A new focus on human rights requires care and respect by farm employers
One of the biggest challenges facing farmers is finding the right people at the right time to work on their farms. It’s a situation made even more challenging by a changing hiring landscape that puts limitations on the kind of questions an employer can ask of a prospective employee, according to one expert in the […] Read more
They can be managed but the issues shouldn’t be ignored
As the weather warms, thoughts turn to early seeding — but how to balance the risks and rewards of the practice? According to crop insurance data, early-seeded crops tend to show increased yields compared to later-seeded crops. But there are risks involved. For example, nutrient availability and uptake, particularly phosphorus, is severely hampered in cold, […] Read more
The controversial practice can serve a purpose, but won’t solve soil compaction
Vertical tillage is a tricky term to grapple with. It’s less a method of tillage than it is a grouping of implements sold under that banner. It is marketed as a means to deal with soil compaction but in reality the implements marketed under that umbrella do little to address that problem. Yet, in certain […] Read more
The answer to that question boils down to liability, liability and more liability
We have heard a lot in recent years about self-driving vehicles. Technology has arrived that makes the concept affordable and relatively simple. Alberta farmer, Brian Tischler spoke to an audience at the CropConnect conference in Winnipeg last month to provide insights into what that new tech means for farmers. Tischler is something of a hobbyist […] Read more
The results of five years of corn agronomy research show it to be among the most profitable crops but farmers aren’t yet adopting it widely
Corn has seen some moderate acreage gains recently as a crop for farmers in Manitoba, and for good reason. The yield per acre seeded has grown exponentially over the past 20 years. But that growth in acres hasn’t been exponential as well. It’s been more in the realm of the slow and steady. For example, […] Read more
Manitoba Agriculture tour offers insights and strategies on clubroot management
Clubroot isn’t yet a significant challenge for Manitoba canola growers. But the emphasis these days is on ‘yet.’ The first cases in the province were discovered in 2013, and more cases are popping up every year. Last August Manitoba Agriculture announced a further eight. That demonstrates how the disease has persistently and stubbornly survived and […] Read more
The Manitoba Farm Safety Program: It’s free, confidential and funded for at least another five years
In the midst of a farm safety seminar kicking off the annual meeting of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, some good news arrived. In a joint announcement the federal and provincial agriculture ministers revealed a $1.1-million funding program over five years to support farm safety programming in the province. The program is designed to develop safety […] Read more
Odour mitigation is an important question for the future of Manitoba’s growing hog industry
A new research project at the University of Manitoba is taking aim at hog manure odours the natural way. PhD student Desmond Essien is investigating the potential of using biofilters as an odour mitigation technology for use in swine barns in Manitoba. Essien spoke about his research at the New and Emerging Research sessions at […] Read more
The annual event capped off the Prairie Livestock Expo in Winnipeg last month
Barrickman Colony of Cartier took the top two spots in the pork quality competition at the Prairie Livestock Expo last month. The contest, the largest in North America, celebrated its 22nd year at the annual livestock event this winter. In the entire history of the competition, this is the first time that one producer took […] Read more
An upcoming study of the environmental footprint of the Canadian hog industry could shed new light on an important question
Just how big is the environmental footprint of the Canadian pork industry? There are a lot of opinions but fewer facts when it comes time to try to answer that question. Filling in those blanks is the subject of an upcoming multi-year study by Mario Tenuta, a professor of applied soil ecology at the University […] Read more
