Officials are hoping an ounce of prevention will mean no cure is needed when it comes to African swine fever (ASF). Prevention has so far been a building block of Canada’s plans against the deadly swine disease. The highly contagious disease can be carried in blood, tissues, manure and stay viable in deadstock and fresh
Plugging the holes on African swine fever
Canadian officials hope to hold the line on African swine fever
Fields wanted for MFGA Green Gold Program
The MFGA is looking for farmers to join up for its annual forage quality monitoring effort
The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association is filling out the roster for this year’s Green Gold Program, and it’s looking for producers to add. The program has become a standing tool for producers trying to get the optimal value from their hay cut. Participating producers submit samples from their fields throughout the season every year,
Manitoba prepares for African swine fever
The hog industry is planning ahead and learning from the past
The Manitoba pork sector says it won’t be caught flat footed if African swine fever (ASF) makes its way here. The virulent disease is wreaking havoc in China and industry and government both concede it could be just a plane ride away from Manitoba. “In my opinion, I think you can never be prepared enough,”
Elkhorn farm named to Bill Lenton Memorial Award
Ken and Sharon Johnson of Elkhorn, Man., took home the top honours when Manitoba’s bison industry met for its annual meeting, sale, show and awards gala this past March
The winner of this year’s Bill Lenton Memorial Award can tell a story or two about Manitoba bison. When Ken and Sharon Johnson first introduced a handful of bison to their farm in the late ’90s, the industry was a very different place. Manitoba’s producers were just starting to organize — a national bison group
A tale of two proteins
Are plant and animal proteins competitors or complementary under the province’s new ‘protein strategy’?
The provincial government wants Manitoba to be a protein province, but the jury is still out on where that investment will fall between livestock and plant-based protein. The province has said both plant and animal protein sectors will benefit from the government’s Manitoba Protein Advantage Strategy. “We’re positioned so well, probably better than any other
Two in a row for Plainview Colony
Plainview Colony has had a good few years at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair pork quality competition, chalking up another win this year
Plainview Colony was the best in show for the second year running at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair’s annual pork quality competition. The colony’s north barn successfully defended its grand champion spot. Last year, the barn claimed both first and second in the annual winter fair competition on top of a fourth-place finish in December
Bison producers chime in on Crown lands
Bison producers have their own opinions and concerns when it comes to Crown land changes
Manitoba’s bison producers are hoping for a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to Agricultural Crown Lands. The Manitoba Bison Association is among the producer groups weighing in as the provincial government looks to overhaul Crown land allocations. In fall 2018, the province changed the Crown Lands Act to include open auctions instead
Show and tell at the fair
The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair put on a real push to educate an urban audience on agriculture
Most people will never live a day in the life of a veterinarian. But for a booth tucked into the most kid-focused corner of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair the goal was to give attendees just a taste of it and provide a little practical ag education while they’re at it. At one table, staff
Weighing the balance on harvest loss
Experts are urging farmers to be more deliberate when defining ‘acceptable’ harvest loss
Joel McDonald of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) 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
No ‘Plan B’ for short feed supplies into spring
Farmers already had little margin for error with stretched feed going into winter
Manitoba’s feed supplies are running low, with little to tide producers over after a dismal harvest last year and cold weather in January and February. Ration plans already left little margin for error, said Ray Bittner, Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist in the Interlake. Producers in the northwest, which had better moisture and hay harvest last