Steel Genaille of Souris, Man., and Jackson Fleury of Oak Lake, Man., took advantage of nice weather Nov. 25 to play 
one-on-one hockey on Oak Lake at sunset. | Sandy Black photo

’Tis the (other) season – photo essay

Steel Genaille of Souris, Man., and Jackson Fleury of Oak Lake, Man., took advantage of nice weather Nov. 25 to play one-on-one hockey on Oak Lake at sunset. | Sandy Black photos

Chad Wilson of Wawota, Sask., one of three judges in the Little Lady Classic, shakes hands with Laura Horner of the Horner Cattle Co. near Minnedosa, Man., after her female was declared the champion in the all-breed class. There were 50 entries in the class. | Sandy Black photo

Manitoba Ag Ex – photo essay

The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba’s 49th annual Manitoba Ag Ex was held in Brandon Oct. 26-29. The all-breed show attracted more than 150 cattle from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta with the champions having the opportunity to go to Canadian Western Agribition in Regina later this month. An education component featured Moo Mania and Ewe Mania, […] Read more

An old threshing machine is pulled in front of the grandstand for the afternoon steam vs. gas engine threshing competition. | Sandly Black photo

Remembering the good ’ol days – photo essay

The Manitoba Agriculture Museum in Austin, Man., held its 66th Thresherman’s Reunion and Stampede July 28-31 after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured horse shows, the Pioneer Village, live music, vintage equipment demonstrations and a rodeo. | Sandy Black photos


Jayna Locke of Cassopolis, Michigan, tends to Garry Fedore’s team in the senior driver over 65 class. | Sandy Black photo

Playing with the big boys – photo essay

The World Percheron Congress rolled into Brandon July 18-23 with 60 exhibitors, 20 of which were from the United States. The barns at the Keystone Centre held more than 250 horses competing in line classes, hitch classes, farm chores, plowing and horse pulls. The last time Brandon held the event was in 2004. | Sandy […] Read more

Quinnton Shwaluk of Dauphin, Man., was the season’s leader in the bareback riding event. | Sandy Black photo

High School Rodeo Finals – photo essay

The Manitoba High School Rodeo Association hosted the 2021-22 high school finals in Souris, Man., June 10-12, along with the final junior high rodeo, in which 85 contestants competed for top honours. The winners will move on to the Canadian High School Finals in Swift Current, Sask., Aug. 4-6. Sandy black photos

The Manitoba High School Rodeo Association hosted the 2021-22 high school finals in Souris, Man., June 10-12, along with the final junior high rodeo, in which 85 contestants competed for top honours. The winners will move on to the Canadian High School Finals in Swift Current, Sask., Aug. 4-6. | Sandy Black photos


Competitors start their all-important first split on day one of the plowing championships. They had to complete the 100 metre split in 20 minutes to continue in the competition. | Sandy Black photo

Plowing competitors dig deep – photo essay

The 2022 Canadian National Plowing Championships were held near Rivers, Man., May 4-6. Twelve competitors from ages 19 to 80 from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia competed to represent Canada at the Worlds in Estonia in 2023 in the conventional and reversible classes. Bryan Davenport of Owen Sound, Ont., won the senior conventional class […] Read more

A gopher slowly emerges from its burrow after the recent snowfall. | Sandy Black photo

Life in gopher land – photo essay

Farmers weren’t the only ones who had to dig out from the recent snowstorm that hit much of Manitoba as well as eastern Saskatchewan. Richardson ground squirrels, more commonly known in this part of the world as gophers, also had to cope with the surprise snow, as well as a pesky magpie. The action was […] Read more

Horticulture Instructor Jennifer Wasko teaches Madeline Kennedy of Saskatoon how to propagate an Elderwood in Assiniboine Community College’s greenhouse at the North Hill Campus while Leanne Plews works on her project in the background.  | Sandy Black photo

Warm oasis under glass – photo essay

Frigid temperatures engulfed most of the Prairies earlier this month, but it’s been warmer in greenhouses in the Brandon area as exotic plants grow inches away from a deep freeze. Here, students work on propagating trees and shrubs and scientists study plants for future agriculture production. | Sandy Black photos      


An hour or so into the morning and Warren Boles, left, Len Boles and Art Cochrane help complete the last of the morning’s drive to the sorting pens with slightly more than 600 to go. | Sandy Black photo

Taking them home – photo essay

Photo essay | The fall roundup was underway earlier this month at the Langford Pasture, one of 19 pastures in the Association of Manitoba Community Pastures. Langford is about 15 minutes north of Carberry and dates back to 1948. It has 23 patrons and cares for 1,170 adults from mid-May till the end of October. The photos on this page were taken the morning of Oct. 5. | Sandy Black photos


The fall roundup was underway earlier this month at the Langford Pasture, one of 19 pastures in the Association of Manitoba Community Pastures. Langford is about 15 minutes north of Carberry and dates back to 1948. It has 23 patrons and cares for 1,170 adults from mid-May till the end of October. The photos on […] Read more

Visitors make their way to the barn to look and shop. A much needed rain earlier in the day made the dirt road too muddy for travel. | Sandy Black photo

Looking for a new home

Many of the Prairies’ iconic farm buildings are slowly fading away, but Shela and Jeff Elder are trying to preserve and find a new life for an Eaton’s catalog barn that has been in the Elder family for about 70 years. The Maple Grove Farm Barn was built in 1913, and Jeff’s grandparents, Graham and […] Read more