Did you know? & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Almost all food is packaged, creating a lot of waste. But what if that packaging was edible?

Eat your package

Edible packaging could reduce waste and improve food storability

By Alex Whiting September 6, 2016

Scientists are developing an edible form of packaging which they hope will preserve food more effectively and more sustainably than plastic film, helping to cut both food and plastic waste. The packaging film is made of a milk protein called casein, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said at a meeting of the American

Purdue University researcher Bruce Applegate and other collaborating researchers developed a process that extends the shelf life of milk.

Did you know?, News

Process extends milk shelf life

The new technique could reduce waste and  make distribution more efficient

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 22, 2016

Researchers at Purdue University say a new process could extend milk’s shelf life to as long as nine weeks. Bruce Applegate, an associate professor of food science, says he and other researchers rapidly heated and cooled milk, which significantly reduced the number of harmful bacteria. Applegate and collaborators from Purdue and the University of Tennessee

Did you know?, News

In vitro a bison first

Saskatchewan researchers say the techniques will pave the way to battling TB and brucellosis in wild herds

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 15, 2016

In a world first, veterinary researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have produced three bison calves using in vitro fertilization. Researchers produced them in a laboratory, then transferred the embryos into surrogate mothers. A fourth calf was produced from a frozen embryo that was taken from a bison cow in 2012 and transferred to a

Humans have been farming rice far longer than originally thought.

Did you know?, News

New origins for farmed rice discovered

The new finding helps shed light on when and why humans first became farmers

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 9, 2016

Rice farming is a far older practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest evidence of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it’s about 9,000 years old, about 4,000 years before the earliest previous estimates. The discovery, made by a team of archeologists that includes University of Toronto Professor Gary Crawford, sheds

Did you know?, News

Crop breeding is not keeping pace with climate change

Yields are likely to fall if the current trendline continues, researchers say

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 18, 2016

Crop yields will fall within the next decade due to climate change unless immediate action is taken to speed up the introduction of new and improved varieties, experts have warned. The research, led by the University of Leeds and published in the journal Nature Climate Change, focuses on maize in Africa but the underlying processes

The soil created by adding charcoal and kitchen waste, at left, is visually superior to the usual red African earth on the right.

Did you know?, News

Centuries-old African soil technique could combat climate change

Adding kitchen waste and charcoal to nutrient-poor rainforest soils makes them capable of supporting intensive farming

By Kieran Guilbert July 11, 2016

A farming technique practised for centuries in West Africa, which transforms nutrient-poor rainforest soil into fertile farmland, could combat climate change and revolutionize farming across the continent, researchers say. Adding kitchen waste and charcoal to tropical soil can turn it into fertile, black soil which traps carbon and reduces emissions of greenhouse gases into the

Aboriginal Manitoba farmer with oxen, circa 1900.

Did you know?, News

First Nations were first farmers in Manitoba

U of M students search site for historical artifacts

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 4, 2016

It’s certain the first farmers in Manitoba were First Nations people, likely near the site of modern-day Lockport. That’s why a group of anthropology students from the University of Manitoba spent five weeks at the site this spring, searching for artifacts that could help us learn more about these early agriculturalists. The earliest recorded observation

Cattle and other animals alter antibiotics as they pass through their digestive systems.

Did you know?, News

Antibiotics manure risk requires a rethink

Manitoba researchers say previous studies ignore the interplay of animals’ digestive systems on the drugs

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 28, 2016

A University of Manitoba research paper may upend the way environmental scientists consider the issue of residual antibiotics in manure. They’re a cause of concern because when they’re fed to animals, a lot of the antibiotics pass right through the animal and into the manure. Scientists have worried that could promote antibiotic resistance. “Often, 90 per

Entomologist Christian Krupke at the Purdue Bee Laboratory with pollen collected by Indiana honeybees.

Did you know?, News

Non-crop plants source of most pesticide contamination of bees

One of the most common sources of pollen contamination is home pest control products

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 13, 2016

Urban landscapes may bear more responsibility for exposing bees to pesticides than previously thought. A recent study from Purdue University, published in the academic journal Nature Communications, found honeybees gathered the vast majority of pollen from non-agriculture crops and were being exposed to both agricultural and domestic pesticides. Entomologist Christian Krupke found pollen samples contained

Did you know?, News

Moose on the move from forests to farmland

Sloughs provide shelter from the heat and fields provide good grub

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 6, 2016

A four-year University of Saskatchewan study has tracked the migration of moose from northern boreal forests to farmlands farther south. “Thirty years ago, seeing moose in the farmland of Saskatchewan would have been very rare but over time they have expanded to these new areas,” said Ryan Brook, a wildlife biologist with the university’s department

Daily Network News

USDA attachés forecast some changes in China’s oilseeds, cereals

China urges hog producers to manage output, vows timely reserve adjustments

Farm Credit Canada offers aid to farmers, companies affected by Iran war price spikes

Did you know?

Eat your package

Process extends milk shelf life

In vitro a bison first

New origins for farmed rice discovered

Crop breeding is not keeping pace with climate change

Centuries-old African soil technique could combat climate change

First Nations were first farmers in Manitoba

Antibiotics manure risk requires a rethink

Non-crop plants source of most pesticide contamination of bees

Moose on the move from forests to farmland

AgCanadaTV

AgCanadaTV: In case you missed it; your national ag news recap for March 20, 2026

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Latest Market News