Tracy Tjaden

Andy McMechan has lost his appeal on six charges of disobeying Canada Customs procedures when he trucked his grain across the U.S. border last summer. The Lyleton, Man. farmer has spent five months behind bars for refusing to turn over the tractor he used to haul grain to the United States without a Canadian Wheat […] Read more

WINNIPEG – As the new executive director of the Winnipeg-based Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Jim Cornelius has his work cut out for him. A major challenge will be to build support for international food aid among the Canadian public. “There is a fair degree of fatigue about overseas relief,” he said. A certified management consultant, Cornelius […] Read more

Initiatives from across Canada to help flood victims in Manitoba are pouring in almost as fast as flood waters in the devastated Red River Valley. Volunteer organizations, governments, banks, community and church groups from across Canada are collecting donations, co-ordinating relief efforts and distributing information. Here’s a list of who is helping and how others […] Read more

Seed distributors with herbicide tolerant canola on their shelves are moving fast to meet a spike in demand after Limagrain recalled two varieties of genetically altered canola last week. “We’ve seen a significant late-season demand,” said Dave Sippell, manager of Proven Seed division of United Grain Growers. One variety of their Smart Canola was sold […] Read more

Dave Sawatzky doesn’t have time to celebrate his court victory. He’s too busy getting ready to seed wheat. But the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench decision to uphold Sawatzky’s acquittal on charges of failing to produce a Canadian Wheat Board export permit when he trucked his grain across the U.S. border makes his life a […] Read more

WINNIPEG – Baldur, Man. farmer Karl Kynoch enjoys raising hogs, but he never considered himself a guinea pig. As one of 18 hog producer volunteers taking part in Manitoba’s quality assurance pilot project, Kynoch said he doesn’t mind putting in the extra work. The project requires an additional half hour of paperwork a day for […] Read more

WINNIPEG – The ruling by a federal court judge that selling prairie grain under a dual market system would destroy the Canadian Wheat Board should soothe criticism of single-desk selling, say board supporters. In his April 11 ruling dismissing a farmer-led legal challenge against the board, Justice Francis Muldoon accepted the evidence of defence witness […] Read more

A spirit of co-operation is needed to solve the grain transportation crisis, say farm groups, but bickering over who’s to blame continues to permeate the issue. The Canadian Wheat Board’s complaint of poor service by the railways “won’t move a single bushel of grain” but it will stretch the already strained relationships between stakeholders, said […] Read more

Manitoba’s livestock producers have formed a united front to fight proposed waste regulations they say will choke the industry and turn government staff into “manure police.” Commodity groups met with provincial ministers last week to discuss changes to the policy that would ban farmers from spreading manure in winter. The proposed new rules point to […] Read more

The shock waves are calming in Arborg following CP Rail’s recent announcement it wants to transfer the 112-kilometre track serving the Manitoba community to a short-line rail company. Questions about the possibility of higher freight rates, declining service and fears that the next step would be complete closure traveled through the community following the April […] Read more