The Manitoba Women’s Institute is one of 10 recipients of the first-ever Nellie Awards presented by the Nellie McClung Foundation at its Centennial Gala late last month. The awards made in honour of one of this province’s most influential feminists were given out January 28, the centennial of women in Manitoba earning the right to
Women’s Institute earns a ‘Nellie’ award
The rural women’s group is one of 10 recipients of the award presented in honour of the influential Manitoba feminist
Study defines role of organic ag in feeding the world
Numerous studies point to the environmental benefits
Organic agriculture can play an important role in feeding the world, according to a new study comparing conventional and organic farming systems’ ability to produce yields, benefit farmers’ bottom line, and sustain the environment. That’s the conclusion drawn by Washington State University (WSU) researchers after a review of 40 years of science-based evidence comparing organic
More farmers looking at organic potential
2015 saw more producers start transition process
High prices and the prospect of fewer input costs are attracting more farmers to organic farming in Manitoba. At least 30 farmers began a transition in 2015, convinced they can become more profitable using a farming system that also costs less to operate, says provincial organic specialist Laura Telford. They are conventional farmers who’ve crunched
Organic potatoes a tough row to hoe — but profitability makes the effort to produce them worthwhile
Kroeker Farms Ltd. has been growing organic potatoes since the early 2000s
It was more than a hunch that prompted one of Canada’s leading potato producers to begin to transition a few acres to an organic production system in 1999. The evidence was mounting that organics had potential, said Wayne Rempel, CEO of Kroeker Farms Ltd. in an interview. “We felt that there was a growing market
Leaders needed — but harder to find
Delegates to the Keystone Agricultural Producers Young Farmer Conference were urged to consider volunteering as a rewarding investment
If you’re joining that committee or sitting on that board because ‘someone’s got to do it,’ Elm Creek farmer Colin Penner has some advice. Think about how you’ll benefit from it too. “Be a little selfish. You don’t have to get involved for strictly noble reasons,” he told some 60 delegates attending Keystone Agriculture Producers
Eating closer to home, wiser use of food helps curb the food bill
By choosing Canadian-grown food most of the time, we’re not as vulnerable to exchange rate increases and volatility
Your grocery bills may be making you wince a little right now. The sticker shock could last awhile. The sinking loonie is expected to keep the price of food, particularly imported foods like fruits, vegetables and nuts high this year. A recent report out of University of Guelph’s Food Institute estimates the average Canadian household
Remote-controlled livestock gate featured at Inventors’ Showcase
The livestock gate pivots upwards and can be remotely opened and shut without leaving the tractor
Mike Annetts doesn’t spend his days opening and shutting farm gates, but farmers he knows do. When they told the industrial arts teacher at McCreary High School that all that repetitive mounting and dismounting from a tractor or any other vehicle just to open gates was basically “a pain in the butt,” Annetts set to
Organic producers could see net profit levels range from $100 to $300 per acre
Know your cost per bushel, not just per acre, says farm management specialist
Organic production is one way for small farmers to improve their viability, an analyst told a seminar at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. Roy Arnott, who does annual cost-of-production budgets for MAFRD, said the gross revenue over operating costs in conventional agriculture leaves a margin of 20 to 40 per cent. That margin is what
Tractor turned robot maximizes farm labour, says inventor
First prize at Ag Days 2016 Inventors’ Showcase goes to a Killarney-area farmer for his robotics invention that eliminates need for a grain cart driver
At first glance, it looks like one of Matthew Reimer’s farm crew is, well, kind of short. Actually, there is no one driving that grain cart tractor as it navigates the field and pulls up to unload the combine on his Killarney-area farm. Reimer has programmed it to be driverless. Reimer was awarded first place
It’s been a century since women gained the right to vote
Petitioning government took persistence, patience — and years
Men and women in galleries mark the occasion by singing ‘O Canada.’” “Cheers on the floor of the house…” So declared the headlines of the January 28, 1916 Manitoba Free Press. Jan. 28 marks exactly 100 years since the Manitoba’s legislative assembly gave unanimous approval to the bill that made Manitoba first in Canada to
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
