News & Opinion & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

KAP pleased with expansion of waterway accord

Ontario and Alberta have become the first provinces to agree to work with Manitoba and others to improve water health

By Shannon VanRaes July 14, 2015

A Manitoba-made agreement aimed at protecting lakes and waterways has gained two new signatories. Last week, Alberta and Ontario signed on to the Lake Friendly Accord, which already includes many mayors and reeves, as well as the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, Manitoba Hydro, the government of Canada and state of Minnesota. For Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP),

Local news

Small-town growth strategies analyzed

The RDI report includes six municipal case studies

By Lorraine Stevenson July 14, 2015

Regional is the new rural, according to a new report released by the Rural Development Institute (RDI) showing the most successful efforts to boost population in rural areas are those most focused across wider regions. Growth Strategies for Rural Communities includes six case studies that explore where municipalities, both losing and gaining in populations have

Brandon-area farmer, Brett McRae recently began trialling an intensive grazing plan.

Beef cattle, Local news

Cattle producers implement new grazing options

Using forage to finish cattle takes a strong focus on everything from cattle genetics to forage quality

By Jennifer Paige July 14, 2015

Ryan Boyd would rather be searching for newborn calves in waist-high grass than snowdrifts. The western Manitoba grain and cattle farmer has joined the ranks of producers changing things up on the cattle side of their operations in search of lower operating costs and better environmental stewardship. He’s found that producing forage-finished cattle requires a

Comment, Opinion

Brace for more commodity volatility due to China

China’s real estate bubble is deflating as the economy slows

By Hendrik Brakel July 14, 2015

When someone asks where commodity prices are headed, they’re really asking: what’s the outlook for China? Last year, China consumed more coal than the rest of the world combined and imported 70 per cent of the world’s seaborne iron ore. In 2012, China accounted for half of the global growth in oil demand. It’s a

Crops, Local news, Weather

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report: Issue 11

Conditions as of July 13, 2015

By Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Development July 13, 2015

Hot and humid weather conditions resulted in rapid crop growth across most of Manitoba. Generally, condition of most crop types is rated as good, although variability is noted across the province. Majority of acres and crop types have entered the flowering and grain fill stages of development. Although many areas did receive much needed rainfall,

Crops, Opinion

Editorial: The green world’s breadbasket?

By Laura Rance-Unger July 13, 2015

Jeff Rubin, the former chief economist for CIBC World Markets turned bestselling author, knows all about adaptation. His first book, Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller grabbed international attention with predictions that world oil prices would climb to more than $200 a barrel by 2012, forcing a rethink of almost

Hogs, News

PED vaccine could aid in disease fight

Developers are waiting for approval to begin clinical trials

By Shannon VanRaes July 10, 2015

Pork producers may soon have a powerful new tool in the fight against porcine epidemic diarrhea or PED. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s International Vaccine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, better known as VIDO-InterVac, is waiting for final approvals from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to begin clinical trials of a vaccine

In 2014, nearly one million Manitoba acres were too wet to seed and thousands of acres of crop were damaged by too much moisture.

Crops, Local news, Weather

Risk management review task force seeks farmer input

It’s looking for ideas to mitigate the impact of increasing severe weather on producers

By Allan Dawson July 10, 2015

Everybody complains about the weather, the old saying goes, but nobody does anything about it. Well, Manitoba’s Agriculture Risk Management Review Task Force can’t fix the weather, but it wants to hear Manitoba farmers’ ideas for mitigating its impact. “We’re hoping there will be some real thinking out of the box by people on the

Larvae of a parasitic wasp emerging from an armyworm.

Crops, Local news

Manitoba crop insect and disease update

Conditions as of July 7, 2015

By Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Development July 9, 2015

Some localized higher populations of armyworms and grasshoppers are present. So scouting is encouraged, although in many cases populations are noticeable but not economical. Armyworms in cereal crops are present in noticeable levels in many areas of Central Manitoba. Larvae can be scouted for by counting the number of larvae per square foot on average. The majority of larvae will be on the ground during the day and often hidden under debris

Thick smoke moved through Manitoba last week, creating air quality concerns and reduced visibility to two kilometres in some areas.

Crops, Local news

Forest fire smoke invades Manitoba skies

Thick smoke from neighbouring forest fires has been lingering over Manitoba  but experts say it’s unlikely to impact plant growth

By Jennifer Paige July 9, 2015

Manitoba has been blanketed in smoke for more than a week as forest fires continued to spread across Western Canada. Drought-like conditions across the Canadian Prairies culminated to cause 395 active fires in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories by Monday morning. Air quality warnings have been issued almost daily and some producers may

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 & Opinion