Life can be tough on a tuber. Lots of things can cause blemishes or otherwise diminish the visual quality of a potato. It could be herbicide injury, North Dakota State University plant pathologist Andy Robinson said. Or the tubers might have been jostled by harvest equipment. Maybe it’s just a consequence of field conditions. “Lots
The ugly truth of tuber trauma
Field stresses may mean less than pretty potatoes come fall
Setting up fertigation in potato crops for success
Manitoba farmers show how they’ve made the irrigation-fertilization marriage work
Potato producer Sheldon Wiebe, who farms near MacGregor, can wax poetic about how production has evolved on his operation, J.P. Wiebe Ltd., since its inception in the mid 1960s. Like other Manitoba potato farmers, the introduction of irrigation is part of that story, but today the practice is about more than just water. Today, the
Consumers at the wheel of potato market
With the rise of the budget-conscious consumer and increasing influence of Gen Z, where does the potato fit?
Circana food industry analyst Vince Sgabellone visibly brightens when he recalls the childhood Sundays when his family wandered the Ottawa Valley hunting for the best chip wagon. “Those days before social media, my parents would follow a tip they heard from somebody at work or one of the neighbours about a food truck parked on
The wild side of pollination
More is better when it comes to bee diversity: researcher
Flowering plants have developed a few ways to move their pollen around, and thus protect their genetic diversity. Many grasses are wind-pollinated and, as a backup for their long-shot pollination method, can self-pollinate to bring about the next generation. If you’re a broadleaf plant, you’re likely putting animals to work, whether that’s birds, insects or
Wave of public support lets Ag Days give back even more
Annual giving campaign will award $50,000 to community projects this year
Ag Days Gives Back will give back more than ever this year, thanks to a wave of public support last year, when the show returned after missing the 2021 and 2022 outings due to the pandemic. The ability to provide more community grants, and the ongoing educational scholarships, comes at a great time, says committee
Pushing the crop comfort zone
The winners and losers of WADO's experimental crop trials
Rice in Manitoba was a disaster. In 2012, in the Banana Belt region of the province near Melita, the staff at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO) seeded a plot of dry rice to see if they could bring it to harvest. The project fit with their role in Manitoba’s agricultural sphere: They risk the wreck, so
Innovation Showcase highlights newest products
Seven categories offer entrants exposure and profile for their new offerings
Mike Cousins says the Innovation Showcase is an attendee favourite at Manitoba Ag Days, and for good reason. Farmers are a tech-savvy lot, the farmer board representative notes, and that means they enjoy seeing any new solutions to common farm problems. That has generated plenty of innovative products and entries in the competition, Cousins notes.
Ag Days programming ensures entertainment and education
From geopolitics to your new favourite brew, it’s going to be a busy three days
The first event of Ag Days is a textbook example of showcasing the Prairie region’s products. It’s beer tasting at the dome building on the Keystone Centre Grounds. The Monday evening event will feature numerous craft brewers who will tap kegs and provide samples of products made with the malt barley grown by farmers. “This
Ag Days to shine spotlight on Prairies
Food, ingredients, equipment, livestock, grain and technology just a few areas in which the region excels, say show organizers
Manitoba Ag Days is celebrating the Prairies, and specifically the products produced here, during the 2024 event slated for Brandon’s Keystone Centre Jan. 16-18. The 47th edition of the event that began as a one-day weed fair will showcase the products and technology that result from the ingenuity and industry of the agriculture sector and
Matchmaking intercrops: forage soybean and corn
Residual nitrogen, soil health and extended grazing among the potential benefits being tested with the oddball intercrop
Glacier FarmMedia – The Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization has done a lot of work with intercrops, from honing the agronomy of more established companions like ‘peaola’ (peas and canola), to trying out new mixes like pulses and flax. A novel trial at the research farm’s site near Melita this year put soybeans amid the corn.
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