Manitoba Co-operator
The pork industry expects to struggle with a supply-demand imbalance through much of 2024.

Proposition 12 ‘insulting,’ but economic effects muted

Regulations requiring more space for pregnant sows won’t be as damaging as feared, says California economist

Newly imposed animal welfare regulations in California will have little economic impact on the North American hog sector, an agricultural economist with the University of California Davis predicts. “California consumers like me are going to pay, I don’t know, five or 10 per cent more for pork that’s covered by the policy, which means a

“Farmers today can produce two times as much with the same level of inputs,” says a new FCC report.

Editorial: Production, productivity and climate change

A tantalizing report from Farm Credit Canada recently estimated the riches that would flow if the productivity growth of the decades leading into the 21st century were to return. “Assuming the Canadian agriculture industry returns productivity growth to the plateau we recorded two decades ago, this would add as much as $30 billion in net


Much of our past investment in water management infrastructure has been dedicated to either keeping water at bay or getting rid of it as quickly as possible.

Editorial: Division or unity on water?

Wab Kinew wouldn’t be the first Manitoba premier who came into office vowing to represent all Manitobans or to preach the politics of unity. However, he may be looking at a steeper slope. He comes into office as post-pandemic discord has created deep societal polarization and faces a quagmire of intersecting crises, including the escalating

With North American cattle herds dipping to 60-year lows, the free flow of trade between the two countries is more important than ever to keep meat on consumers’ tables.

Opinion: U.S. meat labelling changes could disrupt live animal trade

American lawmakers propose a voluntary standard, but it’s still a risk for Canada

As the late Yogi Berra once said, it’s “déjà vu all over again” as Canadian livestock producers nervously monitor new developments south of the border that threaten to unravel the tightly knit North American meat trade.  The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is seeking comment until May 12 on a plan to tighten its

Opinion: Net zero could be change catalyst

Opinion: Net zero could be change catalyst

As keynote presentations go, the kick-off speaker’s at a conference on the sustainability of Canadian agriculture hosted March 7 by the University of Manitoba was a bit of a downer — at least initially. Henry Janzen, a career Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist with who now serves as an honorary research associate with the department’s


grains of the world

Editorial: Global food system productive but not sustainable

One of the world’s leading advocates for global food security had a sobering message for the movers and shakers of Canada’s agricultural sector who attended the Nov. 30 GrowCanada conference. “The reality is, the food system is productive, but it’s not sustainable, folks,” Ertharin Cousin, told her audience of 500 industry and farm organization executives.




Alfalfa can fix up to 250 pounds of nitrogen per year, helping to build soil fertility and increasing crop yields.

Pitching forage as a cash crop

Adding perennial forages to annual crop rotation can pay big dividends, in more than just your bank account

Grain farmers can harvest a heap of benefits by cycling perennial forages through their crop rotations, says an agronomist with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. Ken Wall said the economics of growing forage as a cash crop have changed significantly in recent years due to market conditions and a sharp increase in the price of fuel. Hay

“I’ve had people come to our booth and tell us we bought them new half tons. If you’re losing three bushel(s) and you can get that down to one, that’s a considerable amount of money.” – Trevor Scherman.

Calibrate your combine to boost profits

An hour or two spent properly calibrating your machine could be the most lucrative time you spend this harvest

Farmers will spare no expense when it comes to tending their crops and maximizing production. So why do they spit so many of their profits out the back end of their combines at harvest? It’s a mystery to North Battleford farmer and inventor Trevor Scherman, one of the speakers at the recent Ag in Motion