Shoppers at St. Norbert Farmers’ market can now opt to buy online and pick up instead of browsing in person. The move comes as part of efforts to maintain public health regulations while making local food available during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a market for food and household goods, it will remain open despite recent
Farmers’ market moves online amid demand for local food, adjusting to COVID-19
Organizers seek to balance safety while helping small producers sell product
Time running short to bring in international workers
Farms and organizations are putting together safety plans to meet federal guidelines, but most are still waiting on workers
Nearly two weeks after securing permission for temporary foreign workers to enter the country, agriculture groups were still hammering out the details of how they’d get here. “We’re trying to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible,” said Beth Connery, labour chair of the Canadian Horticultural Council. On March 16, Prime Minister Justin
Trout fingerlings for sale in Manitoba
Manitobans haven’t had a domestic supply for fingerlings for a few years
Landowners looking to stock their ponds and dugouts with rainbow trout will now be able to purchase them in Manitoba. Watersong Farms, near Warren, recently was licensed to import trout fingerlings to sell to the public, said owner Rudy Reimer. Watersong Farms is an intensive aquaculture operation raising and selling steelhead trout (which are essentially
Watershed districts optimistic about provincial funding
The four per cent increase in funds may mean waiting municipalities can join the watershed district program
A funding increase should give Manitoba’s watershed districts some room to expand after previously maxing out provincial funds. “It’s a signal that the Manitoba government believes in the value of our work and wants to work with us to fill the blank spots on our map,” said Ray Frey, chair of the Manitoba Association of Watersheds
Small food producers innovate to survive
Creativity, humour and social distancing combine to get food to customers for one meat producer
Direct-marketing farmers and food producers are finding creative ways to get meals on their customers’ tables and maintain a sense of community. “You guys are all amazing and you convinced us that we will get through this crazy time. Enjoy your food, stay home, stay safe, stay classy,” Michelle Schram and Troy Stozek of Fresh
Coronavirus causes challenges and opportunities for producers
Some temporary foreign workers capitalizing on changes to extend stays in Canada, one expert says
One pork industry expert says some hog farmers are finding new workers and extending the stay of temporary workers during the COVID-19 crisis. “Agriculture isn’t going away because of the pandemic,” said Janice Goldsborough, human resources and training co-ordinator with the Manitoba Pork Council. As a result, farms are able to take on some workers
Flood risk high along the Red, lower elsewhere
No word yet on how the coronavirus pandemic might affect flood fighting
Cooler temperatures toward the end of March slowed spring melt, but risk of major flooding remains high along the Red River, according to a report from the United States National Weather Service. A March 19 report said cool temperatures over the following week would continue the gradual thaw, allowing snowmelt to slowly reach streams and
Resurrecting the family farm
Faces of Ag: Joey Fiola and Christel Lanthier are determined to give their girls the same farm life that shaped them
As 25 ewes and a gangly baby llama mill around Christel Lanthier, her six-year-old daughter chats to her in French, the language they speak at home. She’s wondering if you want to know anything about the cats, Christel translates for a reporter. Olivia explains the names of the three cats and shows off her stuffed
Local farmer witnesses effects of agriculture training on food security
‘Mind-blowing’ learning trip to agriculture projects in India got Will Bergmann thinking about how to help closer to home
Will Bergmann is a foodie, so when his hosts in a remote Indian village began cooking, it just made sense to join in. Bergmann, a farmer and restaurateur from Glenlea, watched a group of men lift a metal bowl, about three feet across, onto an outdoor clay oven. As one man fed the fire with
Rural municipalities ‘grinding to a halt’ in face of pandemic
COVID-19: Community centres and offices go dark in effort to protect residents
Rural municipal leaders are rethinking how they govern and provide essential services in an era of social distancing due to COVID-19. It’s “hurry up and wait to get everything in place,” said West Interlake Reeve Art Jonasson. The RM of West Interlake has closed its office to the public, though staff will continue to work,
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
