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,
Rural municipalities ‘grinding to a halt’ in face of pandemic
COVID-19: Community centres and offices go dark in effort to protect residents
Gypsy winds
Faces of Ag: Cora and Karl Hohenberg’s lives are dedicated to horses — Traditional Gypsy cob horses in particular
William the Gypsy cob stallion was an eating machine, so when he lost his appetite Cora and Karl Hohenberg knew something was wrong. A vet looked William over, and the couple continued about their day, puttering around their wooded property near La Broquerie until the phone rang. It was the local vet telling them to
Portage Coronavirus testing site announced
COVID-19: Three more cases of the virus outside Winnipeg announced
A dedicated Coronavirus testing site will open in Portage la Prairie “in the next few days,” provincial health officials announced March 25. Additional sites will open in the Prairie Mountain and Interlake-Eastern health regions soon, said Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer with Shared Health. The twelfth testing site opening in Winkler on March 25, joining
‘Old farmers’ share their wisdom
A panel of experienced farmers tell Manitoba Young Farmers about what they did right and wrong
The panel included: Harold Froese, director with the Manitoba Egg Farmers and a grain, poultry and egg farmer from Oak Bluff; Reg Dyck, an instructor with the University of Manitoba ag diploma program, and former grain and oilseed farmer near Starbuck; Ed Remple, a retired grain farmer from Starbuck; and Barry Routledge, who runs a
Coronavirus testing site to open in Winkler
COVID-19: Testing is by referral only, as widespread testing is not possible at this time
A community testing site for COVID-19 will open in Winkler March 25. The drive-through testing location will be at the Winkler Centennial Arena, 600 Park Street and will be open daily from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. This is the twelfth testing site to open in the province. Tests are only by referral. Due to
Young farmers told to take a manufacturing mindset
Two speakers at the recent Manitoba Young Farmers conference demonstrated how to analyze data to find money-saving efficiencies
Young farmers were urged to take a manufacturer’s mindset at a recent conference. “Some people find that offensive. Don’t look at it that way,” Mitch Rezansoff said. “It’s just managing the farm the way any other business would. It’s knowing the cost of your production intimately.” Rezansoff, executive director of CAAR, demonstrated a “whiteboarding” exercise
Travel restrictions complicate temporary foreign labor
COVID-19: Organizations scrambled to work out if—and how—much-needed seasonal laborers would get into Canada and onto their farms
Travel restrictions and mixed messaging had some Manitoban producers “freaking out” after it seemed temporary foreign workers might not be let into the country. On March 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that foreign nationals from all countries except the U.S. would be temporarily barred from entering Canada in response to the evolving threat of
COVID testing site opens in Brandon
HEALTH: Two more cases of the virus confirmed outside of Winnipeg
A dedicated testing site for COVID-19 has opened in Brandon. The site opened in the morning of March 18, according to an announcement from the province. The testing site is at the Nurses Residence Gymnasium at the Brandon Regional Health Centre and will be open seven days per week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not everyone
UPDATE: Travel exception for temporary workers secured
COVID-19: Travel bans sent ag organizations scrambling to ensure seasonal farm labour would be available
[UPDATED: March 21, 2020] Temporary foreign workers will be permitted to enter Canada, despite travel bans and border closures that, for a time, sent agriculture organizations scrambling. “The presence of temporary foreign workers on our farms and in our agrifood businesses is absolutely necessary. It is nothing more than a food security issue,” said federal
UPDATE: Richardson to pay quarantined employees
COVID-19: An earlier memo indicated staff under self-isolation would be required to take unpaid leave or holiday time.
Richardson International has clarified it intends to pay employees forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 concerns, provided they did not travel after federal restrictions were announced March 16. “Currently that is our intention,” said Jean-Marc Ruest, senior vice-president for corporate affairs and general counsel at Richardson International, a large agribusiness company based in Winnipeg. The
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
