Our September 25, 1986 issue carried a Manitoba Agriculture supplement promoting the value of finishing and processing beef in Manitoba. It carried a graphic which said feeding and processing a 490-pound calf through to the consumer added about $685 per animal to the provincial economy.
Harvest weather was said to be good for ducks but poor for farming — up to 35 millimetres of rain fell the previous week in the northwest, where only about 50 per cent of the crop was harvested.
The general farm economic climate was poor that month, and a federal government study said 8,700 once-viable Manitoba farms were in danger of slipping into the ‘marginal’ category. Agriculture Minister Bill Uruski said he was considering implementation of a moratorium on farm foreclosures if prices did not improve or Ottawa stepped in with a bailout. Our Sept. 18 editorial advised farmers to read several news reports and opinion pieces that issue, which all suggested that production controls or quotas were the only solution to low international crop prices.
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We reported that Agriculture Canada was reviewing a U.S. study which said that 2,4-D caused cancer, and that possibilities included an outright ban or stronger usage warnings on the label.
