The Manitoba government is considering building ring dikes and other permanent measures to protect property north of Winnipeg, says the province’s intergovernmental affairs minister. “We’re going to be talking to municipal leaders today … looking at something equivalent to what happened in the Red River Valley (south of Winnipeg),” Steve Ashton said at a April […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Kansas wheat escapes major frost damage
A severe frost in Kansas last week isn’t expected to cause extensive damage to the state’s winter wheat crop because the freeze hit at an opportune time. “I just don’t believe there will be significant damage,” said Scott Olson, an extension agronomist with Kansas State University. “If there is damage, the wheat will compensate and […] Read more
Reinventing the wheel: A Manitoba wheelwright is reviving a ‘dead art’
When an unfamiliar pickup truck pulls into his driveway, Brian Reynolds knows he will soon be sorting through a pile of wooden bits and metal shards. “You get someone come over with some mangled bits of metal in the back,” said Reynolds, who works as a part-time wheelwright and wainwright on his farm near Rapid […] Read more
Findings irk grass-fed beef growers
Producers of grass-fed beef in Manitoba want to spread the word that despite recent studies, red meat has benefits for human health. As well, they want to publicize that their niche product is especially rich in beneficial fatty acids, like omega 3. “There are actually a number of studies have been done on the benefits […] Read more
Pigs make comeback
Pam Heath laughed when asked how many Tamworth pigs she owns. “It’s not going to impress your readers very much,” said Heath, who has one Tamworth, a rare breed also known as the Irish Grazer, on her farm near Nesbitt, Man. What’s more impressive is Heath’s effort to rebuild the Tamworth population and her work […] Read more
Packing plant under study
South Korean investors want to build a packing plant in North Dakota that would process 500 to 750 head per day and ship most of the beef to Korea. North Dakota’s Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC), a unit of the state’s economic development department, has committed $150,000 toward a feasibility study of the plant, which […] Read more
Ice along river plays havoc with nerves
Cooler than usual temperatures have slowed the spring melt and should reduce the severity of flooding in the Red River Valley, say officials with Manitoba Water Stewardship. Forecasters predict the river will crest between Winnipeg and the U.S. border at levels only slightly higher than in 2006, the fourth worst flood in Manitoba’s recorded history. […] Read more
Agriculture must be included in climate change: expert
Daniel Martino makes the point – emphatically – that the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gases will fail if it continues to overlook agriculture. “We cannot afford to ignore the land-use sectors in the global mitigation efforts…. Neglecting that would be very negative for the environment,” said Martino, a greenhouse gas reduction expert who helped […] Read more
Man. braces for flooding
MORRIS, Man. – It’s obvious when visiting Chris and Lorne Hamblin that the flood of 1997 has not been forgotten. Photos of their flooded farmyard near Morris are pinned to a bulletin board near the side entrance to their home. They depict the Hamblins’ farm covered by a vast lake with out buildings and the […] Read more
Floods alter seeding plans
MORRIS, Man. – Lorne Hamblin is not optimistic about getting a crop in early this year. “If the water comes like they’re telling us, we’re probably looking at June seeding,” said Hamblin, who has 3,000 acres of cropland near Morris, Man., in the Red River Valley south of Winnipeg. Last week, Manitoba Water Stewardship announced […] Read more
