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 The Manitoba Farm Building Code will be repealed and dovetailed into the Manitoba Building Code, with specific provisions for farm buildings.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
Farm building code streamlined
The provincial government says the move is part of its red tape reduction initiative
Farmers watch nervously as moisture piles up
Government readiness for spring flood questioned as new federal and provincial administrations lack flood-fighting experience
The possible threat of major flooding in Manitoba this spring has Keystone Agricultural Producers worried rookie governments in Winnipeg and Ottawa may not be prepared for it. The combination of fiscal restraint and flood damage could produce a big problem if initial signs of widespread spring flooding turn out to be true, said Dan Mazier,
Gray jay nominated as Canada’s national bird
As the only bird to nest and even hatch in winter it’s a worthy choice for Canada
Move over, snowy owl and Canada goose. A new rival is about to knock you off your national perch. A two-year search by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society has nominated the gray jay as Canada’s national bird. The choice has raised eyebrows in some quarters because the gray jay isn’t exactly a household name compared
Old is new in hog barn approvals
Public opposition has not gone away after a decade of no development
The first application under a new protocol for approving hog barns in Manitoba has run into an old problem: local opposition. The Rural Municipality of Oakview council last month turned down an application for a 6,000-space feeder/finish operation near Rivers even though a technical review committee report said it met the necessary requirements. Council gave
Helping city people reconnect with the farm
Agritourism operators like John Penner are a growing link between rural and urban
Ask John Penner what he considers his mission in life and he’ll say he’s a middleman between farmers and city folk. What he wants to do is help urbanites disconnected from the farm understand where their food comes from. “I want them to know that an egg comes from a chicken, not Safeway, that pumpkins
Herbicide resistance quietly growing problem in Manitoba
Multi-pronged weed control strategies that go beyond chemicals are urged by researchers
Farmers may lose the war against herbicide-resistant weeds if they don’t start using other forms of control besides chemicals, a University of Manitoba weed scientist says. Herbicide resistance, common in other countries, is starting to appear in Western Canada and it’s just a matter of time before it becomes prevalent here too, Rob Gulden warns.
New atlas documents Mennonite history
Two amateur historians pull together a comprehensive record of their communities in the East Reserve
When Ernie Braun was a kid growing up near Steinbach, people often drew their identities from the local villages where they were raised. So-and-so lived just east of Schonsee. Another person came from Alt-Bergfeld. Braun himself was from Friedrichsthal. The individual identities of Mennonites were inextricably tied to the places they came from. Braun, a
The cattle market is heading into a downturn
Canadians will have lower inventories and lower prices
A significant drop in North American cattle prices is coming within the next two years, market analyst Anne Wasko told an April 20 livestock producer seminar in Winnipeg. Wasko said the cattle price cycle peaked in 2014-15 after the U.S. beef herd underwent a major liquidation following a severe drought in 2012. The resulting shortage
Pork industry expects hog barn surge
The end of a lengthy moratorium and new lending guidelines are driving a spike in inquiries about building new barns
A rash of hog barn construction is about to break out in Manitoba. Two formal applications for new hog barns have gone through in the last two weeks and the Manitoba Pork Council is getting a growing number of phone inquiries from producers. Mike Teillet, MPC’s sustainable development manager, said some inquiries are just tire kicking. But genuine interest
Provinces creating new dairy class
The move is seen as a proactive strike against cheap imported milk proteins
Anew initiative by Ontario milk producers could help to slow the growing flood of milk protein imports undermining the Canadian dairy industry. Dairy Farmers of Ontario has implemented a new class for dairy ingredients which will allow processors to get competitively priced milk protein concentrates domestically instead of importing them. The new milk class, known
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