The City of Winnipeg is reconsidering its ban on chickens in city limits — something proponents say will let people raise food and will regulate urban flocks already in clandestine backyard coops. “I believe it’s a right and it’s an easy thing that we can put in place that can help foster food sovereignty,” said
Winnipeg reopens urban chicken debate
Backyard poultry one tool of many toward a healthier society, says proponent
Acreage requirement drop for veggie insurance first step for small-scale farmers
Move shows MASC is listening to call for scale-appropriate BRMs, says Direct Farm Manitoba
A drop in acreage required to insure vegetable crops has opened a door for smaller-scale and direct-marketing farmers. “This has really changed our ability to be insured quite significantly,” said Jeff Veenstra who farms northeast of Winnipeg. On January 25, the province announced it would reduce the minimum required acres for vegetable acreage loss insurance
New crop mission answered drought-related questions
Customers wanted to know about the quality and quantity of wheat after a tough growing season
Rationing of wheat and durum, protein-related issues, but overall a good-quality crop. That was what international buyers were told to expect during Cereals Canada’s virtual new crop missions in late 2021. In a webinar on January 17, Cereals Canada staff, farmer representatives and experts summarized what they said to, and what they heard from, customers
Apples-to-apples comparisons sustainability program goal
CASI project aims to show how Canadian farmers stack up globally
A program to make it easy to compare Canadian sustainability programs against international ones will kick off by comparing Canadian beef sustainability standards against an international carbon certification. “We want to avoid duplication,” said Mary Robinson, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), which leads the project. “We all go through these different qualifying,
Organic farmers more likely to leave space for biodiversity, study says
Biodiversity concerns became part of the Canadian Organic Standards in 2020
Organic farmers leave more semi-natural vegetation in their fields than their conventional counterparts, according to a recent study out of Dalhousie University. Out of 71 organic and conventional field pairs mapped in a Saskatchewan-based study, the organic fields contained just over nine per cent mixed perennial, or semi-natural, vegetation whereas conventional fields contained about six per
KAP to lobby CFIA to add Palmer amaranth to noxious weeds list
The yield-devastating weed is ubiquitous just across the U.S. border and resists most herbicides
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) members voted to ask the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to get Palmer amaranth added to its list of noxious weeds during the organization’s AGM on January 25. The weed made its first confirmed appearance in Manitoba this summer. It is widespread in North Dakota and much of the United States. Palmer
Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry calling for help to re-form
Before it lost funding the group showed injured producers they could adapt, keep farming
A group of farmers who helped farmers adapt to disabilities and keep farming called on Manitoba farmers to help it re-form during KAP’s annual general meeting on January 26. “We need people who can go out and talk to (injured farmers) on the same level and make sure that they know there’s a way to continue on,” said
Manitoba Grazing Exchange opens for business
The site connects livestock owners and landowners looking to graze fields, cover crops
A site to link landowners who have pastures or cover crop fields for grazing with livestock owners in search of pasture went live on January 27. The Manitoba Grazing Exchange was created through a partnership between the Manitoba Organic Alliance (MOA) and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association. The site allows livestock and crop producers
Before transforming a food system, count the costs — all of them — says economist
Traditionally crop production is measured in inputs and outputs, but that approach doesn’t tell the full story
What does corn cost? Not the price per bushel, or the tag on a can of niblets in the grocery store. What is the true cost of rolling fields of corn and how does this compare to the millions it brings to local economies? In a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports, Australian ecological economist Harpinder Sandhu
New ag minister to focus on long-term drought recovery
Derek Johnson spoke to the Co-operator about initial priorities and views on issues like Crown lands
Manitoba’s new ag minister says his immediate priority will be to see through long-term recovery plans after 2021’s severe drought. “We’re going to work with the Beef Producers and Manitoba Forage and Grasslands to ensure the (drought relief) programs remain responsive,” said Derek Johnson, the new minister of agriculture and MLA for Interlake-Gimli. In November,
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
