The province says it will foot the bill for setting up a new multimillion-dollar emergency communications network to be in place by 2021
Manitoba’s FleetNet emergency communications network may soon get a long-awaited replacement. Premier Brian Pallister announced $400 million to replace the communications systems used by Manitoba’s emergency services, police and conservation officers Nov. 25. “The new system will give our police officers, firefighters, paramedics, conservation officers and forest fire crews a superior communication tool that will enable […] Read more
Doug Griffiths tackles 13 ways communities might accidentally be setting themselves up for failure when it comes to economic development
Doug Griffiths, along with Kelly Clemmer, is one of the author’s of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community and one of the most recent speakers at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities annual convention Nov. 25-27. Griffiths spoke on 13 ways in which he says communities might block their economic development, including encouraging residents to shop […] Read more
They say future changes to forage insurance are meaningless while farmers struggle to survive today
Manitoba’s new agriculture minister found himself in the hot seat at the recent annual meeting of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities in Brandon. Representatives of the 16 rural municipalities who have declared themselves in a state of agriculture emergency chided the province and Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development Blaine Pedersen, for lack of response. […] Read more
Farmers are getting a sense of exactly how much trouble they’re in now that the winter is closing in
The province hopes to revamp forage insurance, but an update to future insurance will not help producers face down their current crisis, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen acknowledged. Feed trucks have become a common sight as producers scramble to overwinter cattle, Ste. Rose du Lac Mayor Robert Brunel said. Brunel says it […] Read more
Low cattle stress turns to lower human risk
It was a far cry from the usual energy surrounding cattle movement. In fact, to those watching the low-stress cattle-handling demonstration at Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives near Brookdale last month, there seemed to be little going on at all. Movement seemed to grind to a halt for long moments at the end of the […] Read more
Proponents advise producers to get inside a cow’s head
Low-stress cattle handling is more art than science, Reg Steward of Buffalo Creek Consulting admits, but it might be boiled down to, ‘think like a cow.’ For many experienced handlers, that principle comes as little surprise, he acknowledged although some details of the practice may give some food for thought. [VIDEO: MBFI staff demonstrate low […] Read more
Curtis Gervais says most hunters are responsible but it’s time for a crackdown on the bad apples
Curtis Gervin wants more action on informed land access after he says one of his cows was shot in the head on his southwestern Manitoba farm. Gervin, who farms near Reston, noted blood and swelling on the face of the animal after going out to feed his cattle one morning, soon after the start of […] Read more
Beef producers want more and faster privatization efforts on Agricultural Crown Lands, but not everyone agrees
Northern ranchers are not happy with changes to forage and grazing Crown land leases, but some say the issue would not be as critical if they could buy that land outright. Producers near Ste. Rose du Lac were among the producers calling for a fast track to Crown land privatization when Manitoba Beef Producers made […] Read more
Cattle can eat anything from potatoes to grain byproducts, but coming up with the right nutrition for the right price is the challenge
It’s been a dismal weather year from start to finish — but at least there will be plenty of feed grain. That’s the searching for a silver lining thought among Manitoba livestock producers facing yet another year of scrimping and culling to get their cattle through the winter. Stressed pastures, silage harvest difficulties, extended feeding […] Read more
Beef producers hope departmental amalgamation will kickstart action
Manitoba beef producers are hoping a provincial cabinet consolidation will mean action at long last on predation losses. They’ve had a long-standing complaint, but it was an agriculture issue that was under the authority of the provincial Conservation Ministry. Now fish and wildlife management is part of the new provincial Department of Manitoba Agriculture and […] Read more
