It’s been interesting covering this Dutch Disease uproar that the NDP’s leader, Thomas Mulcair, kicked up by blaming the West for the east’s economic woes. I wonder if he’ll be excited by his trip to Suncor this week, seeing all the economic activity, jobs and taxes getting produced up there. Or will he be annoyed […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Spot the anomaly
Interest in small-scale farming increasing
Return to organic, local food | Small farmers can capitalize on the trend, says the co-ordinator of a farm mentorship program
Interest in sustainable, organic and small-scale farming is growing, says Sharon Taylor, co-ordinator of the Manitoba Farm Mentorship Program. However, she admits that progress can be difficult to gauge. Her program, a product of the Organic Food Council of Manitoba, offers training and networking opportunities for new and aspiring farmers, many of whom don’t come […] Read moreNutrient removal app now on smart phones
The Mosaic Nutrient Removal program that many farmers use to determine fertilizer requirements is now available as a free app for smart phones. The software, based on hundreds of thousands of soil samples, tells a farmer how many units of each nutrient are extracted from the soil for each unit of crop removed from the […] Read more
3-D scan on the right track
Custom track mounting design created from three dimensional drawing
Designing a track mounting system using a 3-D scanner is more efficient than crawling under the tractor with a tape measure and pad of paper. It’s like science fiction come to life for Soucy engineers, who annually design hundreds of new track mounting systems for agricultural, military, construction, mining, logging and recreational vehicles. Engineers who […] Read moreFlood’s hard legacy carries on one year later
SIGLUNES, Man. — Arnthor Jonnason looks across a pleasant beach on the shores of Lake Manitoba and sighs. “It’s a wasteland,” he says matter of factly. He bends down and picks up a handful of what could be sand but then holds up a ball of earth trailing a thick tangle of grass roots — […] Read more
Man. farmers worry pesticide ban will hike weed spread
Control begins in urban areas The development of invasive weeds often starts in urban gardens and spreads to farmers’ fields
An environmentalist lobbying for a cosmetic pesticide ban in Manitoba isn’t convinced most provincial residents want a ban on lawn and garden chemicals. Amanda Kinden, manager of the organic lawn care educational project for the Manitoba Eco-Network, said people in the province want parks, lawns and school grounds to look green and well kept. Most […] Read moreHelp son by listening
Q: A few weeks ago, my oldest son signed on to see a counsellor through his employment assistance program. My son has struggled for survival ever since his father’s death 16 years ago. He was six years old when his dad died, too young to be able to make any sense out of it and […] Read more
New crop buying should soon breathe life into ICE wheat futures
Canada’s wheat market isn’t necessarily in trouble, says a senior Canadian grain company executive. New crop wheat contracting is sluggish and the use of ICE Futures Canada’s spring wheat and durum contracts is negligible, but Keith Bruch, vice-president of operations at Paterson GlobalFoods, said it’s more a reflection of commercial conditions that are on the […] Read more
Molecular sponge absorbs toxins, produces biofuel
University of Saskatchewan | Cost effective way to produce biofuel using polysaccharides
Lee Wilson thinks he has found a cost effective way to help produce biofuel using wheat straw. In a lab at the University of Saskatchewan, the chemist and his team of graduate students have developed various types of what Wilson terms “molecular sponges.” Some sponges are designed to take specific impurities out of water, such […] Read moreEcojustice files lawsuit seeking sage-grouse’s protection
Bird numbers plummet in Canada Energy, infrastructure blamed for greater sage-grouse demise since 1988
Organizations concerned about the future of the greater sage-grouse are stepping up their pressure on Ottawa to save the endangered species. Ecojustice filed a lawsuit against the federal environment minister in February to force Peter Kent to recommend emergency protection for the birds. A provision in the Species At Risk Act provides for this action. […] Read more
