John Heard, crop nutrition specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, reports on phosphorus deficiency in soil and best practices during the recent 4R Nutrient Stewardship training in Brandon.

The phosphorus conundrum: low soil levels meet Lake Winnipeg pressures

Experts weigh in on managing low phosphorus levels in soil, while minimizing water health impact

Manitoba is in a difficult position of simultaneously having too much phosphorus and not enough. Manitoba Agriculture crop nutrition specialist John Heard highlighted this contradiction recently during a recent presentation at a nutrient stewardship workshop, noting phosphorus buildup in the Lake Winnipeg watershed has been a source of long-standing tension between regulators and agriculture. A

(AllflexUSA.com)

B.C. rural plan includes livestock tag reader rebate

A new provincial rural economic development strategy for British Columbia includes extra money for livestock and invasive plant programs, among them a new rebate plan for livestock tag readers. The province on Friday released “Building on our Rural Advantages: B.C.’s Rural Economic Development Strategy,” a document laying out investments expected to support up to 26,600



(Cat.com)

U.S. authorities raid Caterpillar’s Illinois facilities

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. federal law enforcement officials searched three facilities of heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar on Thursday, prompting a sharp sell-off in the company’s stock. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney Office for the Central District of Illinois, Sharon Paul, confirmed that federal law enforcement officials conducted searches at locations in Peoria, East


An Alberta Agriculture and Forestry employee samples a creek to help determine if BMPs are improving water quality.

New tool for managing nutrient run-off

Free downloadable tool for assessing phosphorus run-off risk and creating a 
customized mitigation plan will be available this spring

As more and more farmers, politicians and laypeople are coming to understand, nutrient run-off from farm fields into waterways is a very big deal. When not managed properly, nutrients from fertilizer and manure make their way into creeks, lakes, dugouts, and other water bodies. But a new tool to help mitigate phosphorus run-off risk will

(Assnat.qc.ca)

Quebec names new deputy ag minister

A former deputy minister for Quebec’s ministry of agriculture, food and fisheries has returned to the post after a few years in the consulting business. Marc Dion, 67, was announced Tuesday as deputy minister effective March 1, replacing Fernand Archambault as the ministry’s lead bureaucrat. Dion, a consultant in private practice since 2011, had previously


Controlled traffic farming is generating interest around the world, as seen here in this photo of an Australian spray rig sticking to established traffic zones.  PHOTO: WESTERN AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD

The benefits of a controlled traffic crop

Confining equipment traffic could pay production dividends

Ten years ago Adam Gurr was surfing the Internet one evening and came across an idea that would change the way he operates — controlled traffic farming. Just as the name sounds, it’s a farming system built around permanent wheel tracks in each field; the crop zones and traffic lanes are permanently separated. It leaves



Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced at Ag Days the province will explore changes to how Keystone Agricultural Producers collects membership fees from farmers. (Allan Dawson photo)

Manitoba surveying farmers on KAP funding system

The Manitoba government wants “farmers’ and stakeholders'” feedback on potential changes to Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) funding model — and fast. The deadline to fill out an online survey or download and email it in is March 9, the government said in a release Thursday. “The current approach to funding our province’s general farm organization

B.C. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick, shown here last month in Kelowna, ordered new performance measures last year for the province’s Agricultural Land Commission. (Government of British Columbia photo)

Extra funds, orders help B.C. ALC clear backlog

British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Commission credits new funding, and a new regime of performance measures, with helping it to clear its backlog of applications. The ALC, the tribunal overseeing provincial measures to conserve farmland and enable farming-related land use, recently announced it has “eliminated” a backlog of 185 applications — and has processed over 90