BOZEMAN, Mont. — Danny Johnson looks like a cowboy, but he wants nothing to do with cows, or horses. He’s been manager of the Flying D Ranch in the foothills of Montana for 16 years, and in that time Johnson has converted to bison. “I could never go back to beef cows. They’re just not […] Read more
News
Ranchers say once you go bison, you never go back
Crop variability complicates canola forecast
There’s a lot riding on the size of this year’s canola crop, but no one has a good handle on how much is likely to be harvested. Analysts are grappling with disastrous conditions in much of Manitoba, wondrous conditions in much of the western Prairies, and mixed conditions in other places. “I don’t know, I […] Read more
Grain cart on track to move in muck
BRANDON — The new 1,600 bushel Haul Master from Elmer’s Welding features a special rubber track and undercarriage designed specifically for grain carts. Manager Mike Friesen said the growing demand in Western Canada is the main reason for diversifying into grain carts. “Grain carts have been in general use in the States for years. Every […] Read more
Don’t fence me in: the perils of the open pasture
Flying D Ranch manager Danny Johnson tells a story about fence posts. When Ted Turner bought the ranch in 1989, the media mogul had many old buildings and fences torn down. He wanted the look of an open range. But a certain number of fences are needed to keep bison from wandering and to best […] Read more
Trappers tackle annoying rodent
LEDUC, Alta. — A cash for gopher tails program may not rid Leduc County of its burrowing rodents, but the program has encouraged landowners to trap some of the destructive pests. The county budgeted $2,500 for a pilot project last year that paid $1 per turned in northern pocket gopher tail. The program’s budget increased […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Jul. 14, 2011
MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Wheat recovering from wet spring Spring wheat crops are recovering from this spring’s wet conditions. Wheat fields that were yellow are now green, after tapping into nutrients in the soil. However, canola is struggling to recover. Plants that didn’t establish proper roots are bolting prematurely at heights of 15 to 20 centimetres. Haying […] Read more
Changes could hurt rural Alberta
An Alberta government decision to deregulate bus service could hurt rural Alberta, but Greyhound’s service was so poor it’s hard to imagine it could get worse, say rural residents. “We’ve had very poor service here for so long,” said Terry Lee Degenhart of Hughenden, Alta. Rural residents who must travel to medical appointments rely on […] Read more
Canola roots struggle in wet, compacted soil
It has a reputation as a resilient crop, but canola is struggling to rebound from June’s wet growing conditions in southwestern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. Many canola fields south of Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park are bolting prematurely because the crop was sitting in soaked soil this spring, said Elmer Kaskiw, a crop […] Read more
Flooded Alberta farmers want solution or compensation
TWO HILLS, Alta. — An historic drainage project that drains water from fields east of Edmonton has downstream farmers crying foul. Andy and Joachim Gorgichuk understand that their pastures in the Vermilion River Valley will be flooded in the spring by melting snow. However, they object to the reflooding of their pastures in the summer […] Read more
Environmentalists selling fear: expert
BIG SKY, Mont. – Industries involving livestock and water are the next targets of environmental groups, says Bruce Vincent, a former logger and industry advocate. That puts farming and ranching squarely in the sights of an environmental movement that has lost its “saving the planet” focus and become a money-making machine that markets only one […] Read more
