Canada exports organic wheat around the world.

Organic grains snapshot

Climbing acreage, high prices, good contracts, but expansion may be a tough sell in 2022

With timely rains, organic farming could be a good place to be in 2022 — but it may not be enough to drive expansion of organic acres, said Laura Telford and Stuart McMillan. In a talk during the Prairie Organics Conference on February 9, Telford, the provincial organic specialist, and McMillan, an organic farmer and organic inspector, shared

File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage

Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered

A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage


Poonam Singh is a faculty researcher at Assiniboine Community College.

Researcher digging up sustainable growing medium for bedding plants

Peat is extracted from sensitive ecosystems that sequester a lot of carbon, so replacing it could have a big impact

A Manitoba researcher is studying how to use local waste materials to make flower beds more environmentally friendly. How? By replacing peat — the fluffy, brown “dirt” in which petunias and marigolds are planted at the greenhouse. “It’s extracted from sensitive ecosystems that sequester considerable amounts of carbon and store excess precipitation,” said researcher Poonam Singh in

Canola and corn will see steep increases in the inspection fees for seed crops, but the CSGA says that reflects higher relative costs for inspecting those crops.

Higher seed crop certification fees coming

Seed growers have endorsed the increase, but others in the industry say it’s going to undermine the competitiveness of certified seed

The cost to certify seed in Canada is going up. And despite a vote overwhelmingly in favour of it, some stakeholders are unhappy at the news. Canadian Seed Grower’s Association (CSGA) members voted 111 to 16 to increase fees to certify Canadian seed crops starting in 2022 during a special general meeting online Nov. 24.


Western corn rootworm larvae undermine the roots of corn plants, but rotation disrupts their life cycle.

Two new pest insects found in province

ENTOMOLOGY | Manitoba reported the first-ever cases of western corn rootworm and cannabis aphid this year

There are two new pest insects in Manitoba, according to provincial entomologist John Gavloski. A seasonal summary of the year’s crop pests, released in mid-November, noted Manitoba’s first cases of western corn rootworm and cannabis aphid in 2021. Why it matters: Manitoba can add two new insects onto the pest radar after this year. While

Two-striped grasshopper.

Grasshoppers and flea beetle key pests of 2021

Conditions encouraged outbreaks, dampened effects of control strategies

If producers were hoping for a break on flea beetles and grasshoppers this year, they didn’t get it. Both made the highlight reel for the most serious pest damage in the province, according to a seasonal summary released by Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development in early November. In both cases, it’s a continuation of a


So far, hemp has been marketed as a health food, not a healthy food. This favours organically grown grain, and the niche market.

Comment: A farmer perspective on hemp

Evidence is mounting that StatCan may not be reflecting reality

The recent article about hemp, and its failure to increase acres and become the next canola, was very thorough on the processor side, but I thought, short on the producer perspective. We have grown industrial hemp on our farm since it was first declared legal. At that time, because of its connection to marijuana, it

(Hexo Corp video screengrab via YouTube)

Pot company Hexo to shut production sites, cut jobs

Reuters — Pot producer Hexo Corp. said Tuesday it will close three production sites in Canada in early 2022, affecting 155 employees, as part of its integration plans following recent acquisitions. Gatineau, Que.-based Hexo said it will cease operations at its Kirkland Lake and Brantford facilities in Ontario at the end of January and at


“We’re 20 years plus, here in Canada with hemp, but it almost seems like we’re brand new again.” – Jeff Kostiuk, Hemp International.

Hemp development hits stride as new markets open up

New uses mean a new spectrum of genetic traits for hemp breeders to tailor for. What does that mean in an industry where variety development has been grain focused?

Canada has taken on a leading role in industrial hemp production since the crop was legalized in 1998. Initially it was grain production that took off, with food products like hemp hearts. Other possible uses include fibre production — particularly for novel products that don’t require highly refined fibres — and nutraceuticals like cannabidiol, which

Manitoba harvest 95 per cent complete, soils remain dry

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report for October 5

Southwest Region Temperatures have been variable, with daytime highs ranging from 27 to 32 C. Overnight lows dropped to as low as 5.0 to -0.5 C, with no severe frost reports. Average daily temperatures range from 14 C to 16 C. Forecast looks promising for the remainder of harvest. Above normal temperatures are making harvest