Judging by this ad in our Dec. 12, 1974 issue, there was also a lack of snow as we approached Christmas that year.
Our front-page news that week was the introduction of a bill to establish the Western Grain Stabilization Act. Farmers would contribute two per cent of their income to a maximum of $25,000 ($500 per year) and the federal government would add $2 for every dollar contributed by the producer. Deductions would be automatic when grain was sold. Payments would be triggered to all producers based on overall Prairie grain revenue falling below a five-year average. The program was dropped in the late 1980s after it ran out of money and was unable to handle drastic drops in income during a U.S.-EU grain price war.
Read Also
Virden livestock auctioneer headed to world championships
Brennin Jack, branch manager of Heartland Livestock Services at Virden, Manitoba, heads to the 2026 World Livestock Auctioneering Championship.
Another front-page story was settlement of yet another strike on the Great Lakes — 220 grain inspectors had walked out for 10 days.
We also reported the sale of a sample shipment of 40,000 pounds of Manitoba grass-fed beef to Israel. Agriculture Minister Sam Uskiw said Israelis preferred the younger grass-fed cattle from Manitoba to older animals from Brazil and Argentina. In accordance with kosher laws, only meat from the front quarters was sent to Israel. A special promotion on the hind quarters was featured at the Hudson’s Bay grocery in Winnipeg.
