It’s back to the future for AgriInvest, the descendant of the former NISA program. Farmers must now open accounts at their local financial institutions to make their AgriInvest deposits for 2009. The federal government has held producers’ accounts for two years but now it’s time for them to open their own. That’s the way it
AgriInvest Now Requires Producer Accounts – for Jul. 29, 2010
Manitoba Avoids Overquota Milk Penalty – for Jul. 29, 2010
Lower production and higher milk sales have helped Manitoba dairy farmers avoid overquota penalties for the final two months of the dairy year. Manitoba will finish 2009-10 just under the allowable 0.5 per cent overproduction limit for June and July, according to figures from Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. The official year-end date is July 31.
MAFRI On Alert For Giant Hogweed – for Jul. 29, 2010
An invasive toxic weed which recently made headlines in Ontario has not shown up in Manitoba – at least, not yet. An informal Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives survey has found no sign of giant hogweed, a plant which can damage human skin. But MAFRI will continue to keep a watchful eye out for
Heritage wheat more rust resistant than modern ones
Walk with Gary Martens down a row of test plots the length of a football field and you’re walking backwards in time through the history of wheat in Western Canada. Start with the latest varieties: Carberry (introduced in 2009) and Waskada (2007). A little farther down you meet Glenlea (1972) and Manitou (1965). Still farther
Major Revision Possible For AgriStability
Canada’s key agricultural safety net program may undergo a redesign to make it more acceptable to a majority of producers who say it isn’t working for them. Agriculture ministers could consider turning AgriStability into something resembling an income insurance program without the highly unpopular financial margins underpinning it. The idea is only one of many
Morris Stampede Opens After Calgary Controversy
“You can have a catastrophe happen to any horse at any time.” – DR. KEN JOHNSON The Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition, which celebrates its 47th anniversary in Morris this week, expects to avoid the controversy which annually dogs its larger counterpart in Calgary. Unlike the Calgary Stampede, which regularly experiences dead and injured animals during
New Development Program For Young Cattle Producers
Anew mentorship program launched July 13 will give Canada’s young beef cattle producers a chance to develop both business abilities and leadership qualities. The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Development Program will pair producers aged 18 to 35 with established professionals to hone specific skills and also become ambassadors for their industry. CYL will start as
Flood Aid On The Way For Wet, Weary Farmer
Curtis McRae had completely finished seeding by mid-May, two weeks ahead of normal. Then the rain came. When it finally stopped, nearly two-thirds of McRae’s 4,000 acres lay under water. McRae, who farms near Clandeboye, estimates 60 per cent of his canola crop is gone. So is 20 per cent of his wheat. He expects
Social Movements Not Always Scientific, Producers Told
“They don’t really want to understand what’s going on.” – TERRY WHITING What do you do if people have concerns about agriculture that are not based on fact? Dr. Terry Whiting served up that conundrum last week to a national egg producers conference in discussing how social movements can affect farming. The answer to his
New SRM Subsidy Expected To Raise Cow Prices
Cattle producers should see improved prices for cull cows as a result of a federal slaughterhouse program launched last week. Ottawa will spend $25 million, or $31.90 per animal, to help packing plants cover the extra cost of removing specified risk materials (SRMs) from beef carcasses. That’ll encourage Canada’s packers to bid more for cows,