“Cattle need water and grass and so do ducks.” – RICK ANDREWS Ducks and cattle can get along famously, it seems. When the Kliever family decided to pack in their 1,600-acre grain-farming operation in 2003 and sow all their land down to grass instead, they had an inkling that Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) might be
Rancher Locks In Land For Wildlife Habitat
Small Farmer Beats Commodity Price Trap
“I’m getting just over $200 per pig. I should be happy.” – IAN SMITH It seems the more the “big” hog farmers hurt, the wider the grin on Ian Smith’s face stretches. Thanks to his carefully nurtured, direct-marketing strategy, the operator of Argyle-based Natural Raised Pork is still getting good prices for 75 to 80
2009 Good For Flax
If you’ve got a field of certified organic brown or golden flax, you may hit the jackpot this year. Relatively speaking, of course. Prices for other organic grains have fallen from the stratospheric highs witnessed in the spring of 2008, but this year the crop may yet turn out to be one of the organic
“Prairie Pedal” Reaches Home Turf
With a third of his 3,500-km ride from Calgary to Toronto behind him, and already well halfway towards his fund-raising target of $35,000 for myeloma research, Shane Saunderson stopped to rest his weary legs for a couple of days at the family farm near Souris. It was a welcome change after 10 days of cycling
Planning For A Possible Pandemic
“Obviously, human health is first and the animals second, but we would do our utmost to ensure that the animals are looked after so there are no animal welfare issues.” – SHEILA MOWAT Cows won’t get the flu, but a lot of farmers might. If even half of what public health officials are saying, both
Radar’s Potential Studied For Gathering Crop Data
Anew eye in the sky is being prepared for launch, and Canadian researchers will be among the first to figure out how to make it work for farmers. Ahead of the launch of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-1 satellite in 2011, an international team of researchers will collect space-borne radar images throughout the 2009
Lt.-Col. Schneiderbanger Gone, But Access To Fields Still Elusive
For Shilo-area farmer Dale Miller, just getting to work is a chore. With the only convenient access road to a half section that his family has owned for decades blocked off earlier this year by CFB Shilo’s former base commander, what was once a simple 10-minute drive over military property now involves a trip over
EC Mapping System Helps Pinpoint Problems
Getting where you want to go is easier if you have a map. The VERIS system, which maps the electrical conductivity (EC) of soil, is one way to get a clearer picture of where to look for potential problems. It consists of a series of coulter discs mounted on a toolbar that is pulled behind
Not A Good Year For Corn At MZTRA Farm
“Are we there yet as an industry for growing grain corn in the cooler climates? The answer would be no. Is it coming? Yes, it is.” – BARRY CHAPPELL Corn likes heat, and lots of it. Unf o r tuna t e l y, i n Manitoba this spring, there wasn’t much of that. A
Methane Emitter Or Carbon Sink?
“…if you drain that wetland and convert it into cropland, you’re just exchanging that methane problem for a nitrous oxide problem.” – PASCAL BADIOU Tackling the threat of global climate change is tough enough; it’s harder still when you aren’t even sure of the culprits. For example, cattle emit methane, but good grazing management practices
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
