“There would be minimum disruption.” – HERM MARTENS, R. M. OF MORRIS The Manitoba government has signalled its interest in digging another floodway. Manitoba Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Steve Ashton said last week the province may consider diverting the Morris River to help ease chronic spring flooding of Highway 75 at Morris. That would
A New Flood Control For An Old Problem
Provincial Trade Rules Stymie Ontario Farmer
“There shouldn’t even be a border as far as any kind of trade.” – RON RHYNER, VERMILION BAY, ONTARIO Why does the chicken cross the road into Manitoba? It doesn’t. Just ask Ron Rhyner. A twilight zone of interprovincial trade restrictions means Rhyner, who farms in Northern Ontario, can’t use a provincially licensed abattoir in
Holistic Approach To Phosphorus Management Urged
“It’s time to treat environmental health like we do human health.” – DON FLATEN They’re the latest buzzword in environmental management – beneficial management practices, or BMPs for short. Follow them and your farm will be environmentally sound, producers are told. It sounds good in theory. But are BMPs really the answer to environmental problems
Depression Seminars Draw Small Audiences
“People don’t want to be perceived to be associated with depression.” – GERRY FRIESEN Poor attendance at two recent rural workshops on depression emphasizes the need to explode taboos about openly discussing mental illness, organizers say. Fewer than a dozen people in each case attended public meetings in Morris and Arborg last week to talk
Race On To Restore Bee Imports
Canadian and U. S. officials scheduled a conference call this week to try to restore queen bee imports from Hawaii, Canada’s largest market for queens, despite the presence of varroa mites. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U. S. Department of Agriculture were expected to discuss ways to revise an import protocol to allow
Supply Management For Livestock Mulled
“You can do it but it’s really complicated.” – PETER CLARK, TRADE LAWYER The financial crisis in the cattle and hog sectors has some producers uttering two words out loud that they would never previously have whispered in the dark: supply management. The question heard at farm meetings and in coffee shops is: would it
Small Potato Regulations Draw Fire
“I think the exemptions will absolutely be too narrow.” – TREVOR SCHREIMER Aconference on locally grown food last week strongly criticized Peak of the Market’s attempts to bring small unregulated potato growers under the marketing board’s authority. Larry McIntosh, Peak’s president and CEO, spent much of his time during a panel discussion defending the board
Weather Smiling On Producers
“It’s been excellent calving this year.” – Cliff Graydon Manitoba cattle producers last week were reporting near-perfect conditions for newborn animals as the annual winter calving season got underway. Not too cold, not too mild, just enough snow cover and cows in generally good shape. “It’s been excellent calving this year,” said Cliff Graydon, a
New Program Proffered To Improve AgriStability
“It would be a bilateral agreement between the producer and the national government.” – BRYAN FERRISS Aproposed new farm income stabilization program developed for the Manitoba Pork Council is being touted as a solution to chronic problems with existing programs. The insurance-based program would incorporate production costs in the payment formula to help compensate for
Stability Returns To Fertilizer Prices
Farmers can expect reasonably stable fertilizer prices over the next few years – a welcome break from the wild price swings during the previous two years, according to a U. S. industry analyst. The price of fertilizer is expected to increase moderately this spring as markets return to normal. But huge price gyrations which happened
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