Farmers say too many details are still undetermined as the new system gets closer to reality
Producers are looking for details as the province hashes out its new Crown lands auction system. Bill 35, which introduced open auctions to allocate agricultural Crown lands and gave the province power to designate Crown lands and community pastures, received royal assent Nov. 8. Although approved on proclamation it has not yet come into effect. […] Read more
The prevailing wisdom could have it all wrong
Wheat needs more research money to compete with crops like canola. That’s the message organizers delivered at the first consultation meeting on two new proposed royalty options in Winnipeg Nov. 16. “Cereals are necessary in crop rotations to prevent pest and disease pressures from emerging,” a government slide presentation said. “However, due to declining profitability […] Read more
Manitoba Farm Women’s conference panel says technology can connect women in agriculture into powerful networks
Women who farm and live in rural Manitoba need relationships with each other, not merely ‘connections,” — not easy to establish or maintain given provincial geography. But organizations well established and new are working hard to change that, and with a high-tech twist. Why it matters: Manitoba women in the agriculture sector can be geographically […] Read more
If seed companies don’t reinvest they risk going out of business, said Plant Breeders’ Rights Commissioner Anthony Parker
Some farmers are willing to pay more in royalties to encourage cereal crop breeding — but they don’t want to sign a blank cheque. “We’re not really clear on how much money this is going to generate for plant breeders and the industry as a whole, and there are a lot of concerns that it’s […] Read more
Fresh Hemp Foods says market pressures forced it to ask producers to voluntarily dock contract prices, but producers aren’t happy with the cut
Hemp growers say they are getting a raw deal on contracts after being asked to accept a lower price than initially agreed. In late 2017, growers contracted by Fresh Hemp Foods (an umbrella company including Manitoba Harvest) received a letter asking them to adjust contract prices. The letter blamed market pressures for the move, including […] Read more
Farmers fear handing a blank cheque to private breeders
How much more will cereal seed cost Canadian farmers? That’s what those at the first federal government consultation on the proposed new cereal seed royalties were most interested in. The answer? It depends on how much the royalty is — and how it’s applied. Who sets the royalty — government or breeding organizations — hasn’t […] Read more
Alex Boersch sees potential in the soil-building approach to make farming more profitable, sustainable and even more fun
An Elie-area farm family didn’t know exactly what they were in for when they signed up for a short course on ‘nutrition farming’ a couple of years back. But the Boerschs, who farm a 5,000-acre commercial grain farm, figured there had to be something to it. Their son, Alex, who’d recently left his grain trading […] Read more
Other resolutions call for flea beetle-tolerant canola and compensation to strawberry growers for wildlife damage
Monsanto shelved Roundup Ready wheat in 2004 but its spectre still haunts some Manitoba farmers. Delegates attending the Keystone Agriculture Producers’ (KAP) advisory council meeting here Nov. 12 passed a resolution for KAP to lobby the federal government to “disallow the testing, funding, importation and introduction of glyphosate-tolerant wheat in Canada.” The Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more
The issue is also expected to be front and centre for the upcoming annual general meeting this winter
Manitoba’s beef producers say it’s time insurance options for feed and pasture get with the times. The Manitoba Beef Producers is chewing through a wish list of insurance changes after its fall district meetings. Farmers in several districts are now looking for more support on alternative grazing strategies, something MBP general manager Brian Lemon says […] Read more
KAP president Bill Campbell says farmers need to pay attention because the outcome will affect their bottom lines
Farmers need to get involved in the cereal seed royalty debate, says Bill Campbell. “This does affect our livelihoods down the road and for future generations so we have to get engaged,” the president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) said in an interview following the first of four consultation meetings on the issue held […] Read more
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