Manitoba hog producers outside the core PEDv area need to reconsider their biosecurity measures to keep the disease at bay.

No rolling the dice on PED says Manitoba Pork Council

PEDv has broken into both central and northeastern Manitoba, and barns in newly impacted areas might not be ready for the threat

Barns dodging PED might owe that to luck rather than robust bio­security. Andrew Dickson, the Manitoba Pork Council’s general manager, warns that some barns outside southeast Manitoba will need to heighten their guard if they hope to repel a serious risk of the disease. “We’ve got odd stories of people saying, ‘Well I’ve never got

The Alameda reservoir in southeastern Saskatchewan, one of three water control structures in the Souris River system that some communities downstream say could do more in terms of flood mitigation.

Souris river: feast or famine

Evaluation of Souris River’s flow data has begun evaluation in earnest, but the sheer number of scenarios promises enough data to drown in, and not everyone agrees on priorities

Lynn R. Kongslie is used to watching his ranch near Towner, North Dakota, go under water, but that doesn’t lessen the sting each time it does. Like many ranchers in the area, Kongslie believes he knows who to blame. Saskatchewan’s three major control structures along the Souris River are sore topics in Towner, Minot and


Vermeer’s ZR5 self-propelled baler demonstration was a major draw during a hay and silage day at Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives north of Brandon earlier this year.

Is this baler yet another step toward driverless machinery?

Vermeer promises its new self-propelled unit will make baling as easy as driving down the highway

Autonomous farming has taken a step from the grain crop to the hayfield. Vermeer’s ZR5 self-propelled baler has made waves in the U.S. and now in Canada after the machine made its Canadian debut in Manitoba earlier this summer. It was a major draw at equipment demos in both Glenboro and the Manitoba Beef and

“You really don’t do anything on this machine but steer it.”– Corey Dalman, Vermeer.

Boots on the ground with Vermeer’s ZR5 baler

Digging into the finer details on the ZR5’s promises and capabilities

Vermeer expects its modular design to be a selling point for the ZR5, both for ease of service and safety. The baling chamber is hydraulically connected to the power unit similar to a front-end loader. When disconnected, a switch in the cab lifts the baler from the power unit, allowing the farmer to drive away.


It doesn’t all make it into the grain cart — and if you’re not measuring harvest loss, the amount left on the ground may be a lot higher than you think.

How much grain are you willing to let fall on the ground?

An ‘acceptable loss’ can be a moving target but those who don’t measure harvest lost may be losing far more than they think

Joel McDonald of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute has seen the full spectrum of techniques for minimizing harvest loss. He has seen lead-footed farmers blaze through their acreage, but leave a substantial part of the harvest behind. He has also seen farmers crawl their combine at a mile and a half per hour to avoid

Lanny Gardiner goes through corn nitrogen uptake and staging during Crops-A-Palooza in Carberry July 24.

Busting nitrogen loss with late in-crop application

If you’re about N loss, you may consider a late boost

Corn growers may want to wait on nitrogen application, particularly in a wet year. A nitrogen application at the end of June or early July will help limit nitrogen loss and better time it to when the plant is actually looking for the nutrient, speakers said during a recent field day at the Canada-Manitoba Crop


A blend of cover crop species is a tasty blend for cattle, but make sure they aren’t yours.

Mixed farmers need not apply for cover crop funding

The province says cover crop funding under Ag Action Manitoba only allows grazing on ‘stockless farms’

You can graze cattle on cover crops planted with help from Ag Action Manitoba — as long as they’re not your cattle, that is. Ag Action Manitoba is the province’s vehicle for funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program. Cover crops are among the beneficial management practices (BMPs) it promotes to improve the environment.

Clayton Robins is among the few farmers happy about the state of his pastures and hay crops, something he partly credits to his pasture management and integration of alternative grazing on annuals. His take on cover crops has earned him a place in the CFGA’s national carbon sequestration project.

Manitoba forage growers tapped for carbon project

The national project is the next step toward the CFGA’s goal of having farmers paid for storing carbon

Five Manitoba farmers are helping the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) put a value on carbon storage. Ryan Canart of Miniota, Allan Preston of Hamiota, Matt Van Steelandt of Melita, Jonathan Bouw of Anola and Clayton Robins of Rivers are all recognizable names on the grazing, soil health or regenerative agriculture field tour circuits


”The rains are timely. They’re just not big enough.” – Pam Iwanchysko, Manitoba Agriculture.

Almost all of Manitoba declared eligible for livestock tax relief

Low feed supply prompts a second year of tax deferral

Manitoba’s forage shortage will warrant federal tax relief again this year. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has released its first list of regions eligible for the livestock tax deferral program allowing producers to defer income from cattle sales into the following tax year. For many municipalities, it will be the second year in a row for

Pea protein has created a lot of buzz for Manitoba farmers, but how worried should people be about recent reports of allergic reactions?

Pea allergies could hamper new markets

New uses for pea protein is good news for growers, but it has also led to some unexpected allergic reactions for people

Novel uses of pea protein are great news for growers but may be bad news for allergy sufferers. They’re suddenly faced with a world where it may be in unexpected places like sandwich meats and chicken strips. Earlier this spring Dr. Elana Lavine, an Ontario-based allergist, highlighted the issue in the Journal of Allergy and