Articles by Ron Friesen | Manitoba Co-operator

Manitoba pork producers are awaiting resolution on the trade front so they can return to profitability.

Trade wars cast a long shadow over hog industry

Trump tariffs a significant factor, NAFTA weighs in too

By Ron Friesen September 24, 2018

The ongoing trade war between the United States and the rest of the world is side-swiping Manitoba’s pork industry. Hog prices have tumbled since last spring, leaving producers worried about their future just as the industry is recovering from a decade of economic woe. “It’s pretty terrible. It’s about as bad as it’s been in

Canada’s auditors general say the federal government and provinces are behind their own targets to address the cause and effects of climate change.

News, Weather

Canada lagging on climate change action: report

Emission reduction plans lack details and are late in addressing the issue

By Ron Friesen April 9, 2018

Canada’s federal and provincial governments are lagging far behind their targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are woefully unprepared for climate change, a new report says. Canada is expected to miss its 2020 emissions reduction target by 20 per cent and is also likely to miss its 2030 target without a major effort, says

Manitoba honey producers are pleased they’ll be exempted from labelling standards aimed at unhealthy foods.

News

Health Canada relents on honey label

No alert about sugar content as the regulator recognizes honey as a sweetener

By Ron Friesen February 28, 2018

Canada’s beekeepers are expressing relief after Health Canada last week exempted honey from proposed new mandatory rules for nutritional food package labels. The regulations, if approved, will require pre-packaged products to carry warning labels if they exceed recommended thresholds for sugar, sodium and saturated fat. Food products containing more than 15 per cent of the

Harvey Chorney presents PAMI study results.

Crops, Oilseeds

Study suggests ways to reduce soybean harvest losses

Going slow and using an air reel are two important techniques

By Ron Friesen August 8, 2017

Soybean growers can avoid major seed losses at harvest time by using air reels and driving combines no faster than four miles per hour, a new study says. Air reels significantly decrease header losses, and between two and four miles an hour is the optimal ground speed for harvesting soybeans, says the study by the

MASC’s Doug Wilcox with a test plot of soybeans showing simulated hail damage.

Crops, Local news, Weather

Hail damage in soybeans continues to rise

MASC sees record hail claims after two of the worst years  for hail damage in recent history

By Ron Friesen August 3, 2017

Soybeans are having a ‘hail’ of a time in Manitoba, thanks to two of the worst years for hail damage in recent memory. Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation in 2016 paid soybean growers $5.2 million in hail damage claims, 12 per cent of its total hail payouts for that year, statistics show. The year before, in

University of Manitoba professor, Martin Entz says tensions between conventional and organic producers appear to be softening.

Crops, Local news

Organic agriculture no panacea: study

Too many uncertainties exist to say it’s the only solution

By Ron Friesen March 23, 2017

Organic agriculture has benefits but it is not a silver bullet for global food security, a new study says. Too much scientific uncertainty exists for organic agriculture to be considered a better alternative to conventional farming, says the study by two University of British Columbia researchers. “(O)rganic agriculture cannot be the Holy Grail for our

Western Canadian locations like this Earls on Main Street in downtown Winnipeg, are already serving Canadian beef again through an Ontario-based supplier.

Livestock, News

Earls mends fences after beef controversy

Restaurant chain will have all-Canadian beef this summer, after its U.S.-sourcing misstep

By Ron Friesen February 17, 2017

Phil Gallagher began his talk with an apology. Then he kept apologizing all the way through. “I’m a proud Canadian, just like all of you, and I learned a really hard lesson last year,” he said in concluding his address to the recent Manitoba Beef Producers annual meeting. “I hope to never make the same

Giving young producers a route into the business will help meet the goal of expanding the provincial beef herd.

Beef cattle, Livestock

Beef producers cautious about herd expansion proposal

Lack of profitability and uncertainty over where to market animals are two key challenges

By Ron Friesen February 13, 2017

Manitoba cattle producers aren’t against a government plan to substantially increase the province’s beef herd but have a lot of questions about how to get there. Growing those numbers will require more producers, larger herds and more acres, according to Manitoba Beef Producers. Exactly where those will come from isn’t clear, especially considering the cost

Beef cattle, Hogs, News

U.S. trade rumblings unnerve Canada’s beef producers

Uncertainty rules as  Trump eyes trade deals,  but nobody is sure if Canada is in his line of fire

By Ron Friesen February 9, 2017

An atmosphere of uncertainty hangs over the Canadian cattle industry as it awaits a possible trade war with the U.S. The newly minted U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly signalled his intention to either scrap or renegotiate NAFTA, which has helped make the U.S. Canada’s largest market for beef and cattle exports. A more immediate

Local news

Farm building code streamlined

The provincial government says the move is part of its red tape reduction initiative

By Ron Friesen February 7, 2017

The Manitoba government has begun a new anti-red tape initiative by streamlining the provincial building code for farm structures. The Manitoba Farm Building Code will be repealed and dovetailed into the Manitoba Building Code, with specific provisions for farm buildings. It’s the first action in a government campaign to eliminate or simplify regulatory requirements that

Feed weekly outlook: Prices to soften as new crop year nears

U.S. grains: Wheat futures top two-month high on global harvest worries

China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage

GFM Network News