Producers are scratching their heads on sclerotinia spray this year. On one hand, the weather has been dry for most of the growing season. Much of agricultural Manitoba still sat at around two-thirds or less of normal rainfall as of June 25, according to Manitoba Agriculture, despite a series of rains since late May. The
Decision time on sclerotinia control
The yearly decision may be harder than normal as rain finally falls on Manitoba
High-tech hives
Beekeepers might get constant hive conditions at their fingertips once a student project out of Assiniboine Community College is fully developed
Kent Collins has a different idea of the ideal beehive — it involves a lot more wiring. Collins, along with his partner, Adam Lennox, are the minds behind the Bee Aware hive-monitoring system, a remote sensing system that promises real-time hive feedback to beekeepers. The project is the pinnacle, or “capstone project” of their study
Divided by a ditch: Landowners left in limbo
Lake St. Martin-area landowners say they can’t get on with their lives until the expropriation process ends
David Gall of Moosehorn doesn’t know where his family will be living in two years, nor does he know how much he will be paid for his house, his barns or the rest of his home quarter, land already expropriated by the province. Gall is among the Interlake farmers in the direct path of the
PEDv redraws outbreak borders
The province has confirmed PEDv far from the Red River Valley region, where the outbreak had been largely confined
PEDv has been found far farther west than ever before. Jenelle Hamblin, manager of swine health programs with the Manitoba Pork Council, confirmed that an operation near Notre Dame de Lourdes has tested positive for PEDv. Why it matters: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is generally fatal to younger piglets and causes severe dehydration, and
Meat sector braces after halt to China trade
Livestock producers and meat processors are still determining the impact as China turns off the tap on all Canadian meat
It’s hard to say how much damage has been done since China announced its sudden aversion to Canadian meat. “It’s a bit too soon to tell to get a real dollar figure on it, because it is a situation where, when we want to sell pork, we’re trying to maximize the value of that product,”
Another 2017 for PEDv?
Manitoba’s CVO says the carry-over of 2017 is lasting longer than expected
It’s shaping up to be another bad year for PEDv in the province’s pork sector. In fact the province says it could easily be on par with 2017, the province’s worst year. On June 18, Dr. Glen Duizer of Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) said 2019 cases were comparable to the same point in time
Manitoba Pork pushing online disease response program as PEDv cases climb
Participation in the Manitoba Co-ordinated Disease Response program has grown to 79 per cent in the southeast
The Manitoba Pork Council is hoping to get the final few southeastern hog producers signed on to the first line of defence against PEDv. About 79 per cent of those producers have signed on with the council’s Manitoba Co-ordinated Disease Response program (MCDR). The online information-sharing platform includes information on biosecurity, manure spreading and outbreak
Province turns to ALUS for watershed conservation lessons
The provincially announced endowment fund will produce about $2.5 million every year to pay landowners for conservation projects on their land
It’s not quite door to door, but the province’s next watershed investments will still look more to the individual landowner. The province has promised a $52-million endowment fund for the Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW) program, a program the province says will be based around the ALUS, or alternative land use services, model. Why it
Reported ractopamine finding locks third pork company out of China
The CFIA is investigating the Chinese claim that a pork shipment tested positive for ractopamine
The pork industry says it’s too soon to say the trade spat with China is leaking over into its sector. It’s awaiting the results of a CFIA investigation, launched after a third Canadian company was suspended from exporting pork to China. On June 18, news dropped that China would be temporarily suspending imports from Quebec
A messy year for weeds
Farmers didn’t see many weeds early this year, but agronomists warned that the flush was coming
Manitoba’s spring weather may have set weeds back, but the spray season hasn’t been a picnic for farmers either. Provincial weed specialist Tammy Jones warns that producers might be in for a tough weed control season, despite cool temperatures and dry conditions keeping weeds from gaining ground early this year. Why it matters: Clean fields this spring may have