Tracy Tjaden

BEAUSEJOUR, Man. – A herd of wild boar that escaped during Manitoba’s massive flood this spring has been wreaking havoc in this farming community north of Winnipeg, ravaging fields, destroying gardens and scaring children. Several people have been bitten in boar attacks and the animals have been blamed for causing three traffic accidents. “It’s frustrating […] Read more

Manitoba is taking the leap into commercial elk ranching, but few anticipate a smooth landing. The government here made elk ranching legal Feb. 1 and in a Sept. 25 draw, plans to sell 260 captured wild elk. New ranchers, who could find themselves paying up to $8,000 for cows and heifers, say farmers who owned […] Read more

When Betty Kozak sinks her teeth into a firm, juicy, pungent dill pickle, her favorite part is the crunch. After that, the head judge for Brandon’s International Pickle Festival has to weigh other factors to decide which pickle is most pleasing to the palate. “I really go for the dill flavor but I have no […] Read more

Grain car unloads were nearly 50 percent less than targeted at the northern British Columbia port of Prince Rupert last week, and CN is absolving itself of any blame. “Over the past eight to 10 months the railways have taken a lot of criticism when targets have not been met,” said Jim Feeny, of CN […] Read more

New technology could shave hours off the time it takes to weigh grain arriving at port terminals, and save grain companies about $3 million. But the National Farmers Union doesn’t want the Canadian Grain Commission to relax the rules on how it monitors inward weighing. Cuts to that service could be the first step toward […] Read more

The August Pool Return Outlook has put the Canadian Wheat Board back in the running as a market for farmers holding feed barley, analysts agree. “It’s in the ballpark now,” said United Grain Growers’ Charlie Pearson. “Combined with some better information coming out of world markets, the PROs have made the board at least worth […] Read more

AgPro Grain took over two farm supply outlets in Manitoba last week as part of its plan to service farmers outside Saskatchewan. “The approach helps provide farmers with a full, complete link right from seed varieties to access to the marketplace,” said Frank Burdzy, director of business development for the grain group. The wholly-owned Saskatchewan […] Read more

Financial planners don’t normally help farmers choose between buying a tree and an RSP. But if Manitoba’s forestry industry takes off, tree planting could become an investment that pays off years later, according to independent researcher Tam McEwen. McEwen heads the Manitoba Hybrid Poplar Study Team, a local group trying to find out if forestry […] Read more

If farmers around Brandon are getting short-changed, someone’s going to have to answer to the entire community, said the city’s business lobby. The southwestern Manitoba city’s economy is driven by farming, and that’s why local Chamber of Commerce officials are ready to throw their support behind a growing number of players in the agriculture industry […] Read more

“Go not where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Doug Mackie tosses around his favorite quote every chance he gets these days. Lately, he’s had plenty of opportunity. Last week, the Manitoba Recreational Trail Association clinched a long-awaited deal to purchase 176 kilometres of abandoned […] Read more