Labour issues for pork producers and processors in Iowa and Minnesota are just as dire as in Manitoba, pork producers heard during their AGM on April 6. “Currently labour is our No. 1 issue on the farm as well as in the plants,” said Kevin Rasmussen, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Rasmussen spoke
North American pork producers face tight labour market
U.S. packers struggling to staff up, sending hams to Mexico for processing, producers heard
Winnipeg one step closer to urban chickens
Committee votes 3-1 to approve pilot despite animal welfare advocates’ concerns
A pilot program to allow laying hens inside Winnipeg city limits is a step closer to approval despite the expressed concerns of animal rights advocates. “There’s always concerns,” said Councilor Ross Eadie. “I think there are a lot of really responsible people out there who can raise chickens to produce eggs and care for them
Manitoba Canola Growers recognizes B.C. chef for promoting canola
Ned Bell champions the use of canola oil — a staple in his kitchen — along with sustainable seafood
A B.C. seafood chef is being recognized by a Manitoba commodity group for contributions toward the canola sector. Why? Because in chef Ned Bell’s kitchen, canola oil is always right at hand. “It’s an ingredient I couldn’t cook without,” said Bell, who has cooked in high-end restaurants across Canada, appeared on “Iron Chef Canada,” and
The business of cannabis
Micro-grower brings pot production to farm level
Calcium-deficient cannabis plants get armpits. “Armpits?” a Co-operator reporter asked. Horticulturalist Rebecca Sokol held up her arm and showed what she calls the “chicken wing” women get. He’s got that too, Adam Carritt protested. “You’re never going to wear a shawl over a dress because you have that. I will,” Rebecca said. The weed plants
Grain thefts highlight need for precautions
You can insure against this loss, but many farmers aren’t covered
After a costly theft caught Rivers farmer Les Wedderburn flat-footed, he went to the media to warn others to keep an eye on their bins, and began deploying an arsenal of security measures. However, there was no recovering the loss. Thieves had made off with between 1,500 and 1,600 bushels of canola — about a
Researchers quantifying organic crops’ emissions
While organic agriculture is a fast-growing sector, it’s severely under-studied, says researcher
While organic crops are often called more sustainable than their conventional counterparts, there’s not actually much data on the crops’ net greenhouse gas emissions. A team of researchers are working to fix that. “Organic field cropping systems are severely under-studied,” said Emily Laage, a researcher and graduate student at Dalhousie University. “We have a good
‘Pea soup’ for cows
An inexpensive, nutritious byproduct of pea processing pleases the palates of 400 Grunthal dairy cows
It smells like boiling carrots and kefir (fermented milk), says dairy farmer Saskia Reutter. It looks a heck of a lot like canned pea soup. This doesn’t bother her cows one bit. “They like it,” she said. ‘Pea cream’ is a soupy mix of yellow pea pulp and concentrated solubles left over from processing at
More research on variable landscapes required: Lobb
While land varies widely across most farms, most research is done on uniform, relatively un-degraded plots
The variation of farmland and the practices needed to restore it mean more research needs to be done on the landscape, not just in uniform plots, says one soil scientist. “Almost all of the scientific information on which we base our understanding has been generated on near-level, non-eroded landscapes,” said David Lobb. Lobb is a
Quebec group seeks to sue beef packers over pricing
Group's class-action application alleges price-fixing dating back to 2015
A Quebec consumer protection group intends to launch a class action lawsuit against four major beef processors in Canada and the U.S., alleging a “meat pricing conspiracy.” “At a time of high inflation, it is unacceptable to make the price of beef even more expensive than it already is,” Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer for
Study looks at nutrient use efficiency by management practice, position
The two-year trial may give ideas on how to best manage water across a varied landscape
Variable-rate fertilizer had almost no yield penalty compared to blanket coverage in the first year of a trial studying how management practices influence nutrient use and loss. “This was encouraging,” said researcher Blake Weiseth. In 2021’s drought conditions, lower-lying areas also had significantly higher yields regardless of management practices, said Weiseth. Weiseth is the applied research lead at Discovery Farm
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