Chris Wararuk surveys one of Farmery’s hops yards, near Neepawa.

Local content scarce in local brews

University of Manitoba study shows brewers want to buy local but the supply chains don't exist

After 11 years in the business, Wells is still more than happy to yak about beer and what he’s got brewing — like the Pilsner made with Saskatchewan craft-malted barley he has in process. “So far it’s tasting awesome,” he said. Rosthern, Saskatchewan, is the closest Wells can get to local craft malt right now.




Feed grains prices softer ahead of harvest

Feed grains prices softer ahead of harvest

Old crop barley is off $20

MarketsFarm – Feed grain prices have softened ahead of harvesting season, due in part to improving growing conditions and a stronger Canadian dollar. Prairie drought conditions earlier in the summer had threatened crop yields and buoyed feed grain prices, but the weather premium has subsided thanks to recent rains. “Rain showed us we’ll have a


Attendees at the Crop Diagnostic School earlier in July pore over an oat crop at the Ian N. Morrisson Research Farm in Carman.

A thorn in the side of oat growers

Common buckthorn is a haven for crown rust spores over the winter and an easy source of infection if the farmer opts for a susceptible oat variety

Oat growers may want to gauge the distance to the nearest woody stream bed the next time they choose a variety. That’s one of the messages sent out during this year’s Crop Diagnostic School in Carman in the first two weeks of July. Why it matters: Manitoba’s most popular oat varieties have either been downgraded



Corn, sunflower, soybeans enter reproductive phase, hay and forage yields far below normal

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report for July 23

Southwest Region Scattered showers and thunderstorms in the region brought some significant rain in few areas and very little in others. Day and nighttime temperature have been above normal, giving crops a big growth boost. Some yellowing occurring in fields due to wet conditions in low spots, but with improved conditions this past week, they



Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau (fifth from left) meets in Quebec City with provincial and territorial ag ministers. (CNW Group/Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Ag ministers aim for AgriStability upgrades for 2020

Coming out of their meeting in Quebec City, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ministers for agriculture say they plan to meet again before year’s end to see about improving the AgriStability program for 2020. In a statement Friday, the ministers said they discussed “adjustments that could improve existing (business risk management) programs to address the