A lamb is born prematurely on a Manitoba sheep farm. It weighs only a pound. To survive, the lamb will need round-the-clock care — more care than the farmer has bandwidth to give, so a woman named Nicole takes the tiny critter home. She and her son put a diaper on the lamb and take
VIDEO: One Year One Outfit Challenge connects people to land, textiles, each other
Knitters, sewers, weavers could only use locally grown materials to construct clothing
Portage la Prairie 4-H leader recognized for 42 years’ service
Faces of Ag: Sandra Duchak chipped in to keep her kids’ club afloat. Decades later, she’s still finding joy in helping kids find their voice, confidence
The adage is the average person is more afraid of public speaking than death. Sandra Duchak was no exception when she started volunteering with the Gainsborough 4-H club 42 years ago. Before long all four of her kids were in the club, and all of them had communications projects to do. She had to up
HALFWAY THERE: Manitoba at midpoint of protein strategy goals
The province has rolled out Project ASPIRE to implement its sustainable protein action framework
The province is over halfway to meeting the investment and employment goals within its Protein Advantage Strategy, said Ag Minister Derek Johnson. “This is outstanding,” said Johnson as he opened the virtual Manitoba Protein Summit on February 22. Manitoba attracted around $73 million in new investment in 2021 for a total of $753 million in new protein
What about wheat?
Cereals Canada website resource talks up the fine points of Canadian wheat and wheat research
Wheat has taken its turn as a food ‘villain.’ For instance, in the early 2010s, the book Wheat Belly by cardiologist Dr. William Davis told consumers that wheat, and in fact most grains, was a cause of the flab around their belly, joint pain, eczema, and even depression and anxiety. The book was a bestseller,
VIDEO: Struvite shows promise as organic fertilizer
Slow-release fertilizer sees increasing returns in Libau forage trial, gains in wheat
Manitoba trials show a fertilizer recycled from waste water has promise as an organic phosphorus amendment — if it’s approved for organic use, that is. “Phosphorus is a non-renewable source,” said researcher Joanne Thiessen Martens. “We need to be thinking about recycling as much as possible. Phosphorus deficiencies are common on organic farms because of
A lot of trust left to build for organic growers, says marketing expert
Total openness about food’s ‘life story,’ company purpose becoming the expectation
A little more than half of Canadians say they trust the organic label — which should worry the sector since trust is critical currency with consumers. It’s what justifies the higher price of organic food, said marketing expert Jo-Ann McArthur. That’s based on Canada Organic data, which says 54 per cent of Canadians say they
VIDEO: Feedlot finding success feeding food waste
Livestock can play a key role in ‘upcycling’ food waste but challenges remain, say researchers
A Winkler-area feedlot has found success cleaning up cull potatoes and will soon be adding ‘pea cream,’ a Roquette waste product, to its ration. “The economics of it just work out,” said Herman Peters, nutrition manager for Birkland Farms. “It’s been a good little trade for us.” Why it matters: Food waste can save producers
Direct-market farmers on diversifying without sapping the joy from farming
Beat burnout by making decisions based on the quality of life you want, says author, farmer and chef, Shannon Hayes
How do you know when you’ve over-diversified the farm? The question came up during the Direct Marketing Conference, held virtually February 3-5 during a panel on diversification led by three farming women. Lourdes Still farms flowers she turns into dye for lavish wearable art and experiential tourism. Anna Hunter raises sheep, mills wool, and teaches
Organic grains snapshot
Climbing acreage, high prices, good contracts, but expansion may be a tough sell in 2022
With timely rains, organic farming could be a good place to be in 2022 — but it may not be enough to drive expansion of organic acres, said Laura Telford and Stuart McMillan. In a talk during the Prairie Organics Conference on February 9, Telford, the provincial organic specialist, and McMillan, an organic farmer and organic inspector, shared
Synergistic farming system teaches kids business, science
MBTI’s aquaponics operation grows fish and fresh produce in the heart of Winnipeg
Outside snow is piled high and despite the bright sun, it’s a frigid Winnipeg afternoon. Cars whiz by on McPhillips Street. But out of sight of traffic and the railway tracks, fish swirl past the windows of two blue tanks and lettuce, chard and herbs dangle roots from bobbing Styrofoam rafts. In a warm, sunlit
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
