Alkaline soils are a common problem in Manitoba, but farmers may not have an easy fix. Amir Farooq, crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and one of the speakers at a soil fertility update in Brandon Jan. 30-31, argued that high pH soils would need a prohibitively expensive amount of elemental sulphur to lower levels. The
Low, high or in the middle, soil pH affects your farm
Acidic or alkaline soils can have a big effect on soil nutrition, but while farmers with acidic soil can turn to lime, fixing alkaline soils may be more of a challenge
Mandatory livestock inspections split MBP membership
A resolution pushing for mandatory livestock inspections got a narrow pass during this year’s Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) AGM. Now, it’s up to the province if that program becomes reality
Manitoba Beef Producers will be pushing for mandatory livestock inspections, although not all their membership agrees. The producer group passed a resolution Feb. 8 to lobby government for the new program. The 45-42 vote was among the most polarizing resolutions of the 2018 AGM in Brandon. Ben Fox stepped out of his role as MBP
Trials are open on CCA record-keeping app
The CCA is pitching a new record-keeping app, and it’s letting producers try it for free until April 1
*[UPDATED: Feb. 27, 2018] The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is dishing out a taste of its new cow-calf record-keeping tool before it hits the market. Producers can get a free trial of Herdly, software developed for both desktop and Apple mobile, from now until April 1, 2018, Mark Klassen, CCA director of technical services announced during
Manitoba Beef Producers pushes for predation action
The 2018 Manitoba Beef Producers AGM saw multiple resolutions on the topic
The Manitoba Beef Producers membership is getting fed up with a growing predation problem in parts of the province. Manitoba Beef Producers members heartily adopted all six resolutions on predation put forward this year at the AGM, Feb. 8-9 in Brandon, most aimed at prompting provincial action. Predation has been a long-standing issue between the
Markets and management at Manitoba Beef and Forage Days
Attendees to the 2018 Beef and Forage Days got both a window into the industry and a crystal ball on where it’s going next, including management strategies on the horizon
Manitoba’s beef industry got an update from the ground up last week. Manitoba Beef and Forage Days kicked off with topics like pasture management, grazing systems, traceability and a market forecast from Canfax. The tour made five stops in as many days from Minitonas to Vita during the last week of January, plus two independent
Is a soybean-canola rotation worth rolling the dice?
Most farmers aren’t jumping on a soybean-canola rotation, but explosive growth of soybean acres and their westward spread into canola country have some asking the question
Farmers better study up on the hurdles of a soybean-canola rotation before trying it in the field, Manitoba Agriculture specialists say. Soybeans have been a growing story in Manitoba, rising over the last decade to become one of the province’s main crops with almost 2.3 million acres planted in 2017. Combined with canola, another high-value
Speaker urges a change of pace when chasing maximum yield
Don’t think about what to add, Ag Days speaker says — think about what’s possible and subtract from there
Single changes won’t cut it if producers really want their best possible yield. Jarrett Chambers, president of ATP Nutrition, wants producers to be radical when it comes to testing management tools. “We have to figure out in a grower, what is their maximum yield for their farm and figure out, what is the potential? Where
Agriculture in the Classroom gives students a taste of Ag Days
Over 400 Grade 7/8 students joined the Ag Days crowds Jan. 16-18 through Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) and its Manitoba Ag Days Adventure
Even for some of the farm kids, it was their first time at Ag Days. Canada’s largest indoor trade show bolstered its attendance by 415 Grade 7/8 students this year with Agriculture in the Classroom’s Manitoba Ag Days Adventure. Sue Clayton, executive director of AITC Manitoba, called the Ag Days tie-in one of its “flagship
Ag Days speakers banter on soil health
Soil health is a hot topic, but there’s no clear definition of what it is and how to improve it
What’s soil health? Ask five people that question and you might get five different answers — even among Ag Days experts. Soil health and soil degradation are getting plenty of time in the headlines, with coverage of last year’s Summit of Canadian Soil Health in Guelph, soil tests looking beyond nutrients and into microbiology and
Spud growers turn out for 2018 Potato Production Days in Brandon
This year’s Potato Production Days saw a range of speakers from emerging technology to resistance and regulatory issues
Resistance issues, management strategies and pathogens both new and old. Just a few of the issues that had potato growers’ attention at the 2018 Potato Production Days Jan. 23-25 at Brandon’s Keystone Centre. Dan Sawatzky, manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association, said that exhibitor turnout was roughly the same as previous years. “We always