It’s not the size of your farm that counts, it’s what you do with it. “It comes down to attitude,” said Kevin Hursh, a Saskatoon-based farm consultant. “Sometimes I think we feel inferior to the guys who are 5,000, or 10,000 or 15,000 acres, and running all the brand new equipment with the best technology,
Small farms can be profitable too
Staying small has benefits in the farming world: less costs, more time and greater agility
Farmers need to question claims
A lot of products make a lot of different promises, but when it comes to how research is analyzed, farmers need to look for results that are statistically significant
Farmers need to ask more questions and demand better answers when confronted with new products promising yield gains based on sketchy data, a Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development official says. Terry Buss, a farm production adviser, told an Ag Days seminar he is getting more calls from farmers about the claims made by different
Manitoba joins the livestock price insurance club
New livestock price insurance program will run as a pilot program for four years, then be assessed for effectiveness
In a move that surprised no one, the provincial government formally announced Manitoba will take part in the newly created Western Livestock Price Insurance Program last week. The province’s intention to create a livestock insurance program for hog and beef producers was outlined in last November’s speech from the throne, and representatives from Manitoba Agriculture,
Scientific claims won’t counter ethical questions about animal welfare
Pork producers can say that consumers don’t get it, that science is the basis for welfare and that castration doesn’t hurt, but the public won’t buy it — and that’s bad for business
If you’re a pork producer trying to convince someone your welfare practices are up to snuff, the last words you should pull out of your phrase book are “science” and “based.” Speaking to representatives of Manitoba’s pork industry during the annual Swine Seminar in Winnipeg, Dr. Tim Blackwell outlined the pitfalls and missteps that hurt
Vigilance needed more than ever now that PED in province
While industry and provincial officials work to keep it contained, investigations continue into the source of the spread
While provincial and industry officials worked to contain Manitoba’s first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDv) this week, attention shifted to a pig plasma feed ingredient as a possible source of transmission. Landmark Feeds, which is owned by Nutreco, issued a statement late last week saying a plasma-based feed additive for newborn piglets is suspected
Thorough examination of rail transportation needed: KAP
Long-term solution to sluggish rail transportation may require new infrastructure, but in the short term, producers should re-evaluate the terms of their operational loans
Keystone Agricultural Producers meeting in Winnipeg called on the federal government to fine the railways for failing to perform as Prairie farm leaders worried creditors will come calling on farmers who can’t sell grain to make loan payments. With many bins still full, and grain bags lying in fields across the Prairies, some producers won’t
Kids shouldn’t be left to cover Mom and Pop’s tax bill
Succession planning is complicated, but with professionalism and respect, equity can be transferred before anyone needs to actually buy the farm
Young agriculturists looking to return to the family farm will face challenges — high input costs, soaring land prices, labour shortages and transportation concerns, just to name a few. But the biggest challenge for many fresh-faced farmers is how to work with their parents to establish a succession plan, said Cedric MacLeod, of the New
It’s not official, but cattle price insurance is here
Ban on announcements during the byelection campaign means Manitoba had to keep mum
The cat is out of the bag and halfway to Saskatoon, yet Manitoba remains the only western province not to have announced a livestock price insurance program. Last November, the Manitoba government outlined its intent to establish such a program in the speech from the throne, and since then Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
Most farms appear to have managed natural gas shutdown
Emergency measures plans put to the test after gas shutdown in southeastern towns and municipalities
One year ago — almost to the day — Trevor Schriemer walked outside to find his family’s greenhouse operation engulfed in flames. So when a natural gas pipeline ruptured near Otterburne and burst into flames early Saturday morning, his first thought was “not again.” “It was terrifying, all of a sudden you hear this massive
Red River Ex woos commodity organizations
Winnipeg may be the only major city in Canada without a venue for agricultural exhibitions, but an expansion at the Red River Exhibition grounds hopes to change all that
Red River Exhibition Park is going back to its agrarian roots. The 450-acre site is in the midst of a massive expansion project, and is inviting commodity groups and agribusiness to make their home at Exhibition Park’s new Commodity Campus. Dairy Farmers of Manitoba was the first to move to the site last January, and
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