BTRC) president Kevin Friesen said 75 producers have invested in the short line. “We were hoping that this idea would catch on and the first 100 producer cars are booked […] Read more
CFIA tackles anaplasmosis in Manitoba
An ineffective screening test could be responsible for an outbreak of anaplasmosis that has spread to eight cow-calf operations in eastern Manitoba. Since January, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been testing herds around Lac du Bonnet. As of May 6, 305 animals in eight herds had tested positive for the blood disease. “They (the […] Read more
H1N1 not affecting labour
Ron Friesen has grown vegetables for 55 years and understands the value of Mexican labourers. “The only reason that we’re still in business … is because we have Mexican staff,” said Friesen, who owns and operates Dunvegan Gardens in Fairview, Alta. He has employed Mexican labourers for the last 34 years at his operation, which […] Read more
Rent charged for power pole land
Daniel Schott’s reaction was one of bewilderment and disbelief when he read a letter from Manitoba Hydro in early March. Schott, who farms with his mother near Warren, Man., owns a section of farmland bisected by a transmission line. Manitoba Hydro owns the right of way for the power line, known as Bipole I, which […] Read more
Maple Leaf plant wins environmental award
Maple Leaf Foods has won an award for reducing water use and greenhouse gas emissions at its hog processing plant in Brandon. The American Meat Institute Foundation presented Maple Leaf with its Tier 2 award in April under the institute’s environmental recognition awards program. The AMI uses the award to recognize processors that are minimizing […] Read more
Engineers go mobile when cubing biomass
Improving a machine that already exists is challenging, but building a machine from scratch is an entirely different matter. Engineers at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) in Portage la Prairie, Man., are attempting to do the latter as they build a mobile unit to cube biomass in the field. “Biomass’s biggest challenge is transportation,” […] Read more
Biomass generates interest
The concept of generating more of Manitoba’s energy with biomass is heating up. The provincial government recently announced it will spend $450,000 to develop a biomass energy strategy, study the feasibility of using biomass energy at a Pine Falls paper mill and examine the possibility of using biomass energy at the new Assiniboine Community College […] Read more
Corn litter awaits Man. farmers
Flooding isn’t producers’ only headache in Manitoba’s Red River Valley this spring. They’re also dealing with thousands of acres littered with corn residue. Gary Unrau, who farms near Roland, Man., said an unusually wet fall and late harvest prevented many producers from working their fields, which will likely cause a time crunch this spring when […] Read more
Producers, RM upset over elevator demolition
As he eyed a pile of scrap that was once the Viterra elevator in Arborg, Man., Dave Shott was unable to contain his anger. “I’m sitting here looking at it and there’s three 35,000 bushel bins …. They’ve torn down two now and basically just crumpled them …. It’s just ludicrous,” the grain producer said […] Read more
