Local news & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Manitoba agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen (l) said Loaf and Honey’s raw milk cheese-making process does not consistently produce a safe product. Dustin Peltier (r), seen here inside his cheese storage room, along with partner Rachel Isaak have decided to forgo any further attempts to comply due to financial burden.

Agriculture minister Pedersen responds to cheese makers

Unvalidated production practices pose a risk to consumers, the minister said

By Geralyn Wichers December 3, 2019

Ag Minister Blaine Pedersen responded to Trappist cheese makers’ allegations that department staff blocked their approval, saying the province’s duty is to protect consumers. “Loaf and Honey has been unable to demonstrate through microbiological testing that the method it is using to produce raw milk cheese consistently produces a safe product,” said Pedersen in an

Curtis Gervin was met with an injured cow after going out to feed cattle soon after hunting season started this year. He and his workers have since concluded that the animal was shot.

Livestock, Local news, News, Other

Time to tighten enforcement on land access after cow shot

Curtis Gervin says most hunters are responsible but it’s time for a crackdown on the bad apples

By Alexis Stockford December 2, 2019

Curtis Gervin wants more action on informed land access after he says one of his cows was shot in the head on his southwestern Manitoba farm. Gervin, who farms near Reston, noted blood and swelling on the face of the animal after going out to feed his cattle one morning, soon after the start of

Educators Leah Obach and Devon Caldwell are adding "teaching teachers" to their resumés.

Local news, Other

The ‘Kenton Girls’ are educating the educators

Passion for teaching and lifelong learning leads two Manitoba teachers on a unique adventure

By Brenda Hunter November 29, 2019

As teachers and students from across the province headed back to school this fall, two women from Kenton embarked on new roles in the classroom of life. As educators, they have become teachers to the teachers, by taking their classroom roles to a whole other level with KG (Kenton Girls) Education, an online and in-person

You don’t have to finish harvest before filing your MASC Harvest Production Report. You have until Dec. 2.

Crops, Local news

MASC harvest production reports deadline Dec. 2

Farmers who file online will find out right away if they are in a claim position

By Allan Dawson November 28, 2019

The deadline for Manitoba farmers to submit crop insurance Harvest Production Reports to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) is Dec. 2, whether the farmer completed harvest or not. Both the paper and online report forms should be easier for farmers to fill out because less information is now required, David Van Deynze, MASC’s vice-president

The Pallister government has reconfirmed its commitment to removing education taxes from farmland.

Local news, News, Other

Pallister committed to education tax phase out

That’s just one of several election promises included in the new Manitoba government’s throne speech

By Allan Dawson November 28, 2019

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he’s committed to phasing out education taxes on farmland and other property over 10 years starting in 2022 when the Manitoba government’s books are expected to be balanced. It’s a promise welcomed by farmers who say the burden of funding schools in rural areas has shifted disproportionally to them because

Robert (Bob) McNabb, with wife Elaine, was inducted into the Canadian Conservation  Hall of Fame on November 13.

Farmit Manitoba, Local news, News, Other

Manitoba zero-till pioneer inducted into conservation hall of fame

Robert (Bob) McNabb called for greater passion for soil, aligning profit with ecology

By Geralyn Wichers November 27, 2019

Manitoba farmer Robert (Bob) McNabb called for greater passion for soil as he was inducted into the Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame in Winnipeg, November 13. In his acceptance address, McNabb called on those gathered to approach soil conservation with the same passion as teenage, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. “If we could get on

Manitoba livestock producers have long-standing issues with livestock predation. They’re hoping a new super-department combining agriculture and some of the former conservation portfolio may help address them.

Livestock, Local news, News

Livestock predation losses could gain fresh attention

Beef producers hope departmental amalgamation will kickstart action

By Alexis Stockford November 25, 2019

Manitoba beef producers are hoping a provincial cabinet consolidation will mean action at long last on predation losses. They’ve had a long-standing complaint, but it was an agriculture issue that was under the authority of the provincial Conservation Ministry. Now fish and wildlife management is part of the new provincial Department of Manitoba Agriculture and

Dustin Peltier and Rachel Isaak say the province has blocked them at every turn in the process of bringing their traditional, Trappist-style cheese to market.

Farmit Manitoba, Local news

Artisanal cheese makers cheesed off

‘Complex, inconsistently interpreted regulations’ have left one couple near bankruptcy and other small food processors in limbo

By Geralyn Wichers November 22, 2019

A Manitoba couple says red tape has killed 100 years of cheese history and put them near bankruptcy. Husband and wife team Dustin Peltier and Rachel Isaak, along with Peltier’s parents Gary and Silver Peltier, say the province has blocked them at every turn as they’ve attempted to bring their traditional, Trappist-style cheese to market

Farmit Manitoba, Local news

The case of the disappearing food act

By Geralyn Wichers November 22, 2019

Inspectors and food producers alike seem to struggle to interpret regulations on food production. “No one in the industry would say there’s a lack of regulation,” said Dave Shambrock, executive director of Food & Beverage Manitoba. Actually, there are many sets of overlapping regulations, he said. In 2009, the NDP provincial government appeared to be

“There’s conflicting arguments on that one,” MBP president Tom Teichroeb said of the proposed cap resolution.

Livestock, Local news, News, Other

District producers back step on AUM cap

Some producers now say they want a new, albeit larger, AUM cap on Crown lands

By Alexis Stockford November 21, 2019

Ranchers near Ste. Rose du Lac want the province to take another step back on Crown lands — although this change was initially heralded as a victory. Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) had welcomed the removal of a 4,800 animal unit month (AUM) cap from forage and grazing lease eligibility, one of a number of sweeping

Daily Network News

Corteva taps Luke Kissam to lead crop protection unit after spinoff

Klassen: Stronger fed market pulls feeder cattle complex upward

Federal gas, diesel taxes to be suspended, Carney says

Local news