News & Opinion & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Widespread frost across much of southern Manitoba May 30 destroyed many acres of already stressed canola prompting many farmers to start reseeding.

Canola crop succumbs to final blow with May 30 frost

A blizzard, a frost, flooding, crusting, flea beetle and another frost have prompted many Manitoba farmers to reseed their canola

By Allan Dawson, Terryn Shiells June 4, 2015

Manitoba farmers this week were scrambling to find canola and flaxseed to replant fields destroyed by a widespread frost early May 30. “It’s as widespread as we’ve seen for frost for quite a while,” David Van Deynze, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s (MASC) claim services manager, said June 1. “We can’t keep up with the claims

Forages, Local news

Green Gold forage report sees alfalfa entering the late bud stage

Forage and grassland conditions for Eastern, Central Manitoba and Western/Interlake as of June 1

By Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association June 3, 2015

Updated, June 4, 2015: This is the eighth release for the Green Gold program assessing forage conditions in Manitoba. Reports will be issued from various areas of the Province (Eastern, Central, Interlake, and Western) in the weeks and months ahead. The reports below highlight the most recent forage conditions for Eastern, Central Manitoba and Western/Interlake: Green Gold

Local news

Uptake of stress management app by farmers encouraging

The Calm in the Storm application that was launched in January is receiving positive feedback

By Jennifer Paige June 3, 2015

A stress-management app that was launched earlier this year seems to be getting good reviews. But developers hope more farmers will make use of the tool in upcoming busy seasons. “The app is being very well received. It is currently available as both a website and a free app on the Apple iTunes store,” said

Cereals, News

Elgin-ND receives interim registration

This potentially high-yielding milling wheat will be available to western Canadian farmers in 2016

By Allan Dawson June 2, 2015

Elgin-ND, a new high-yielding American Dark Northern Spring wheat, received a three-year interim registration May 20 from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), making commercialization possible in Western Canada. FP Genetics has the Canadian distribution rights. Buying Elgin-ND for seed to be planted in Western Canada from American suppliers contravenes plant breeders’ rights’ laws and

Crops, Opinion

Human security at risk as depletion of soil accelerates, scientists warn

Change is needed so that valuable, non-renewable fertilizers are recycled

By Berkeley Release, University Of California June 2, 2015

Steadily and alarmingly, humans have been depleting Earth’s soil resources faster than the nutrients can be replenished. If this trajectory does not change, soil erosion, combined with the effects of climate change, will present a huge risk to global food security over the next century, warns a review paper authored by some of the top

Crops, Local news, Weather

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report: Issue 5

Conditions as of May 31, 2015

By Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Development June 2, 2015

Weekly Provincial Summary Provincially, seeding progress in Manitoba is estimated at 93 per cent complete. Many areas in Manitoba recorded below freezing temperatures on Saturday, May 30. Frost injury symptoms are evident. Crop growth and final plant stands are being assessed. The level of crop damage will depend on the stage of crop development, minimum

frozen canola seedlings in southern Manitoba

Local news, Oilseeds

MASC flexibility will speed up canola re-seeding in hardest hit areas

Some farmers won’t have to wait for an adjuster or leave a check strip before re-seeding, but farmers must check first with their local MASC office to see if the policy applies to them

By Allan Dawson, Terryn Shiells June 1, 2015

Some Manitoba farmers re-seeding canola after widespread frost May 30 can move a little faster thanks to changes from the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC). Normally farmers have to get an MASC adjuster to inspect a field before they re-seed or leave a check strip, but farmers in certain areas won’t have to do that,

News, Poultry

Wild birds have higher resistance to flu virus

With bird flu ravaging barns in the U.S. and knocking at Canada’s door,  it might be time to reconsider how poultry are raised

By Shannon VanRaes June 1, 2015

For years, poultry producers have been breeding something in their barns other than birds. Avian influenza. Long present in wild bird populations, the low-pathogen version of the virus has entered barns, remaining there until a series of mutations turned into something else — something deadly. “We have been playing with fire,” said Earl Brown, a

Livestock, Opinion

Editorial: COOL fight not over yet

U.S. legislators will soon vote to repeal, but how it will all play out remains to be clear

By Laura Rance-Unger June 1, 2015

The WTO has made its final-final decision in Canada’s favour on U.S. labelling laws. It now appears that U.S. legislators in the House of Representatives will vote next month on a bill to repeal it. But Canada’s COOL fight isn’t over. Support for repealing the legislation is less secure from the U.S. Senate where the

Cereals, Local news

Infrared technology identifies and removes fusarium-infected grain

Technology coming to Winnipeg feed mill will also provide the building blocks for a new biomass fuel

By Shannon VanRaes May 29, 2015

A Winnipeg feed mill is about to become the first in North America to install infrared grain-sorting technology in a commercial facility. Thanks in part to $1.1 million in funding from Growing Forward 2, Standard Nutrition Canada will integrate two BoMills into its St. Boniface facility over the next four months. The main allure of

Daily Network News

U.S. grains: Soy hits 17-month high, corn to four-month top as trade braces for U.S. data

Federal budget shows remaining disconnect between agriculture, policymakers, panelists say

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures continue downward

News & Opinion