Although some were cautious in their praise, few in the farming community had any quibbles with the special compensation package the province announced to help farmers cope with losses related to flooding and livestock lost in the late-April blizzard. And rightly so. The package, at least on the surface, is comprehensive and goes beyond what
Making Election Hay
Two Consulting Groups Merge
The Canadian Consulting Agrologists Association (CCAA) is taking some of the same advice its members offer farm clients – and broadening its horizons. The association has merged with the much larger Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC-Canada) to expand its network of professional advisers, said former CCAA president Terry Betker. As part of the merger,
Paying More Won’t Help
Canada’s newly reappointed agriculture minister believes he knows where the answer lies to squeezing better service out of the railways. It’s in your wallet. While doing some post-election musing about the government’s priorities for agriculture over the next several years, Gerry Ritz suggested farmers would be willing to pay more to move their grain to
Making Friends With The Enemy
You can’t help but marvel at Manitoba’s capacity for fighting water. It’s become part of who we are as a province – Herculean efforts of people, money, sand and machines against the forces of nature. As we went to press this week, it was not clear who would win this latest round. This province is
The Question Now, Is How?
The federal Conservatives made no secret of their plans to end the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly if given a majority. Canadians, including the vast majority of Prairie farmers, gave them the mandate. So no one should be surprised if they do what they said they would, despite the results of CWB director elections. You don’t
Western Man. evacuation order creates confusion
Mark Emilson, a cattle producer from Vogar, Man., said producers in his area have been told they must move hundreds of cattle to higher ground as floodwaters continue to swell Lake Manitoba, but people don’t know where to go. Provincial officials warned producers at a meeting Monday night that up to 100,000 head of cattle
Lots Of Heat, Not Much Light
There was a little heat but not much light from the five candidates who squared off in the two-hour debate on agricultural issues hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture April 11. Despite his recent remarks in Minnedosa about letting farmers decide the future of the Canadian Wheat Board, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz reiterated the
A Boost For Wheat Research
It’s nice to see headlines about the need for more investment into wheat research these days, even if some of the stories swirling around that topic are a mite confused. Last week started with news reports in mainstream dailies across Canada citing a leaked memo from the National Research Council and reporting that genetically modified
Developing Rural Youth’s Eye For Stock
Rural youth may be a disappearing breed and the ability to pick superior farm genetics a dying art, but the cattle committee at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair isn’t about to cry uncle just yet. Organizers of the youth cattle competition teamed up with Vanguard Credit Union to hold an open judging competition for youth
Bronco-Busting Mentality Going By The Wayside
Wendy Schabrel faced a difficult decision when her daughter moved away from home, leaving her three horses behind. Schabrel had helped care for the animals but hadn’t ridden much since being repeatedly bucked off by a cantankerous gelding when she was a child growing up on the farm in Saskatchewan. Still, the thought of selling