Dakota Sorensen of Eddystone (right) expresses his concern during a public meeting on Crown land lease changes in Ste. Rose du Lac Oct. 15.

Crown lands renewal promise fails to quench rancher anger

New forage Crown land regulations have earned near-universal scorn

[UPDATE: Oct. 24, 2019] Ranchers are deriding what they say are half-measures when it comes to fixing new Crown lands regulations. The changes, announced in September 2018, and outlined this fall, drop the old points system in favour of open auction, extend eligibility to Canadian residents outside Manitoba, drop lease length from 50 years to

Blaine Pedersen (l) takes over for Ralph Eichler as the province’s agriculture minister in today’s cabinet shuffle.

Eichler out as Manitoba’s agriculture minister

Blaine Pedersen to head new agriculture and resource development portfolio

Blaine Pedersen has succeeded Ralph Eichler as minister of agriculture as Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister shuffled his cabinet on Wednesday. The move comes six weeks after the provincial election in which the Progressive-Conservatives won a second majority. Also, it expands from 13 to 15 members including Pallister. Pedersen, the MLA for Midland, was named Minister


It’s been a hard harvest season for a lot of Manitoba farmers.

Timing is everything – especially in farming

Manitoba finally got some moisture – right when farmers didn’t need it

Well September, you sure weren’t yourself this year. The warm, sunny, dry, harvest days you usually provide happened ever so briefly the first week you were here. Then the rains, which we had longed for all spring and summer, came pouring down, bringing a sudden halt to harvest for the remainder of the month. What

Patches of Manitoba were left in the dark after a history Thanksgiving weekend snow storm.

Getting back to business after snow storm cuts off power

Manitoba’s farmers and agribusinesses got back to business as normal after a snowy and dark Thanksgiving

The lights were slowly coming back on during the third week of October after a historic snowstorm led to equally historic power outages across the province. A swath of farmers and agribusinesses were also caught up in the over 266,000 outages reported as a result of the three-day storm. Why it matters: Tens of thousands


Farmers should expect to start seeing Dr. Scott Zaari as he settles into his new role as Manitoba’s chief veterinary officer.

Meet Manitoba’s new CVO

Dr. Scott Zaari grew up and started his career in Alberta. Now he’s Manitoba’s new chief veterinary officer

Manitoba has a permanent chief veterinary officer for the first time in over a year. Dr. Scott Zaari has been named to the post. The position has been empty since the previous CVO, Dr. Megan Bergman, left in spring of 2018 for a different job. The CVO’s responsibilities have been divided by several of the

Kon and Julie Paseschnikoff are excited about the pending release of their first bottling of mead this year.

First bee-to-bottle meadery to open soon in Manitoba

‘Bee Boyzz’ couple raise a glass to the sweet things in life

Manitoba’s first ‘bee-to-bottle’ meadery will launch this fall, with hopes that the sweet honey wine will bring people together. “I want people, when they’re sitting at the table, I want to make sure that Bee Boyzz brought them to the table,” said Kon Paseschnikoff. “When you make mead, you make people happy.” Kon and Julie


Snow hammered southern Manitoba into the Thanksgiving weekend, leading to widespread road closures and power outages.

More rain may be heading towards Manitoba

Farmers are hoping a developing Colorado Low will skirt south next week, as they continue to grapple with the aftermath of a historic snow storm

[UPDATE: Oct. 16, 2019] Manitoba is bracing for its next hit, even after it digs out from a historic snowstorm. The weather event, which hit on the eve of the Thanksgiving weekend, closed highways, caused unprecedented power outages and left unharvested crops under half a metre of snow or more. Eric Dykes, meteorologist with Environment

In recent years, the number of Manitoba egg farmers has grown with the demand for eggs.

Manitoba egg farms run by ‘real’ farmers, says MEF

Out-of-province non-farm corporations, are not buying Manitoba egg farms, says Rory Rybuck, general manager of Manitoba Egg Farmers. “You have to have land, equipment of course, and be an actual farmer,” he said in an interview Sept. 25. During the national agriculture debate organized by the Canadian Federation of agriculture broadcast online Sept. 24, Kate


A dog surveys a very different farmyard than it remembers as snow drifts pile up and visibility is dramatically reduced in the snowstorm on Oct. 11.

Southern Manitoba snowstorm packed a mighty punch

There wasn't much shelter to be found outdoors during yesterday's storm

The snowstorm that blasted through southern Manitoba delivered significant amounts of snowfall and winds that gusted as high as 70 km/h, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. These photos below submitted by Manitoba Co-operator reporter Alexis Stockford and photo contributor Jeannette Greaves offer a chilly glimpse of how the storm looked as it ripped

On Oct. 2, over 350 outraged producers flocked to Ste. Rose du Lac for a last minute lease holders' meeting after the province released incoming changes to Agricultural Crown Lands regulations.

Province backs down on legacy Crown land lease renewals

Outraged Crown land lease holders will get their first right of refusal for legacy leases, the province now says

Ranchers with existing Crown land leases will have a first right of refusal, the province says. The news comes after new Agricultural Crown Land regulations sparked outrage among ranchers. Ranchers argued that the regulations, which dropped term lengths from 50 years to 15 years and cemented allocation by open auction, threatened the future of their