Growing up on a farm situated on Osborne Clay in the Red River Valley, we learned early in life that rural waste management can indeed be a stinky business. A septic tank and field had been dutifully established using existing standards when the farm home was placed on a new foundation and indoor plumbing installed
A Stinky Business
Breaking Down The Windbreaks
It’s common to hear the chainsaws buzzing this time of year, as the untold number of residents in this province who heat with wood at least some of the time go about gathering, stacking and splitting their winter supply. It’s hard to imagine a more annoying sound than these saws cutting through the afternoon’s calm,
It’s Your Turn
This week’s announcement of federal loans and another Manitoba Cattle Enhancement Council investment to support Keystone Processors’ bid to become Manitoba’s largest federally inspected meat processor isn’t enough to turn the tide for this province’s struggling beef producers. But it’s a step in the right direction. The move by this company along with two smaller
Youth Learn About Moving Stock
Dawn Hnatow sure knows how to take the fun out of being a cowboy. Hnatow, livestock manager for Addison Ranch in Bowie, Texas, didn’t even ride a horse when she was working stock during her seminar on low-stress livestock handling held in conjunction with the Wheat City Stampede and Horse Expo. By the end of
Advance Planning Can Reduce The Risks In Equine Sports
“It takes 100 per cent of your focus, you must be feeling well to go riding.” – Robert Moshenko Robert Moshenko has seen and worked with a lot of good horses in his time, but he hasn’t found one yet that fits the often used description of “bombproof.” “Horses all have individual personalities, but quiet
Stop The Blame Game
It goes without saying tensions are running high in the agricultural community right now. Early reports from the fall calf run indicate prices this year could actually be worse than when the border closed in 2003. The main culprits appear to be the languishing U. S. dollar, which is bringing the loonie closer to par,
Looking Beyond The Bars
One of the perks of writing a column about agriculture in a major city daily is the feedback one gets from urban folks about farming issues. The level and intensity of interest is surprising at times. For instance, a column last summer outlining the gist and possible implications of the proposed federal support package for
Light Shines On Food Champions
Betty Kehler didn’t mince words when granted the opportunity to address the audience after she and her partner Bob Pizey received their Golden Carrot Award last week. She sang them instead, breaking into a rendition of “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine,…” to the delight of the 100 or so
Wake-Up Call
There’s much we don’t know and may never know in the so-called Triffid Affair that has devastated Canada’s flax industry in the past month. In fact, all we do know about this development so far is that buyers in Canada’s most important flax market believe they have identified small quantities of the genetically modified variety
A Powerful Legacy
World attention was focused last week to the passing of Norman Borlaug, the American scientist known as the Father of the Green Revolution and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his efforts to end world hunger. Borlaug died at the age of 95, still passionately committed to the role science can and