Farm abandonment, like these remnants of a Soviet-era collective farm seen here in the Kursk region of Russia, led to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Communist collapse had green lining

Post-Soviet food system changes led to greenhouse gas reductions


Changes in agriculture, trade, food production and consumption after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a new study has found. From 1991 to 2011, there was a net emissions reduction of 7.61 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalents — the same as one-quarter of the CO2

Jim Tokarchuck and Margaret Klassen survey a pollinator plot at Winkler’s Discovery Nature Sanctuary.

Pollinator plots to be tested for benefits

As Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator winds down, the company says the plots have been attracting more bees and butterflies, but more testing is needed

A hot wind blows the shaggy grass as Margaret Klassen leads a tour group to a patch of what looks almost like native prairie, turned yellow by clover. “The clover is taking over,” she says. On closer inspection, the mix of red and yellow clover, timothy and other grasses is growing in neat rows, not yet completely filled in between


Daly House Museum curator Eileen Trott shows off colourful reproductions of historic McKenzie Seed catalogue covers.

The seed company that grew Brandon

An exhibit at Brandon’s Daly House tells the story of McKenzie Seeds’ agricultural roots 
and breakout into the domestic seed market

A Brandon exhibit is taking folks back to the city’s boom-town days through one of the companies that grew the city — and brightened its gardens. The “Imagining Summer Gardens: Images from the A.E. McKenzie Visual Archive” exhibit at Daly House Museum tells the story of A.E. McKenzie, and his company’s rise to be one

The Manitoba Pork Council is urging producers to buy into the program, despite the increased cost.

PigTRACE price to go up

Tag prices will go up 20 cents for small tags and 35 cents for large tags as of Aug. 1

Hog producers will have to pay more for traceability in the near future. Canada’s PigTRACE program will be raising ear tag prices as of Aug. 1. [Click here for the price list as of Aug. 1]  Prices will go up 20 cents for every small ear tag and 35 cents for every large ear tag,


Jesse Genaille of Swan River was among performers involved in the 2019 
Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend.

Will this be the last year for Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend?

Organizers hope new members will step forward to ensure the event’s future

After 13 years of providing down-home music in a valley setting, the future of Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend is uncertain. The current organizing committee will lose two key members this year, prompting the group of five to bow out in hopes that others will come forward to fill their shoes. “Although the present committee of

The federal Agriculture Department is touting new extreme weather tracking tools.

AAFC unveils extreme weather tracker

The online tool could be handy when planting and cropping decisions are at hand

Agriculture Canada has unveiled a new online weather watching tool that will enable farmers to better track extreme weather conditions during the agricultural growing season. Called ‘Extreme Weather Indices,’ the tool was developed in collaboration with Environment Canada’s weather service and should help farmers plan their planting and harvesting operations. Like weather forecasts, the indices


Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, addresses reporters outside of the Manitoba legislature on July 2.

KAP releases election wish list

With a fall election on the horizon the group is pushing ag up the agenda

Infrastructure, climate change and equitable education funding are Keystone Agricultural Producers’ top priorities in the upcoming provincial election, the organization announced July 2. “It is imperative that the next provincial government focuses on a real plan for our sector that ensures that we have a steady, reliable cost-effective food source for years to come,” KAP

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is generally fatal to younger piglets and causes severe dehydration,

PEDv redraws outbreak borders

The province has confirmed PEDv far from the Red River Valley region, where the outbreak had been largely confined

PEDv has been found far farther west than ever before. Jenelle Hamblin, manager of swine health programs with the Manitoba Pork Council, confirmed that an operation near Notre Dame de Lourdes has tested positive for PEDv. Why it matters: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is generally fatal to younger piglets and causes severe dehydration, and


tom steve

Farmers conflicted on falling number as grade factor

The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) have advocated for adding falling number (FN) as a grading factor in the past, but now both groups say they need more information to ensure farmers would be better off before endorsing the change. “The (Grain and Oilseeds) committee has expressed concern with the lack

Grain companies and farm groups are questioning whether moving to more specific measures of wheat quality provide enough benefit relative to the cost.

Grain-grading factors spur industry debate

Grain companies and farm groups question whether moving to more specific measures of wheat quality provide enough benefit relative to the cost

Western Canada’s major grain companies strongly oppose making falling number (FN) and DON official grading factors for wheat under the Canada Grain Act. And at least two farm groups — the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) — are wary of the idea and want more information before any change. “The WGEA