It’s been five years since Doug Northam traded in his sloughs for solar, and the Rapid City producer gives his remote watering system glowing reviews. “Around here we don’t have any wells or anything, so the cows just drink out of the sloughs and when they dry back a bit they tend to be three
Watering cattle with solar power
Producers give solar-powered watering systems top marks despite their ups and downs
Soils are not made equally when it comes to soaking up moisture
Mitchell Timmerman’s rainfall simulation emphasized the role of perennial forages in increasing infiltration during the August 30 Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives Brookdale site tour
Which one will soak it up first? That was the question a recent demonstration at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) Brookdale site tried to answer. It was a head-to-head comparison of the ability of fields to soak up surface moisture by Mitchell Timmerman, the province’s agri-ecosystems specialist, using a rainfall simulator that made
Dodds family marks centennial of unique barn, history of farm
It’s been 100 years since Arthur Drummond built a banked barn on his yard site northwest of Brandon. Now, the latest generation of the family, Cameron and Bea Dodds, are marking its centennial
History is far from buried on the Dodds farm near Kenton, Man. In fact, it’s a point of pride for current owners, Cameron and Bea Dodds. Their 117-year-old brick farmhouse sits nestled in between old-growth trees and long-established gardens, providing a backdrop for the memorial cairn beside the lane, added to commemorate the farm’s over-135-year
Going green all the way to the bank
A new pilot will pay producers for sustainably sourced beef, but exact payment amounts are still up in the air
Select beef producers may soon get paid for sustainability, something that has been a long-dangled carrot for farmers who have been told that auditing their farms will add value. The recently launched Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration pilot, run through Cargill, Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) and beef tracker Beef InfoXchange Systems (BIXS), will pay credit
Ramping up phosphorus for alfalfa
Building soil phosphorus when fertilizer prices are lower may have big impacts for future profit, tour attendees heard Aug. 30 at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives Brookdale site
Producers got a side-by-side comparison of different phosphorus treatments in alfalfa Aug. 30. The phosphorus ramp, presented during the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) Brookdale field tour, showcased consecutive strips of alfalfa grown with progressively more phosphorus. The ramp tracks crop impact in the three years following a one-time phosphorus application ranging from no
Plotting a course for the future of fed cattle price reporting
Canada’s cattle industry has been watching with a wary eye as price data thins, but how to fix the problem?
The cattle industry is weighing its options for a better price-reporting system that will address a chronic shortfall of information. In recent years cattle price data has become thin on the ground, something that has big implications for insurance programs, trade disputes and day-to-day decisions that rely on accurate market information. Canada’s reporting system is
U of M plant breeder earns international accolades
The University of Manitoba’s Rob Duncan is a rising star in the world of plant breeding and just earned a prestigious U.S. award
A Manitoban is the first Canadian to earn a major international plant-breeding award. Rob Duncan, a brassica breeder with the University of Manitoba, has been named winner of the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) Early Career Scientist Award. Duncan, who grew up in rural Manitoba, was given the award in early August during the
Expanding horizons: 4-H Manitoba exchange program hits 30 years
For decades Manitoba 4-H’ers and Japanese high school students have got a taste of the other’s nation through the Japan Homestay program
Thirty years after the first group of 4-H’ers bound a plane for Japan, a homestay program is still going strong. In the late 1980s, the Manitoba 4-H Council and Manitoba Agriculture joined forces with the York-Benimaru Foundation, an organization founded by a major Japanese retailer, to provide international travel for high school students in the
More bang for the buck noted with mob grazing experiment
The numbers are in and they look good after a three-year experiment measuring the impact of high stock density grazing north of Brandon
A three-year mob grazing experiment near Brandon is over, but the co-operating producer says he has no intention of going back to his old system. In fact, Brian Harper says he’s already planning how to build on the system and take even more advantage of the gains. “Next year, I plan to put even more
Ag industry gets ready to shine with upcoming Open Farm Day
Agriculture venues across the province are getting ready for their moment in the spotlight on Open Farm Day
Rural Manitoba is preparing for a temporary population jump. Forty-six locations have signed on for the eighth annual Open Farm Day Sept. 17, including farms, museums and agricultural research centres, which will draw droves of interested non-farmers into the countryside. Participating locations have steadily increased over the past three years, Manitoba Open Farm Day co-ordinator