The Canadian Grain Commission building on Main Street in Winnipeg. (File photo)

NFU sees red flags in CUSMA bill for grain growers

Bibeau urged to 'correct mistakes' in NAFTA 2.0-enabling legislation

The National Farmers Union is warning of sweeping changes to Canadian grain regulation it sees tucked into federal legislation meant to put through the successor deal to NAFTA. Bill C-4, the implementing legislation for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), passed second reading Feb. 6 and came back without amendment Feb. 27 from the Commons standing committee

YouTuber and “Millennial Farmer” Zach Johnson speaks in Winnipeg at CropConnect 2020, Feb. 12.

City folk want to hear from farmers, says YouTuber

‘Millennial Farmer’ Zach Johnson’s videos of everyday farm life have garnered him an audience of 425,000

Millennial Farmer” Zach Johnson’s message for Manitoba farmers is simple: “People do want to hear from us.” “There’s such a disconnect now that it’s actually become popular to try and get yourself connected again,” Johnson told the Co-operator after his talk at CropConnect 2020. “Farmers have this massive opportunity right now to be able to


Drainage ditches were near capacity this fall after a rain- and snow-filled season.

Make spring nutrient plans now, say U of M soil scientists

The very wet fall last year has set the stage for a very challenging spring season

A series of looming challenges makes planning now for spring nutrient applications crucial, two Manitoba soil scientists say. A wet fall and stretched-out harvest kept many producers from applying nitrogen fertilizer. While spring nitrogen application is not unheard of, it will then have to compete with many other tasks, said University of Manitoba soil science

2019 was a crop year full of surprises

2019 was a crop year full of surprises

It was a challenging year, but the data shows there were still some surprising good yields

There were lots of surprises during the 2019 growing season, including just how well many Manitoba crops yielded, on average, despite challenges from April to November. The good, bad and ugly are captured in Yield Manitoba 2020, out this week with the Manitoba Co-operator. Of the 13 insured Manitoba crops under the microscope for the


Members of the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association voted 66-16 at CropConnect on Feb. 13, 2020 in favour of their group’s merger into the Manitoba Crop Alliance. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Geralyn Wichers)

Manitoba growers approve five-way commodity group merger

Manitoba grain growers represented by five separate commodity organizations have voted to greenlight a merger they now expect to make official by August. A total of 165 ballots were cast Wednesday and Thursday during the groups’ annual general and special meetings at the CropConnect conference in Winnipeg, with members at the various events voting between

Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers members cast their votes on Feb. 13.

Amalgamation vote passes, forming crop alliance

Members of the five commodity groups debated, then voted at CropConnect 2020

[UPDATED: Feb. 14, 2020] Five Manitoba commodity groups have voted to join forces after two years of consultation and debate. “I am relieved, and I’m happy with the outcome,” said Eric Fridfinnson, board chair of the soon-to-be-defunct Manitoba Flax Growers Association. The vote passed with a clear majority after members of the five organization voted


(Jeremy Woodhouse/DigitalVision/Getty Images Plus)

CFIA rethinking limits on travellers’ personal food imports

Consultation running until March

The federal government is considering changes to the amounts of food travellers can bring into Canada with them from other countries for their personal use. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday announced public online consultations on the proposed new limits, which CFIA said would “better reflect the volume of foods typically moved by travellers

“It is conceivable that the directors representing corn will not be able to convince the majority of the new board to initiate trade action when these unfair subsidies happen again... “ – Bob Bartley.

Commodity groups prepare to cast deciding vote

Leaders in the five crop groups say merging will make them stronger, but members have the ultimate say

After years of consultation, meetings and webinars, five Manitoba commodity groups are preparing to vote on whether they will merge to form the Manitoba Crop Alliance. As the vote nears, producers have gone “relatively quiet,” said Pam de Rocquigny, general manager of the Manitoba Corn Growers Association. “I think there’s been lots of communication out to our members,”


Comment: Let’s get it right

Will individual commodity issues be sidelined by new organization?

The Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA), Manitoba Flax Growers Association, National Sunflower Association, Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association and Winter Cereals Manitoba are involved in a proposed amalgamation to become one large entity and represent all of these crops. These organizations have improved farming practices and returns to growers for each of their respected

File photo of canola under snow in October 2016. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Unharvested crops skew StatsCan stocks data

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola stocks were slightly tighter at the end of the 2019 calendar year compared to the previous year, according to updated Statistics Canada data. However, adverse harvest conditions left a large amount of the crop unaccounted for in the survey, which skews the overall supply/demand outlook. “Because of poor weather conditions during