At $25 a bushel, organic soybeans could be a highly lucrative crop for organic farmers. But right now that market is out of reach for most due to the limited number of varieties suitable for organic production systems. A student researcher at the University of Manitoba is hoping to change that. She is evaluating conventional
Evaluating soybean varieties for suitability in organic production systems
Organic growers in Manitoba have limited options right now
Cereal research programs set back a season from summer flooding
2014’s flooding is the latest along in the growing season anyone can remember, say BRC staff
Flood waters that lapped close to the doorsteps of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Brandon Research Centre last month also submerged the plot sites of cereal research programs, and that means no data for researchers this year. All three programs have been set back a season due to data lost after their plots were inundated by
You can’t eat your lawn but…
Recipe Swap: Tomato and Zucchini Gratin and Waldorf Berry Salad
Is a lawn “beautiful?” Is a vegetable garden “ugly?” Or is it the other way around? It depends who you ask. A press release plinked into my mailbox from the folks with Food Matters Manitoba last week announcing their second annual Manitoba Garden Makeover Competition. It’s urging Manitobans to convert their lawns into an “edible
No pressed apple juice this year
Jean-Guy Cote says his family still deciding whether to rebuild after April 22 fire destroyed their apple press at Landmark
A fire that destroyed Manitoba’s only government-permitted apple press this spring means customers with bags of backyard apples will be hard pressed to find anywhere to process them later this summer. Apple Junction, owned by John Boy Farms at Landmark, along with Mom’s Country Pantry at the same site burned to the ground April 22
Food Day in Canada
RecipeSwap: Lentils and Barley Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Spinach and Goat Cheese, Barbecue Sauce, Wild Cranberry Vinaigrette, Prairie Spice Cake
Ever wondered why we get to spend next Monday sleeping in, watching parades, and setting off fireworks? We have Toronto City Hall — no, not the current installation — to thank. Way back in 1869, the council of the day decided everybody needed “a day of recreation” and declared the first Monday of August a
Code Red
St. Andrews’ new software program will boost localized warning system and improve communication with residents during emergencies
Sometimes a whole lot of people have the same question. And when everyone asks at the same time, as they do in emergency situations, the confusion builds and adds to the stress all around. This week the RM of St. Andrews municipality becomes the first in Manitoba to adopt a new software program that can
Support for Assiniboine River water commission grows
Stakeholders will meet again at November convention in Regina to formalize organization
The push to create a water commission for the Assiniboine River Basin is gaining momentum following the catastrophic flooding in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan this spring. “This ongoing (flooding) event has certainly heightened awareness of the need for a basin-wide agency,” said Wanda McFadyen, who was hired by the Prairie Improvement Network to manage
The flat iron steak
RecipeSwap: Marinated Grilled Steak with Melted Onions, Beef Round Steak Done Right, and Laura's steak marinade
Summer-starved Manitobans are firing up their barbecues as the searing temperatures arrive. Anything grilled makes a fantastic hot-weather meal, of course, but beef and the barbecue were made for each other. Usually the higher end the cut of steak, the happier red-meat eaters are, but I recently sampled an excellent steak I’d overlooked until now.
Oats at a slower pace
Good food should be an excuse to slow down, say made-in-Manitoba cereal makers
Some think boiling water for porridge takes too much time. The Nikkel household grows the oats and rolls them in their own mill first. Amy and Donald Nikkel, Interlake school teachers, set out five years ago to start farming at a pace and scale that made sense for their own busy lives. Today they are
Pie season’s high season
RecipeSwap: Saskatoon Meringue Pie, Tart Cherry Pie, and Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Everyone born on the Prairies has their favourite pie. Make that favourite pies. Do you linger over the pie table at the summer fair not sure which to choose? I do. Especially if strawberry-rhubarb is an option when there’s also saskatoon, various cream types and cherry to choose from. Oh, what to do? “Strawbarb” is
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
