Rural living good for your gut

Rural living good for your gut

Canadian researchers say children raised in the country 
have lower rates of inflammatory bowel disease

Living in rural households decreases a person’s risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly for young children and adolescents, according to a new study by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), and the Canadian Gastro-Intestinal Epidemiology Consortium (CanGIEC). “Our findings show that children,

Manitoba’s wildfire risk elevated

As Manitobans prepare for the August long weekend, Manitoba Sustainable Development and the Office of the Fire Commissioner are advising that hot and dry conditions have elevated the wildfire danger levels in many areas of Manitoba. People should exercise extreme caution with any outdoor activities to reduce the risk of fires. In areas where ATV’s are



Victor Martens, seen here in 1981, was the founding executive director of Cigi.

Cigi’s first executive director dead at 97

Teaching himself as he went along, Victor Martens quickly rose through the grain industry

The man who conceived the Canadian International Grains Institute and was the organization’s first executive director died on July 26. Victor Martens was 97 and had a formidable career in the agriculture sector, all without the benefit of formal post-secondary education. In 1938 he visited the Grain Research Laboratory in Winnipeg searching for a job.


Year of “The Big Wet” drowns a million acres

Year of “The Big Wet” drowns a million acres

Our History: July 1999

It was called the year of “The Big Wet” — in 1999 the normally dryish southwest corner of the province suffered repeated deluges which drowned almost a million acres of cropland. Unfortunately it was the precursor of more wet years. The bad news that week was that federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief had told Manitoba

A pain-free injection against asthma.

Send them out to the barn

Compound found in animals but not humans 
sparks immunity against asthma

It’s already known that farm kids are less prone to asthma, but a new study by immunologists from the University of Zurich has identified sialic acid found in farm animals as the reason. A university release said this substance is widespread in vertebrates and therefore in many farm animals, but missing in the human organism.


A wooden elevator at Holland was built in 1927 by a local co-operative working with Manitoba Pool Elevators. Its modest 50,000-bushel capacity was enlarged with a squat 75,000-bushel balloon annex in 1952 and a taller 85,000-bushel crib annex in 1958. The elevator was renovated thoroughly in 1982 and the balloon annex was removed around 1994. It survived the transfer to Agricore in 1998 but closed in early 2001 and was demolished in December 2003.

PHOTOS: This Old Elevator: July 2017

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




A protest sign outside Bakersfield, California in 2015 highlighted the urgency of the drought situation that year. Climate researchers say Arctic warming likely contributed to the severity.

Warmer Arctic linked to weaker vegetation growth in North America

The effects of climate change in the extreme north 
can be felt far away, researchers say

Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are having an unexpected effect elsewhere in North America climate, scientists say. Researchers from Korea’s Pohang University and the South University of Science and Technology of China say their analysis suggests the northernmost regions of the continent may be warming and becoming more productive. But that’s being offset by effects