“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
Stories by Tracy Tjaden
Poor attention to safety blamed for workers’ high arsenic levels
Poor hygiene and lack of attention to safety standards are the cause of workers’ elevated arsenic levels at Simplot’s ammonia plant expansion here, according to the provincial workplace safety and health department. Boilermaker Craig Morrison said workers at the $230 million project grew concerned when they were taken off the site a few weeks ago […] Read more
Small spring wheat crop comes as no surprise
Reports that the U.S. spring wheat crop could dip to a five-year low fell short on shock value to Jim Diepolder. “I thought they might actually be lower,” said the Willow City, North Dakota farmer. Poor weather, large pockets of scab and a bumper weed crop caused spring wheat yields to dive sharply this year, […] Read more
Manitoba drives toward road plan
Meetings between the Manitoba highways department and the province’s main farm and rural lobby groups could pave the way for public input on the future direction of Manitoba’s road system. When the grain transportation subsidy was cut, Manitoba farmers were left paying the most to get their crop to port. The change shifts farming in […] Read more
P.E.I. potato farmers weigh irrigation economics
Farmers in Canada’s largest potato producing province don’t have much in the way of advice to offer Manitoba spud growers on irrigation, and they’d like to keep it that way. But as Prince Edward Island’s parched potato district suffers through yet another thirsty year, that could change. “This is the fourth year in a row […] Read more
European bark over genetically altered canola worse than its bite
and Reuters News Agency news As Canada’s canola crop shrinks in hot, dry weather, fears are also fading over Europe’s stand against genetically altered crops. An Agriculture Canada trade policy analyst recently dismissed June reports that said 400,000 tonnes of canola sales to Europe could be lost this year because Canada doesn’t segregate transgenic varieties […] Read more
Work ethic credited for helping farm kids excel in team sports
When Erin Maitland steps up to the plate at the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Man., the opposing team doesn’t know if she’s farm raised or city bred. And they don’t care. But the head coach of the Manitoba women’s softball team said it can make a difference. “We’ve noticed something about the girls […] Read more
Manitoba crops below average
They’re not calling it a drought, but crop specialists in Manitoba say hot, humid, dry weather will serve up a slightly below average crop to farmers in most parts of the province this year. Farmers here don’t have as much to complain about as their neighbors in Saskatchewan, but southwestern Manitoba producers haven’t had measurable […] Read more
Red River hog farmers fear no compensation coming
The Red River flood waters have receded, but three months and $11 million later, southern Manitoba pig farmers are still mopping up the mess. Governments need to inject $9-11 million into operations of the 105 flood-soaked hog producers to bring them back to pre-flood production levels, according to an independent study commissioned by Manitoba Pork. […] Read more
Manitoba farmers see disease slash yields up to 50 percent
KILLARNEY, Man. – Almost 50 farmers traveled to this southwestern Manitoba town to check out Canadian Wheat Board field research trials, but there wasn’t much to see. Fusarium head blight has claimed up to 50 percent of some crops in south and southwestern parts of the province. Art Thiessen, the board’s area representative in Brandon, […] Read more