This Sprague’s pipit was found during last year’s Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association bird survey.  |  Cameron Meuckon photo

Bird survey focuses on regenerative farming

Manitoba initiative looks at how regenerative agriculture affects bird populations, species at risk as well as biodiversity

Bird experts across the province have partnered with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association to conduct its second annual bird survey. Tim Poole, species at risk biologist with the provincial government, and Marissa Bedard and Meredith Stoesz from Important Bird Areas, recently wrapped up field visits to nine regenerative agriculture farms operated by members of […] Read more

Since the late 1940s, the growing season on the Prairies and British Columbia has lengthened by 15 to 30 days. A lot depends on location, but it seems like British Columbia and Alberta are getting warmer — and faster — than Manitoba and Saskatchewan. | File photo

Growing season grows longer

WINNIPEG — Western Canada is now warmer than it was in the 1950s, and that trend is expected to continue, says a researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Since the late 1940s, the growing season on the Prairies and British Columbia has lengthened by 15 to 30 days. A lot depends on location, but […] Read more

The new federal deputy minister of agriculture, Lawrence Hanson, has more than 20 years of experience with the federal civil service, about half of it in the environment department. | Getty Images

Ottawa appoints new deputy ag minister

REGINA — A new federal deputy minister of agriculture is in place this week after prime minister Justin Trudeau announced changes earlier in May. After just more than a year in the job, Stefanie Beck is returning to defence as the deputy there and Lawrence Hanson is moving to agriculture. It’s a quick change after […] Read more


Of the three main factors responsible for nutrient runoff into prairie watersheds, manure was in third place in Manitoba and second place in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  |  File photo

Study shifts water nutrient load responsibility

New U of M research finds that soil and vegetation may play a larger role in excess nutrient runoff than livestock manure

Glacier FarmMedia – A new study spearheaded by two University of Manitoba researchers is giving more insight into where nutrients running off into Prairie waterways are coming from, and pasture manure may not be the biggest culprit. The study, led by soil scientist David Lobb and Marcos Cordeiro of the department of animal science, sought […] Read more

The Grasslands Conservation Initiative proposal comes at a time when producers are converting more grasslands to crop production.  |  File photo

Grassland payment proposal gains momentum

Canadian Cattle Association says Ottawa appears open to a program that would pay producers to maintain grasslands

BRANDON — The Canadian Cattle Association has been getting a “warm” reception from the federal government as it proposes a new strategy to preserve the country’s grasslands, says vice-president Tyler Fulton. Last fall, the CCA, Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)developed an idea called the Grasslands Conservation Initiative. The basic concept is […] Read more


A sprayer moves through a crop with mist visible beneath its booms.

Feds to change pesticide oversight

The federal government is adopting a new way to manage pesticides, which seems to give a larger role to Environment and Climate Change Canada. On June 20, the government announced the next steps toward a “sustainable approach to pesticides management.” In the past, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency was responsible for pesticide regulation in […] Read more