Melita durum wheat advertised in our Dec. 4, 1997 issue was named for the southwest town in what was once Manitoba’s durum area, but that apparently wasn’t any incentive to keep growing durum in this province. Statistics Canada reported 140,000 acres in 1997 and 200,000 acres the following year, but the crop began a steady
New durum does it all!
Our History: December 1997
Nature doubles down on climate warming
A new study shows regions are more often simultaneously experiencing hot and dry conditions
A warming climate is causing weather woes to hit both harder and further. Stanford University scientists say hot and dry conditions are now regularly hitting multiple regions at the same time. These crop yield shrinking, food price destabilizing and environmentally catastrophic conditions are now twice as likely. Climate change has doubled the odds that a
Beef-processing plant closure “devastating”
Our History: November 1990
The front page of our November 8, 1990 issue carried the news of closure of the last major beef-processing plant in Manitoba. Burns had announced the immediate shutdown of its Brandon plant, meaning the loss of processing capacity for 2,000 cattle per week and 145 jobs. However, the plant had only been running at half
Citizens and scientists
Laypeople can help drive and expand agriculture research
An international team of researchers has published a paper highlighting the potential of citizen science to address pressing research challenges in agriculture and food systems. One key to capitalizing on such efforts, the researchers find, may be to build stronger ties between citizen science and agricultural extension efforts. “We define citizen science as research in
PHOTOS: This Old Elevator: November 2018
The Manitoba Historical Society wants to gather information about all the grain elevators in Manitoba
In the 1950s, there were over 700 grain elevators in Manitoba. Today, there are fewer than 200. You can help to preserve the legacy of these disappearing “Prairie sentinels.” The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) is gathering information about all elevators that ever stood in Manitoba, regardless of their present status. Collaborating with the Manitoba Co-operator it is supplying these
Top prices for live and dressed poultry
Our History: November 1947
This ad in our Nov. 13, 1947 issue urged farmers to ship their live or dressed poultry to Burns plants in Winnipeg, Brandon, Estevan, Beausejour and Winkler. That issue contained some of the Co-operator’s first classified ads. Among the eight that week (minimum 10 words at four cents a word) were ads for a 1940
Soil carbon goes with the flow
Lateral movement of carbon throughout landscapes is much more significant than thought
The carbon cycle isn’t just vertical — CO2 moving up and down between soil, plants and the atmosphere. New Michigan State University research published in the current issue of Geophysical Research Letters, shows water moves massive amounts of carbon laterally through ecosystems — especially during floods. These findings — which analyzed more than 1,000 watersheds
Dead battery? Don’t panic, plug in the Muscle Man
Our History: November 1976
Blanchard was seeking 200 farmers to sell the Muscleman battery charger/booster along with 100 items on commission in this ad in our Nov. 25, 1976 issue. The front page reported that Manitoba’s crop yields for the year were up, but income was expected down because of lower prices. The provincial average wheat yield was 27.1
Energy crops a benefit
If the land isn’t growing cash crops give energy options a shot, say researchers
There’s always some section of a farm that’s perennially too wet, too dry, or just doesn’t produce. It may be time to give up and sow them down to something like shrub willow or switchgrass, perennial bioenergy crops. That’s according to a report tabled recently at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.
RMs added to national livestock tax deferral
Producers from 17 new RMs may be in line for some tax relief if they are forced to cull this fall
Another 17 municipalities will be eligible for the federal government’s livestock tax deferral program (see list at bottom). Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada had released an initial list of eligible municipalities in September, citing the dry, challenging growing conditions that cut many forage yields in half. That list was expanded Nov. 1 to include western municipalities