Country Crossroads & Farming Articles

This small outbuilding near Gilbert Plains is a designated heritage site, as one of the few beef ring buildings still standing in Manitoba.

Beef rings speak volumes of local history

These early informal co-operatives kept beef on the table in the warm summer months before refrigeration

By John Beckham August 1, 2017

The recorded history of the settling of Western Canada is a sketchy affair. I am not referring to history as we ordinarily think of it, such as treaties, battles, or political decisions, but rather the histories of families, communities, and the evolution of a society largely cast upon their own devices in what was a

Did you know?, News, Other

Send them out to the barn

Compound found in animals but not humans  sparks immunity against asthma

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 1, 2017

It’s already known that farm kids are less prone to asthma, but a new study by immunologists from the University of Zurich has identified sialic acid found in farm animals as the reason. A university release said this substance is widespread in vertebrates and therefore in many farm animals, but missing in the human organism.

A wooden elevator at Holland was built in 1927 by a local co-operative working with Manitoba Pool Elevators. Its modest 50,000-bushel capacity was enlarged with a squat 75,000-bushel balloon annex in 1952 and a taller 85,000-bushel crib annex in 1958. The elevator was renovated thoroughly in 1982 and the balloon annex was removed around 1994. It survived the transfer to Agricore in 1998 but closed in early 2001 and was demolished in December 2003.

Country Crossroads, Other

PHOTOS: This Old Elevator: July 2017

The Manitoba Historical Society wants to gather information about all the grain elevators in Manitoba

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 31, 2017

In the 1950s, there were over 700 grain elevators in Manitoba. Today, there are fewer than 200. You can help to preserve the legacy of these disappearing “Prairie sentinels.” The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) is gathering information about all elevators that ever stood in Manitoba, regardless of their present status. Collaborating with the Manitoba Co-operator it is

Jar of wild berry jam on white wooden background from top view

Recipe Swap

Let’s get jammin’

Prairie Fare: Jam and jelly recipes to get your taste buds going

By Getty Stewart July 28, 2017

Making your own jams and jellies is an easy and delicious way to capture the great tastes of our Prairie fruits. Luckily for us, today, jam making is easier than ever. What was a never-ending chore and means of survival for our grandmothers is now a hobby for us. We have the luxury of preserving

Kelsey Connor is the new owner of The Martese.

Country Crossroads, Other

Enjoy fine dining while cruising Clear Lake

The newly renovated Martese runs from spring to fall and has an amazing dinner cruise

By Candy Irwin July 26, 2017

I’m no food critic, but I absolutely recognize a lovely meal when I eat one. And, you can, too, if you decide to enjoy dinner on The Martese, the little cruise ship that plies the waters of Clear Lake spring through fall each year, since it arrived here in 2004. Kelsey Connor, the new owner

A protest sign outside Bakersfield, California in 2015 highlighted the urgency of the drought situation that year. Climate researchers say Arctic warming likely contributed to the severity.

Did you know?, News, Other

Warmer Arctic linked to weaker vegetation growth in North America

The effects of climate change in the extreme north  can be felt far away, researchers say

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 26, 2017

Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are having an unexpected effect elsewhere in North America climate, scientists say. Researchers from Korea’s Pohang University and the South University of Science and Technology of China say their analysis suggests the northernmost regions of the continent may be warming and becoming more productive. But that’s being offset by effects

Greg Steele, Before Brandon exhibit guest curator, displays a replica paddle styled similarly to what would have been used by voyageurs during the fur trade in the Brandon area.

Country Crossroads, Local news

Before Brandon was the Wheat City

Brandon was established as a city in 1882, but trading outposts along the Assiniboine River predate that mark by decades and are the subject of a museum exhibit at the Brandon General Museum and Archives

By Alexis Stockford July 25, 2017

In most tellings, Brandon is a city that appeared from nowhere, fuelled by agricultural settlement. In 1881 it was a single shanty, and just 12 months later it was the province’s first western city, the Wheat City. Local history buffs will recount how rail plans were moved 50 kilometres south in the 1870s, in line

Country Crossroads

Watermelon packs a lot of nutritional benefits

Prairie Fare: Pork and Watermelon Kebobs

By Julie Garden-Robinson July 24, 2017

The other day I was at my desk at work, talking to my computer screen, but I wasn’t just being the “absent-minded professor.” I actually had an audience in a room across the state. Grilling fruits and vegetables was the topic of my webinar. I mentioned grilling watermelon to the audience because I had read

This single head, infected with wheat blast, is the first known occurrence of the disease in North America.

Did you know?, News

Wheat lost blast resistance recently

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 19, 2017

There’s good news and bad news for the world’s wheat crops. An international consortium of researchers have identified a gene in wheat that protects the plants from the deadly fungus which causes wheat blast infections. Unfortunately it would appear many strains of wheat lost this gene sometime in the 1980s, when it was inadvertently bred

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables frequently are packed with these powerful antioxidants.

Columns, Country Crossroads

Prairie Fare: Enjoyed any anthocyanins lately?

By Julie Garden-Robinson July 19, 2017

What colour scheme should we have this year?” I asked my older daughter as we surveyed the flower pots we needed to fill earlier this summer. “Mom, you always get pink and purple flowers,” she replied with a grin. Yes, she knows her mother. I usually fill my cart with pink and purple flowers. Just

Daily Network News

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Bayer’s bid to curb Roundup cases

Canada-China roundup: Producer groups applaud tariff relief; pork left out; mix of criticism and praise from Trump administration

Opinion: Is a closer trade relationship with China a security risk?