An awed silence fell over the room, even quieting a gaggle of teenage girls, as Olympian gold medal curler Jennifer Jones took the stage to address the recent Take the Leap conference in Dauphin. “I want to talk to you about having a gold medal performance in life,” said the Olympic gold medal curler and
Olympic curler inspires rural entrepreneurs to ‘Take the Leap’
The annual conference in Dauphin connects successful and budding entrepreneurs
Skateboarding into the future in Swan River
One man’s passion brought a community together around a common goal
Kyle Machan raised a lot of eyebrows 10 years ago when he decided to open a skateboard shop in Swan River. A 19-year-old kid still living with his parents who spent all his free time skateboarding didn’t seem a likely candidate for business success, especially selling skateboards in a remote agricultural service centre with a
Questions on Manitoba food regulations? There’s a website for that
Small Farms Manitoba invites farmers to submit questions they might be hesitant to ask government regulators
Manitoba producers now have a safe space to ask questions they might be hesitant to put to government regulators. The online forum, hosted by Small Farms Manitoba, allows farmers to submit queries, via email, that will be investigated by the team of researchers and then posted anonymously on the “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Kalynn Spain,
Gap in understanding between consumers and producers
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business conducted its own survey in response to a recent federal government-commissioned study on public perceptions of agriculture industry
A new survey reveals farmers have a very different perception about the state of agriculture in Canada than consumers do. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), in response to a recent federal government-commissioned study that reported unfavourable public perceptions of the agriculture industry, questioned 523 producers in an attempt to “combat these misconceptions.” A
Annual conference highlights female farmer strength, capability
Manitoba Farm Women’s conference features speakers from near and far
When Beth Connery’s husband died suddenly in the summer of 2012, through the grief, she still had to think about the harvest. She asked her kids if they wanted to continue farming and they said yes. So the family got to work. “The reality of a farm, especially in summer, is that there is a
Cattle producers have forage concerns after wet season
High nitrate levels in frost-stressed crops can be fatal for cattle
Cattle producers should test their feed this year because wet weather has compromised the nutritional value in late-seeded cereal crops, and cold weather could make them potentially dangerous, a provincial forage specialist says. “We’re quite concerned about nitrates this year after the stress that the plants have been under all summer and then with the recent
New study investigates success of local organic farm
Biology professor from Brandon expects to learn a lot from closed-system operation
A biology professor from Brandon is going into the field, literally, to study how operators of a small organic farm in southern Manitoba make it work. Terence McGonigle, from Brandon University, became interested in Howpark Farms, a certified organic operation in the Brandon Hills, when he heard the owners Ian and Linda Grossart operate profitably
Demand for top-quality wheat during grain glut
There's good news for quality wheat growers, but not so good news for most other commodities
Prairie farmers who harvested high-quality wheat this year will be among the lucky few able to cash in on a world market sagging under record production, lower quality and a drop in demand from key importers. “The world has not produced a particularly good crop in terms of quality, so there are some quality premiums
Federal government loans money to hemp-processing facility expansion
New facility for growing demand for hemp production
When Shaun Crew stepped up to the podium to accept a sizable loan from the federal government for Hemp Oil Canada’s new processing facility, it was fitting the president and CEO wore hemp pants. And hemp shoes. And even hemp socks, he confessed later. Ted Falk, MP for Provencher, announced the $4.6 million of repayable
Beef producers ask province for help with feed shortage
Wet, cold weather stunts forage production yields
Many beef producers in the province are struggling to find enough feed for their cattle this winter, according to the Manitoba Beef Producers. Ranchers in flood-affected areas, including the areas flooded by the Portage Diversion, the northwest and southwest corners of the province are facing poor-quality forage and feed shortages after a cold, wet summer.
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