Despite clearing away a moratorium on hog barns and making it easier to invest in Manitoba businesses, few hog barn applications have come before the provincial government. Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler thinks United States President Donald Trump’s frequent but confusing attacks on the North American Free Trade Agreement might have something to do with it. […] Read more
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Battle of the beans
WINNIPEG/CHICAGO — Monsanto is facing major threats to its historic dominance of seed and herbicide technology for the $40 billion U.S. soybean market. Rivals BASF and DowDuPont are preparing to push their own varieties of genetically modified soybeans. At stake is control over seed supply for the next generation of farmers producing the most valuable […] Read more
Supreme Court agrees to hear Alta. producers’ case against abandoned oil wells
Farmers are being left to deal with contaminated land as the number of abandoned wells continues to grow
A group with the backing of farmers is heading to the Supreme Court of Canada to oppose a legal ruling that lets energy companies abandon unprofitable oil wells. The court announced in late January that it will hear from the Action Surface Rights group, an organization dedicated to helping rural landowners deal with energy companies […] Read more
Breakthrough made in shatterproof canola
Australian researchers say they have made a major breakthrough in the effort to develop shatterproof canola. Researchers at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries have mapped shatter-resistant genes in Ethiopian mustard plants, also known as brassica carinata. “We investigated the level of pod shatter resistance in Ethiopian mustard and identified sources, which were […] Read more
Glyphosate resistant weed suspected in Man.
Manitoba may have another glyphosate-resistant weed. Last year, a grower in eastern Manitoba discovered a specimen of giant ragweed that seemed to have immunity to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The giant ragweed, found in a field of soybeans, is now being tested in a lab. “It will take several months before the results […] Read more
Brazilian ethanol prices open door to U.S. imports
CHICAGO, Ill./SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) — American ethanol exports to Brazil will spike during the coming months as high gasoline prices and low ethanol supplies drive up demand in the South American country, according to two traders and two brokers active in the market. The southward flow comes as a setback to Brazil’s efforts to […] Read more
Power rates to rise
Saskatchewan residents will soon see a 3.5 percent increase in their monthly power bills. The provincial government recently accepted a recommendation from the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel suggesting power rates should be increased. SaskPower, a provincial crown corporation, had initially requested a five percent increase. The 3.5 percent rate hike approved by the province will […] Read more
USDA makes requests for next farm bill
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — A new U.S. farm bill should provide crop insurance products that let farmers withstand economic slumps and also cut out waste in nutrition assistance programs, the U.S. Agriculture Department has said. The department said some of its other priorities for the bill include encouraging younger farmers as well as opening up […] Read more
Farmers still push for exemption on heating fuel
Farmers continue to put pressure on the Manitoba government to exempt barns, greenhouses and grain dryers from carbon taxes. Thousands of dollars of new costs could be imposed on farmers using heating, cooling or drying machinery if the proposed $25 per tonne carbon tax is imposed. Manitoba’s agriculture minister is offering no guarantees to provide […] Read more
Man. vows to lower school tax
Spontaneous applause broke out when Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler mentioned school taxes. However, his desire to “get rid of this education tax on farmland” was not matched by any commitment to being able to achieve it. “It’s not an easy fix,” Eichler told the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual convention Jan. 24. “We recognize it. […] Read more
