In rare instances, certain variations of the virus can infect people
and cause serious illness.

Edit avian flu out of chicken genes

New research suggests it could be possible to halt the bird flu virus in chickens

Scientists have used gene-editing techniques to stop the bird flu virus from spreading in chicken cells grown in the lab. The findings raise the possibility of producing gene-edited chickens that are resistant to the disease. Researchers prevented the virus from taking hold by deleting a section of chicken DNA inside lab-grown cells. The next step

In Your Co-operator this week: June 20

In Your Co-operator this week: June 20

Geralyn Wichers explores what happens when ideologies collide following a flock infection at an animal sanctuary. The owners say they’ve followed the letter of the law when addressing an ILT outbreak. Commercial operators counter they’re putting the whole commercial sector at risk by refusing to euthanize the animals. Allan Dawson reports on what Manitoba corn


Craft cannabis operators say new regulations are effectively shutting them out of the market.

New cannabis regulations a mixed blessing for small growers

Craft cannabis growers could generate thousands of jobs in rural communities if given the chance, experts say

Craft cannabis growers have a lot to offer rural communities, but new Health Canada regulations may be a mixed blessing, experts say. In May, Health Canada announced that those applying for licenses to grow cannabis must have a fully built site meeting all cannabis regulations. In the announcement, Health Canada cited the changes would address

Farmer holding soybean

Comment: U.S. farmers suffering from trade wars

As usual, farmers are getting it coming and going from this economic upset

Despite the hope that the U.S. and China would come to an agreement on trade that would end China’s retaliatory tariffs on agricultural imports from the U.S., nothing is on tap as we write this column. In what appears to be an attempt by the administration to pressure the Chinese into a deal by announcing


KAP has complained for years that the current model of education taxation is unfair to farmers.

KAP renews call for education tax reform

The farm group also calls for continued local autonomy for school boards through elected trustees

Farmers are paying too big a share of education taxes in many municipalities, the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) says in a submission to the Manitoba government’s Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education. “KAP therefore recommends that the commission explore moving away from funding education through property taxes and evaluate alternative funding methods in Manitoba,

Winter wheat crops have been hit by late frost and cool, dry conditions this spring.

Winter cereals still waiting for rain

Most winter wheat made it into spring, but cold temperatures and lack of rainfall have added a sour note

Spring was not kind to this year’s winter cereals, and the so-far patchy rains have seen little improvement. Both forage and winter cereals suffered from a cold, dry start to the growing season. Temperatures remained unseasonably cold well into May. A major frost event May 26 saw widespread lows under -2 C, with some areas


The NFU is concerned that any outcome on the Canadian Grain Commission and farm-saved seed will favour the grain industry over farmers.

NFU takes Canadian Grain Commission and royalties concerns to Ottawa

The National Farmers Union fears the ‘fix is in’ for the grain commission review

The future of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and farm-saved seed topped the list of issues the National Farmers Union (NFU) took to MPs in Ottawa June 5 and 6. “We’re trying to figure out what the situation is (with the CGC),” NFU 2nd vice-president Stewart Wells said in an interview June 6 from Ottawa.

Wheat seeds spilling from hand, close-up

National Farmers Union fights for farm-saved seed

Farmers will invest more in variety development but won’t guarantee companies a profit

Farmers are willing to invest more into publicly funded plant variety development so long as they can see where their money is going and track the results, says Stewart Wells, 2nd vice-president of the National Farmers Union (NFU). “Our position is farmers aren’t remotely interested in end point royalties or trailing royalty contracts wherein the


Farmers have been out in the field reseeding canola after flea beetles feasted on weakened crops
suffering through a cold, dry spring.

Triple threat leads to canola reseed spike

Farmers headed into the field for round two of canola seeding last week after dry conditions, frost and flea beetles sabotaged their first stands

If you were reseeding canola last week, you were far from alone. MASC reported a sudden spike in reseed claims the first week of June, most of them from canola fields. Canola claims jumped from 182 as of May 30 to over 700 by June 7. The agency had received 850 reseed claims across all

The Canadian International Grains Institute was created in 1972 to provide market development and technical support for Canadian wheat and other field crops.

What will become of Cigi?

Merger talks between Cigi, created 45 years ago to promote Canadian grain exports, and Cereals Canada could come to a head this month


Cigi’s future could soon be clearer. For more than a year, the Canadian International Grains Institute, created in 1972 to provide market development and technical support for Canadian wheat and other field crops, and Cereals Canada, which represents the country’s cereals sector, have been considering merging. Cigi could decide on that during its annual meeting