Heavy rain actually boosted attendance at the opening day of Canada’s Farm Progress Show compared to last year. Officials said attendance yesterday was up 20 percent from opening day in 2013. The show footprint looks considerably different this year due to construction of Regina’s new football stadium, where several of the older buildings stood on […] Read more
News
Farm Progress Show attendance up
Rain dampens forecast
Sunflower acres | Seeded acres unlikely to hit 120,000, says processor
Manitoba sunflower acres won’t increase as much as expected because persistent rain has hampered seeding in the southwestern corner of the province. Ben Friesen, commodity purchasing manager with Keystone Grain, a special crops processor in Winkler, Man., was expecting sunflower acres to rise significantly this year. “Originally, I had projected Manitoba in the 120,000 acre […] Read more
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
TABER, Alta. — Don’t treat late blight. Instead, prevent it from ever occurring. That is the key message from plant pathologists and potato industry officials in this region, where the fungal disease caused major losses last year. Late blight kills potato plants and causes tuber rot in storage. It also affects tomatoes, which can be a […] Read more
Warmer weather on the way
But cooler in Manitoba | Weather Network issues its summer forecast
Mother Nature is releasing her icy grip on the eastern Prairies. “This pattern is starting to ease a bit, so I do think this cooler trend will start to relax as we get further along into the summer months,” said Gina Ressler, a meteorologist with the Weather Network. “We will see some of that heat […] Read more
Stock growers want compensation for conservation
Sage grouse protection | Producers concerned about fencing costs under new regulations to protect wild sage grouse
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s cow-calf producers say those who raise cattle in the area where a sage grouse protection order has been issued should be fairly compensated. The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association has added its voice to others who are concerned about the emergency protection order issued by the federal government late last year. […] Read more
Dairy finds cash in new places
Cheese maker | Monforte Dairy’s unconventional business model wins prize for innovation
STRATFORD, Ont. — The altruistic aspects of her artisanal cheese business are Ruth Klahsen’s prime motivation, but the dollars and cents still matter. “We need a different business model where you make a living, not get rich,” the owner of Monforte Dairy said. “My line has always been, poverty sucks but money doesn’t make you […] Read more
Interest in fababeans growing across Prairies
Beans push out peas | Growers who have had problems with root rot in peas are looking to fababeans
Fababean acres will jump in Saskatchewan this year — it’s just a matter of how high. Sherrilyn Phelps, a regional crops specialist with the province’s agriculture ministry, said grower interest in fababeans was robust over the winter, and most producers got the crop in the ground. “I’m 100 percent positive they (acres) are going to […] Read more
Sask. trucker taking steps to minimize PED threat
High standards for biosecurity | Kyle Favel says all of his trucks are washed twice, treated with a heated drying system and tested
DES MOINES, Iowa — Meet the guy who’s doing everything right: Kyle Favel. And it’s not him saying that. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus experts told their audiences at the recent World Pork Expo that truckers who haul breeding stock and sows should wash, disinfect and dry their trailers between every load. That’s what happens at […] Read more
Dairy sets up cameras in wake of abuse
Chilliwack Cattle Sales apologetic | Mercy for Animals Canada wants video to air live on the internet
Video cameras were installed at Canada’s largest dairy last week after an undercover video revealed cows being beaten and abused by milking parlour workers. Eight employees of Chilliwack Cattle Sales were fired days after Mercy for Animals Canada released video footage taken at the farm during the month of May. Now the dairy operation has […] Read more
Small town suds soak up praise, out-of-town traffic
Ribstone Creek Brewery | Craft brewery energizes local economy in Edgerton, Alta.
EDGERTON, Alta. — Edgerton isn’t on everyone’s driving destination yet, but at least 150 pins are stuck into a map indicating the home towns of visitors who stopped at the brewery. The original owners of Ribstone Creek Brewery didn’t set out to make the brewery into one of their village’s tourist destinations, but it has […] Read more
