Taking a few moments away from farming to stretch can go a long ways toward avoiding the chronic pain that often accompanies a career in agriculture, says Roland Reenders, a Workplace Safety and Health division ergonomist with a farming background. Speaking at the Farm Safety and Health seminar held in Winnipeg on Nov. 6 and
Farmers need to stretch
Designer wants Canadian hemp
Barbara Filippone dreams of the day she can do business closer to home. The president and developer for EnviroTextiles in Colorado said she would love to work with Canadians. Canada’s hemp industry might still be in its infancy. Right now, hemp seed and oil are the hot commodities but fibre is on the horizon. Filippone,
Hemp industry needs aggressive approach
“The gluten-free aisle in the store is getting bigger.” – KELLEY FITZPATRICK Kelley Fitzpatrick grabbed attendees of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance annual meeting and snapped them to attention, espousing the nutritional values of hemp like a televangelist. “You have to be aggressive with your research,” Fitzpatrick, owner of NutriTech Consulting, told the meeting in
Sweet dreams promote safe farming
When it comes to safe farming, getting plenty of sleep is part of the job. Get plenty of sleep for a safe farm. That was one of the messages given at the Farm Safety and Health seminar held in Winnipeg on Nov. 6 and 7. Marcel Hacault, executive director for Canadian Agricultural Safety Association said
Abuse on farm hard to escape
The Manitoba government has offered up $100,000 to help employers recognize the signs of domestic abuse in their employees. But what happens when the employer is the victim’s husband or partner? Farm women or women in remote rural areas are unlikely to benefit, and their isolation makes them vulnerable. “We do know statistically that domestic
Written policy can enhance safety on farm
Farmers should write out a policy statement and rules for safety, signing and dating the document, according to provincial farm safety co-ordinator, Glen Blahey. Using a good dose of “down on the farm” stories of his own to help him deliver his safety message to farmers, Blahey encourages producers to think forward in terms of
Pilot program entices new farmers
“Studies show the consumer grocery dollar that’s being spent on organics increases by between 15 to 20 per cent every year and in recent years it has been as high as up to 26 per cent of grocery sales is organic.” – Sharon Taylor A pilot program is being launched for wanna-be farmers to get
Wolves take big bite from bottom line
There are plenty of reasons to fear the big bad wolf. This past summer, producers in the Interlake have experienced heavy losses due to hungry wolves attacking their calves. In fact, Nick Halaburda has had so many losses in the last few years, he wrote to his MLA and to the minister of agriculture, food
Study measures methane in belching
“What we want to find out is, what is the safe level of corn to supplement without having to compromise the productivity of the cow, and what happens to methane.” – ERMI AS KEBREAB Less methane is belched into the atmosphere by grain-fed cattle, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to lower greenhouse gas reduction. A
Winter wheat acres down
“The biggest single factor was with harvesting so delayed, guys were just focused on harvesting the crop and didn’t have stubble conditions ready by the crop insurance deadline date.” – Mike Grenier While final figures remained unconfirmed, it appears winter wheat acres will be significantly lower across the province in 2009. Manitoba Agriculture Food and
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
