Five years after Manitoba officially proclaimed the Newdale Clay Loam its provincial soil, the tiny village bearing the same name wants to recognize it too. Local residents view International Year of the Soil as the perfect time to get their idea off the ground — so to speak. So last week — just in time
Roadside recognition for official provincial soil proposed
2015’s Year of the Soil a perfect time to get the idea off the ground, say Newdale residents
High winds and fire an extremely dangerous combo, say fire officials
A ban on burning is now in effect across eastern and central Manitoba
A deadly combination of wind and runaway grass fires claimed the life of one man and destroyed multiple properties across southern Manitoba last week as rural firefighters scrambled from one incident to the next. High winds April 13, 14 and 15 also blackened the skies with soil blowing off of unplanted fields, a sombre reminder
Study reveals downtown Brandon is a ‘food desert’
Brandon food study reveals some have a long trip to grocery stores
Forty minutes in a car can take you from one town to the next in Westman, but that’s as long as some Brandonites spend riding the bus one way to go for groceries in the city. Lack of access to grocery stores is highlighted in a new report, called the Brandon Community Food Assessment, released
Purée producer a finalist for prestigious prize
Supporters can vote for Kelly Beaulieu, founder of Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products Inc., who was chosen as as a finalist for a food product award in California earlier this winter
Manitoba’s Kelly Beaulieu, founder and chief operating officer of Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products Inc., has been nominated for a prestigious 2015 Nexty Award. Beaulieu became a finalist after her line of vegetable, fruit and legume purées was chosen out of more than 3,000 exhibitors attending the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim California in
Wetland count begins in southwestern Manitoba
Project will reveal distribution and interaction of wetlands in agro-Manitoba
Water and land managers will soon have a precise picture of the state of wetlands in southwestern Manitoba as staff with the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corp. begin a mapping and classification project this spring. Wetlands as small as a quarter of an acre will be included in the study designed to help farmers and drainage
Fortier farm family planting a crop to raise funds for cancer research
After battling cancer last year, Darcy Miller of Fortier wanted to find a way to give back
When Darcy Miller was in hospital recovering from surgery last spring, he wasn’t just thinking about getting back to work. He was thinking about how, once he was well again, he’d find a way to give back for all the care and support he’d received since his diagnosis. A routine colonoscopy in February 2014 had
Manitoba municipalities prepare for cosmetic pesticide ban
Regulations still allow ditches, boulevards and sidewalks to be sprayed for weeds
If the grass on a boulevard or a ditch is mowed, does that make it a lawn? Municipalities have been asking the province that question as the ban on cosmetic pesticides for lawns comes into effect, and now they have their answer. Ditches and boulevards are not lawns, nor are the cracks in the sidewalks
Prairie agriculture in for even more change: U of M agriculture dean
Adapt to climate change rather than trying to mitigate its effects, says Karin Wittenberg
In 1980 there was no Internet. No one carried a cellphone or used GPS. Canola was a new crop for Prairie farmers. Expect even more dramatic change in the next 35 years, says Karin Wittenberg, dean of agricultural and food sciences at the University of Manitoba. Wittenberg, the keynote speaker at last month’s annual meeting
Boissevain residents keen to ‘mind their own business’
Small-town business fair an idea others should try, says Manitoba chamber president
When Boissevain residents talk about minding their own business, what they mean is, “Let’s help someone start one.” “The next time someone says, ‘You know what this town needs,’ say, ‘How can I help you get that started?’” said Marj Billaney, host of a chamber-sponsored business fair here last week. “And let’s not say to
Assiniboine River Basin Initiative progressing, but funding needed
Manitoba has pledged another $50,000 for the basin-wide initiative, but other jurisdictions more cautious
The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) becomes a legal, stand-alone entity as of July 1, but where the funding to support it will come from is still in question. Manitoba has pledged an additional $50,000 beyond an initial $50,000 announced last year to start ARBI, but Saskatchewan and North Dakota have not yet put dollars
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