Tracy Tjaden

The two associations that speak for municipalities in Manitoba are on the verge of a merger, which both sides say should boost their clout with the provincial government. Rochelle Zimberg, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Urban Municipalities, said she hopes an amalgamation will snuff out the divide-and-conquer tactics the provincial government uses on […] Read more

Critics of the PMU industry say ranchers heavily invested in the business will be left hanging when drug companies eventually win approval for a synthetic alternative to Premarin. Pregnant mare’s urine is the main ingredient in the drug, a hormone replacement primarily used to help women cope with menopause. An American animal protection activist said […] Read more

BOISSEVAIN, Man. – The farming lifestyle has been ingrained into the skin of the Albrecht men almost the same way a sailor sports a tattoo. After 37 years of farming, the last eight with his eldest son Darryl, Walter Albrecht still can’t get over the miracle of spring. “This lifestyle is like a dream.” Adds […] Read more

Western Canadian dairy supplier Dairyworld Foods is shutting down its Dauphin, Man., plant and consolidating cheese operations in Winkler, the company announced March 31. The move is part of a larger restructuring initiative which included buying up McCain Foods’ Ontario-based cheese operations. Dan Wong, a spokesperson for the company in Vancouver said that deal is […] Read more

Maple Leaf may be able to relax after settling contract battles with several hundred unionized workers at plants across Canada, but one industry analyst says it may have sparked a fire that could spread throughout the meat packing business. “This of course has ramifications now for the rest of the industry,” said Kevin Grier, editor […] Read more

Andy McMechan’s battle with the Canadian Wheat Board continues, but this time his argument is over something federal authorities didn’t charge him for. McMechan, an anti-wheat board activist who farms near the Manitoba/North Dakota border, said lawyers representing him from the high profile Winnipeg firm Walsh Micay and Co. are applying to take his case […] Read more

Looking for the best place to make a stink could soon become easier. A committee representing the hog industry, federal, provincial and academic experts is putting together a set of maps to highlight ideal spots for hog development across the Prairies. The maps won’t dictate where new barns have to be built, said Loraine Bailey […] Read more

Livestock producers will have new costs to swallow beginning this month for antibiotic screening tests conducted when animals are shipped for slaughter. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency used to pay the tab for the in-plant monitoring known as the STOP test. Government belt-tightening and shrinking budgets are blamed for the new cost recovery fee being […] Read more

The company that manufactures a drug using pregnant mare’s urine is putting $1 million into an incentive program to boost the value of horses produced in the PMU process. Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, which makes the hormone replacement therapy called Premarin using pregnant mare’s urine, will double the purse money at competitions for horses that were born […] Read more

A peek into Manitoba farms that produce pregnant mare’s urine has left an American horse abuse investigator shocked by what she found at both ends of the spectrum. And it has left a PMU spokesperson questioning her accuracy. “We found a couple who let us in and I couldn’t believe the contrast,” said Robin Theresa […] Read more