News & Opinion & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report: No. 17

Conditions as of August 22, 2016

By Manitoba Agriculture August 22, 2016

Sporadic rainfall, high humidity and wet field conditions have slowed harvest progress in areas of Manitoba. However, harvest does continue as weather and field conditions allow. Winter wheat and fall rye harvest is complete. Winter wheat yields range from 50 to 100 bushels per acre, with an estimated provincial average of 75 bushels per acre.

Manitoba has approximately 231 different species of native bees, including 24 different species of bumblebees.

Local news

More than just bumblebees

A new research project at AAFC is assessing habitat  for the 231 different species of native bees in Manitoba

By Jennifer Paige August 22, 2016

How pollinator friendly is your farm? A new study being conducted at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Brandon Research and Development Centre is looking to gather data on the province’s native bees and create an on-farm habitat-assessment tool. “We don’t have a lot of information on native bees in Manitoba but we are starting to get

Purdue University researcher Bruce Applegate and other collaborating researchers developed a process that extends the shelf life of milk.

Did you know?, News

Process extends milk shelf life

The new technique could reduce waste and  make distribution more efficient

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 22, 2016

Researchers at Purdue University say a new process could extend milk’s shelf life to as long as nine weeks. Bruce Applegate, an associate professor of food science, says he and other researchers rapidly heated and cooled milk, which significantly reduced the number of harmful bacteria. Applegate and collaborators from Purdue and the University of Tennessee

Haitham Al-Khshali (l), director general of the Grain Board of Iraq and Emmanuel Mshelia of Royal Mills and Foods Limited of Nigeria both participated in Cigi’s annual international program.

Cereals, News

Cigi course highlights customer relations

The reliability of Canadian wheat is the theme of Cigi’s annual international program

By Shannon VanRaes August 19, 2016

They come from 16 different countries, but have one thing in common — Canadian wheat. Participants in the 49th annual International Grain Industry Program at the Canadian International Grains Institute, better known as Cigi, are in Canada to learn more about where the grain they buy comes from, how it is grown and how it

Larvae on sclerotinia infected plant tissue.

Crops, Local news

Crop insect concerns low, some soybean crops report brown spot

Manitoba Insect and Disease summary for August 17

By Manitoba Agriculture August 18, 2016

Summary Insects: Insect pest concerns are currently low. Most canola crops are now past the stage where Lygus bugs would be of concern. Only trace levels of soybean aphids have been found so far. Grasshopper counts have so far generally been low. Plant pathogens: Various diseases continue to be reported in field crops.. Disease Update Corn:

Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: Safety first

By Gord Gilmour August 18, 2016

A few years ago I had what I now ruefully refer to as a series of unfortunate events. It began innocently enough with a phone call one Saturday morning from a friend, wondering if I could help him move a couch. An hour or so later, on a frosty March morning, we were wrestling it

CP Rail says it’s ready to move this year’s expected bumper crop.

Crops, News

CP Rail raring to move expected bumper crop

A company executive says the grain-handling and transportation system learned lessons from the 2013-14 shipping backlog

By Allan Dawson August 18, 2016

Canadian Pacific Railway is ready to move Western Canada’s bumper 2016 crop, but is disappointed surplus system capacity isn’t being used now. “We have been idle in terms of cars in service really since about May,” John Brooks, CP’s vice-president of sales and marketing for intermodal and grain said in an interview Aug. 11. “So

Stan Cochrane is the chair of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba,  which is restoring the Dominion Exhibition Building.

Local news

Reviving a symbol of Canada’s agricultural past

Built in 1912, the Dominion Exhibition Building No. II is being  refurbished to resume its place as a host for community events

By Jennifer Paige August 18, 2016

Once a hub of agricultural activity, in recent years Brandon’s Dominion Exhibition Building No. II has been left idle and close to disrepair. Fearing loss of the valued landmark, in 2009 the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba took on the challenge of restoring the building to its former glory. “As both an organization and a community

Intermediate wheatgrass is the skinny cousin to spring wheat but, of course, you can’t graze the latter and then harvest a grain crop later.

Cereals, News

Perennial grain: It’s two crops in one

It’s been a decades’ long search, but researchers believe the finish line is in sight  for a crop that can be both grazed and then harvested for its grain

By Aaron Haugen August 17, 2016

As concerns grow over sustainability in modern farming, researchers are looking to the past in search of crops that can both meet the needs of farmers and consumers as well as the environment. Thinopyrum intermedium — commonly known as intermediate wheatgrass — is one of the fruits of that research. It’s been nearly three decades

News, Poultry

Layer hen rules fuelling scrutiny

The National Farm Animal Care Council is the focus of a recent freedom of information request

By Alex Binkley August 17, 2016

The organization leading Canada’s development of humane livestock production is under the activist microscope. The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) was recently the focus of a request under the freedom of information legislation. The group says it suspects the move is related to its connection to guidelines for layer hens. The request relates to

Daily Network News

New strategies needed for Canadian agriculture to stand out in global trade

Feed Grains Weekly: Cash prices for wheat, barley largely flat

The Canadian GMO mustard wars: Dijon vs canola

News & Opinion