News & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Lady beetle larvae can be identified by their long shape, body texture and distinctive dark colouring with patches of lighter highlights.

The under-recognized aphid eaters

The larvae of lady beetles are less commonly identified, but take just as big a bite out of crop pest populations

By Gord Leathers August 1, 2023

The insect experts say that every farmer across the Prairies should have a huge picture of coccinellidae larvae on their machine shop wall. If the scientific name doesn’t sound familiar, the common name certainly will. It’s the family of beetles that includes ladybugs and Asian lady beetles. “Everybody recognizes the adults and everyone knows they’re

A seaport grain terminal damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes in Odesa region, Ukraine on July 19, 2023.

News

Asian wheat buyers go shopping after Ukraine port attacks

By Naveen Thukral August 1, 2023

Reuters – Asian millers will look elsewhere for their wheat as attacks on Ukrainian ports after the collapse of a safe passage deal spark supply risks, traders and analysts said. Supply constraints from the key Black Sea region add further uncertainty amid the prospect of dry El Niño weather threatening Asian crops and exacerbating food

“We have heard deep-seated frustration from both farm families and non-farmers about the state of connectivity in rural Manitoba, and providers cannot continue to ask us to pay for a service that is subpar, at best.” – Jill Werwey, KAP.

News, Other

AMM puts rural cell service in the hot seat

Only a third of rural Manitobans consider their cell service ‘fully reliable’

By Don Norman July 31, 2023

Rural connectivity remains an issue for Manitobans. That was one of the main takeaways from a recent poll commissioned by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. The poll, conducted by Probe Research, found that rural Manitobans are overwhelmingly concerned about mobile connectivity outside of the province’s cities. Why it matters: Unreliable cellular service can be a

Manitoba had been considered CWD-free until late 2021.

News

Province pledges cash for enhanced CWD control

Since 2021, 22 cases of the fatal disease have been confirmed in wild Manitoba deer

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 31, 2023

Increased funding will allow more and quicker testing of animals for chronic wasting disease and will allow the hiring of more staff, including an additional wildlife biologist, according to the Manitoba government. “Chronic wasting disease is a significant threat to the health of Manitoba’s wildlife and our collective efforts in conservation,” Greg Nesbitt, minister of

Retired Manitoba Co-operator reporter Allan Dawson gave a shout-out to his “long-suffering” editor, Laura Rance-Unger of Glacier FarmMedia, who nominated him to the hall.

News

Dawson, Eskin enter farm hall of fame

An agri-food scientist and former Co-operator reporter are the Manitoba hall’s newest inductees

By Dave Bedard July 28, 2023

Nobody gets into the Manitoba agriculture sector for the fame, but occasionally, fame comes to those who’ve earned it. The Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame came calling for two such people July 17. University of Manitoba canola scientist and researcher Michael Eskin and long-time farm journalist Allan Dawson stood up for their induction ceremony at

“What those asking for this policy want is a cheaper rate. It is not about improving service. Nor will it improve competitiveness. Extended interswitching will do the exact opposite. The only winners with extended regulated interswitching are U.S. railways.” – Marc Brazeau, Railway Association of Canada.

News

Interswitching resurgence puts railways, grain industries on collision course

Both sides say a pilot to test a bigger interswitching radius is a bad move, but for opposite reasons and to opposite effect

By Don Norman July 27, 2023

Recent federal legislation has raised the stakes in a decade-long battle between the railways and Canadian grain shippers. The battle is over the interswitching radius. Interswitching is a regulation to ensure that shippers located where only a single railway operates can access points that are not served by that railway. The regulation kicks in when

News

A decade of interswitching debate

Rail bottlenecks, federal reports and renewed life for extended interswitching

By Don Norman July 27, 2023

Interswitching has been regulated since 1904 in Canada but in 2013 an exceptional harvest led to record-breaking grain production in Western Canada. The increased supply, combined with challenging weather conditions, overwhelmed the railways and led to significant delays in moving grain to export terminals. In 2014, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act reached Parliament

Hail-damaged cereals in one of Eric McLean’s fields in Westman.

News

Hail claims in Manitoba surpass 2022

Several hailstorms struck the southwest, south-central and other areas of the province in the first part of the growing season

By Geralyn Wichers July 27, 2023

Half-way into a stormy summer, hail insurance claims have already surpassed last year’s total, according to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation. As of July 20, it had seen 1,206 hail claims. This compares to 513 at the same time in 2022. Last year saw 1,121 registered hail claims throughout the year. Why it matters: High

Andy Kirschenman says he isn’t ideological about solar power. It just made sense financially to go green on the farm.

News, Other

The sun is just rising on solar on the farm

As panels get cheaper and electricity prices rise, solar is becoming more attractive

By Brittany Ekelund July 26, 2023

For some producers, summer means doubling down on the power of the sun. Andy Kirschenman and his father have been running their 5,000-acre grain farm near Hilda, Alta. for six years using solar power. “It’s been a positive experience without a doubt for us,” Kirschenman said. “We’re actually able to offset all of our bills,

News

Biogas can meet rural energy needs

Proponents say government needs to stop insisting on electrification

By Kristy Nudds July 26, 2023

Glacier FarmMedia – The landscape for renewable natural gas production on Canadian farms is getting bigger, but provincial and federal governments must stop thinking of the fuel in the same way as they do for natural gas derived from fossil fuels. That was the take-home message from a group of panelists representing the agriculture sector

Daily Network News

Women who fed a nation

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on China demand hopes; corn and wheat rebound

U.S. livestock: Hogs rebound, cattle hit upward limits

News

The under-recognized aphid eaters

Asian wheat buyers go shopping after Ukraine port attacks

AMM puts rural cell service in the hot seat

Province pledges cash for enhanced CWD control

Dawson, Eskin enter farm hall of fame

Interswitching resurgence puts railways, grain industries on collision course

A decade of interswitching debate

Hail claims in Manitoba surpass 2022

The sun is just rising on solar on the farm

Biogas can meet rural energy needs

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