April was a wild, windy and hot month across the province — and some of the heat wasn’t from sunshine. Volunteer fire departments have been busy dousing grassfires that have raced out of control, claiming one life and several properties. Despite the weekend rains, all rural residents, including farmers, are being urged to avoid lighting
Dry, windy weather fans grass fires
Open-market supporters optimistic post-CWB monopoly
There’s lots of optimism ahead of ending the wheat board’s monopoly Aug. 1, but there will be challenges too, according to a panel that spoke at the Canada Grain Council’s 43rd annual meeting in Winnipeg April 16. “I just say the sky is the limit now,” said Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association president Kevin Bender.
Ritz promises “common-sense” rules on fishery
Farm groups and municipalities complain current federal protection of fish and their habitat is often “over the top” and hinders even simple ditch and culvert maintenance
Ottawa says new legislation will mean less meddling in Prairie affairs by fisheries officials. While the announcement was welcomed by municipalities and farmers fed up with red tape for simple drainage and other waterway projects, environmental groups say the proposals declare open season on all non-commercial fish habitat. The Conservative government wants to take “aClubroot DNA found in two Manitoba canola fields
The discovery of low levels of clubroot DNA in two unrelated Manitoba fields is a wake-up call for the province’s canola producers. The good news is none of the canola in those fields showed any symptoms of the disease that can cut yields in half or more. As a result Manitoba is still considered “clubroot
Few details on new ag policy framework flow for ag minister meeting
Canada’s ag minister hopes to put the finishing touches on the next ag policy framework in September
Federal and provincial agriculture ministers met last week in Gatineau, Quebec to discuss a new agricultural policy framework, but didn’t provide much insight into what it would look like when it takes effect next April 1. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters that the ministers agreed the new framework will focus on investments inCP can’t move entire crop off the combine
This just in — the railways won’t move Western Canada’s entire wheat crop off the combine this fall. “To use a cliché in building the church for Easter Sunday, there’s a reality that it’s a seasonal business and we’re responsive on a seasonal basis to the business,” Steve Whitney, CP Rail’s vice-president of marketing and
Province urged to speed up flood compensation
The flood waters have long receded, but many flood victims are still stuck in limbo. “Some Lake Manitoba people have gotten full compensation, some have got none,” Plumas farmer Lorne Rossnagel told delegates at Keystone Agricultural Producers’ General Council meeting on April 10. “It’s just a real hodgepodge.” KAP has been pressing the province to
Move to an open market spurring debate on wheat registration system
The debate is heating up on whether a system that has made Prairie wheat synonymous with top quality is in need of an overhaul. Grain variety registration was a hot topic at the recent Canada Grains Council annual meeting, and while the current system has many defenders, others are calling for significant changes. Having a
Farmers own CWB assets: KAP, WRAP, APAS
They’ve given up trying to save the wheat board’s single desk, but three leading farm leaders are still fighting to save the board’s assets, including the contingency fund, for farmers. “I certainly have marching orders from my membership that the assets of the wheat board belong to farmers,” said Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural
Seed early with caution
Whether they survive or fail, these early seeding plots will provide some valuable data on seeding dates
Extension agronomist Anastasia Kubinec wasn’t heeding her own advice to farmers the first week of April. She was seeding — but not because she’s banking on pulling in a bin-buster. Rather, she’s betting on a bust. Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture and Rural Initiatives’ oilseed specialist, wants to demonstrate the risks of seeding too early, especially frost-sensitive