“Winter wheat producers realize they’ve got to move ahead and that varieties are few and far between.” – JAKE DAVIDSON Winter Cereals Manitoba (WCM) has $180,000 in the bank and wants its members’ advice on how best to spend it. WCM president and Birtle-area farmer Garth Butcher got some feedback during the association’s second annual
Winter Cereals Manitoba Seeks Members’ Input On Research
Future Of The Elevator At The Pas Still Uncertain
The future of Viterra’s elevator at The Pas remains uncertain. A meeting to discuss its future, held in the R. M. of Kelsey May 1, was well attended, but Kelsey Reeve Rod Berezowecki said he was disappointed no one from Viterra took part. “A lot of producers wanted to hear first hand from them (Viterra)
NFU Seeks Excise Tax Rebate On Retail Fuel
The National Farmers Union says farmers should be able to buy their excise tax-free diesel at retail pumps and receive an 11.5-cent-per-litre rebate later. The NFU made the request in a letter to Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk. Wowchuk was hesitant to comment on the request last week having not yet received the letter. “But the
The Worst Winter In Years Was Hard On Winter Wheat Too
“If (soybeans) can live off the nitrogen in the soil they will because it does cost the plant energy to make its own nodules.” – BRUCE BROLLEY Provincial officials have two pieces of advice if you are cons ider ing tearing up and seeding something else into that sad-looking winter wheat field this spring. First,
Report Reviews Security Options
“The grain-marketing environment may be at a point in time where producer payment security is most warranted.” – EVALUATION OF PRODUCER PAYMENT SECURITY PROGRAMS REPORT Areport comparing programs to protect farmers against payment defaults when they deliver grain doesn’t reveal any clear winner, says Rob Brunel, vice-president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). “This report
The Little Engine That Could
The Boundary Trails Railway Company (BTRC) has made history. Now it has to make money. BTRC is Manitoba’s first farmer-owned short line railway and proud new owner of 23 miles of track running from Morden to Binney Corner, three miles west of Manitou formally owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The final piece of financing
Farmer Blames Pipeline For Washout
This is worse than I thought, way worse,” Bryan De Baets says April 14 as we approach a half-mile long, land-scarring washout that is 15 feet wide and six feet deep at its worst. In places, the now operational crude oil pipeline Enbridge laid and buried last summer is fully exposed. When De Baets inspected
Don’t reseed fertilized winter cropland to soy
Manitoba agriculture officials have two pieces of advice if you’re considering tearing up and seeding something else into that sad-looking winter wheat field this spring. First, have it assessed by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) if you plan to collect crop insurance. Secondly, strike soybeans off your list of reseeding options if you’ve already fertilized
Arborg Elevator First On The Demolition List
When pieces of Viterra’s Arborg elevator started falling on Scott Sigvaldson’s pickup April 27 he knew the contractor hired to demolish the facility wasn’t going to stop. “Not only did they not stop, they started right over top of me and kept going,” Sigvaldson said. “There was stuff flying everywhere. The excavator bumped into my
Grain Freight Charges Should Drop Next Crop… In Theory
Western farmers, on average, should pay 7.4 per cent less to move their grain to export in the 2009-10 crop year that starts Aug. 1 due mainly to lower railway fuel costs, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) announced April 30. Assuming normal grain-shipping volumes, farmers collectively should, on average, pay $28.41 a tonne to ship