Irrigation Archives - Manitoba Co-operator

Les Henry. (University of Saskatchewan video screengrab)

Prairie soil scientist and author Les Henry, 83

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

By Dave Bedard June 15, 2024

Glacier FarmMedia — Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his

Accumulated precipitation between Sept. 1 and April 15.

News, Weather

Spring storm sprinkles moisture across thirsty Prairies

Topsoil moisture adequate for seeding but rain needed to sustain annual crops

By Geralyn Wichers April 25, 2024

Rain and snow this spring left topsoil moisture in good condition for seeding in much of the Prairies, but hasn’t added to deeper moisture in many regions. A burst of spring precipitation came April 15-18, as the effects of a Colorado low brought sustained rain and snow to Manitoba. Brandon accumulated nearly 25 millimetres; Morden

If drought conditions continue to persist, it may be a good idea to look into market opportunities for foods with a low water footprint should consumer interests swing in that direction.

News

Water use: agriculture’s next public relations battleground?

With drought still in the headlines, will water become the next area where ag needs to defend its image?

By Jeff Melchior April 10, 2024

It’s been a long stretch of dry years for Canadian producers, and they’ve been using more irrigation water as a result. Statistics Canada reports that farmers in Canada used 23 per cent more water in 2022 compared to 2020. At the same time, Canadians name water is their most important environmental pillar, according to the

Fertigation aims to maximize tuber production over vegetative growth.

Crops, News

Setting up fertigation in potato crops for success

Manitoba farmers show how they’ve made the irrigation-fertilization marriage work

By Gord Leathers March 7, 2024

Potato producer Sheldon Wiebe, who farms near MacGregor, can wax poetic about how production has evolved on his operation, J.P. Wiebe Ltd., since its inception in the mid 1960s. Like other Manitoba potato farmers, the introduction of irrigation is part of that story, but today the practice is about more than just water. Today, the

Crops

Canadian potato output rises in 2023

Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production

By GFM Network News, Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm January 24, 2024

At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt.

The long-closed Manitoba Sugar Company refinery in Winnipeg.

Crops

A return to Manitoba-grown sugar beets?

Alberta grower group says a national policy could reopen the door

By Jeff Melchior December 29, 2023

Manitoba hasn’t been a sugar-producing province in over 20 years. There’s been nowhere to sell it. The sole Winnipeg refinery closed in early 1997. Owned by Rogers Sugar at the time of closing — the same company whose employees are currently on strike at its cane sugar plant in Vancouver — the Manitoba Sugar Company

Processors are demanding it, but how does an underground crop adopt a movement that prioritizes low soil disturbance?

Crops, News

Making regenerative ag work in potato production

Colorado regen potato grower shares lessons for Manitoba

By Don Norman December 11, 2023

A trait of regenerative agriculture is that no two farms are the same, but there are five basics behind the philosophy: grazing animals, crop diversity, living roots in the soil, avoidance of bare ground and low soil disturbance. That last one is a challenge for potato production, since producers need to get under the soil

Cereals, Markets

Brazil muscles into wheat market

The agricultural superpower will be a fierce competitor, but is mainly striving for self-sufficiency

By Sean Pratt December 5, 2023

Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian wheat exporters are facing a new competitor in their second biggest market. “The rapid emergence of Brazil as an exporter in Indonesia and other foreign markets has been remarkable,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its recent Grain: World Markets and Trade report. Indonesia bought 2.14 million tonnes of bulk

A 3D model of the Assiniboine River Basin created for the first phase of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association Aquanty project.

News

Field-level water forecasts: There’s an app for that

MFGA seeks buy in for high-resolution water forecast model

By Don Norman December 5, 2023

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association envisions farmers using its Aquanty water forecasting app as commonly as they would look at their local weather forecast. “There’s a real opportunity for some water conservation at the farmgate level that this tool enhances,” said MFGA executive director Duncan Morrison. Why it matters: Understanding where water is and

Comment, Op/Ed, Other

Comment: For want of fresh water

Fresh water is a hidden challenge and opportunity for global supply chains

By Dustin Cole November 22, 2023

Reports of lengthy shipping delays for vessels traveling through the Panama Canal this year have highlighted the critical but often overlooked role that fresh water plays across global supply chains. Abnormally dry conditions in Panama, brought on by El Niño, left the region drought-stricken and sent water levels in the locks that feed the canal

Daily Network News

U.S. grains: Soybean prices rise as China-U.S. truce assessed

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures post limit-down losses

ICE canola weekly outlook: Market rangebound

Irrigation