Other & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

Even with the pandemic’s end in sight, it is unclear if people will be comfortable going out and about and patronizing their favourite restaurants again.

Comment: The great reset awaits for Canada’s restaurants

As the world ponders going back to normal the food-service sector has changed forever

By Sylvain Charlebois April 13, 2021

It was certainly a year to be forgotten for the food service. StatsCan numbers told us this week that sales in the food-service industry dropped by a whopping 32 per cent, from Q4 2019 to Q4 2020. The food retail/service ratio, an important metric to assess how important food service is in our lives, also

Triple Green Products’ BioDryAir heating unit, which it says  can hook up to most grain dryers.

Crops, Other

Morris-based company debuts crop residue-fuelled grain dryers

Triple Green Products says its BioDryAir unit can hook up to most grain dryers and save farmers significant cash on fuel

By Geralyn Wichers April 13, 2021

A Morris-based company will soon debut a biomass-fuelled heat source for grain drying. “Drying grain has become one of the most energy-intensive operations on the farm. It’s a significant cost to farming operations and in many cases is subject to carbon tax,” said Cam Cornelsen, co-owner of Triple Green Products. Cornelsen spoke during Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association’s (ManSEA)

File photo of cranes at the Port of Montreal. (Jean-Paul_Lejeune/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Markets, Other

Montreal longshoremen to strike on weekends

Exporters again call for feds to step in

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News April 13, 2021

Exporters of Canadian crops and other goods have amped up calls for federal intervention after longshore workers at the Port of Montreal declared a “partial” strike affecting weekend and overtime work. The Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (SCFP/CUPE Local 375) said Saturday they had filed 72 hours’ strike notice, to take effect Tuesday

While most Canadians favour putting a price on greenhouse gas pollution, some producers argue that carbon pricing will keep increasing costs of inputs, transport, heating and grain drying.

Op/Ed, Opinion, Other

Opinion: Court puts Prairie provinces on carbon spot

By D.C. Fraser April 12, 2021

The Supreme Court of Canada has given some provincial governments additional incentive to develop their own carbon plans. In a 6-3 split decision on March 25, the high court ruled the 2018 law putting a floor price on carbon emissions is constitutional. Prairie premiers upset with the decision will now have to develop and implement

“When you look at solar over its lifetime of 30 years, it produces some of the cheapest kilowatt hours you can get.” – Daniel Lacovetsky

Farmit Manitoba, News, Other

Manitoba a difficult place to sell solar power

Since the end of a Manitoba Hydro rebate program, interest in solar energy has dwindled despite ample opportunity for growth, says a Winnipeg contractor

By Geralyn Wichers April 12, 2021

Solar energy remains a largely untapped resource in southwestern Manitoba, and few incentives exist to boost public interest, says one contractor. Manitoba has become a “very difficult place to sell and install solar,” Daniel Lacovetsky said during Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association’s (ManSEA) virtual conference on March 23. Lacovetsky and business partner Jacob Kettner own Powertec

Be sure to consider capital gains implications several years before selling a farm.

News, Other

A tax plan can mean multiple capital gains exemptions

Capital gains exemptions can save hundreds of thousands of dollars

By Kurt Oelschlagel April 9, 2021

The lifetime capital gains exemption for qualified farm property allows for significant tax savings when selling assets and can be important for retirement planning and preparing for farm transition. Although the capital gains exemption rules are quite technical, they’re also very generous, particularly with farm real estate. With some smart planning, the capital gains exemption

“You just can’t anymore think of childcare as a frill or a luxury that you can just leave to not-for-profits and the voluntary sector.” – Susan Prentice, University of Manitoba.

Farmit Manitoba, Other

Rural childcare may need public management to succeed

P.E.I.’s childcare model might have worked in Manitoba – but it got scrapped

By Geralyn Wichers April 8, 2021

The Manitoba government has taken several runs at improving child care in the province, but fragmented and stymied approaches have thus far left many families in the lurch. If rural families feel particularly pinched, they’re probably right. University of Manitoba researcher Susan Prentice said in rural and northern Manitoba, there is one childcare spot for

Northbound moisture-laden air combined with southbound arctic air can create some impressive snowfall events during springtime in Manitoba.

Other, Weather

Visualizing wind and early-spring storms

Winnipeg’s two largest April snowstorms of the past 140 years came relatively recently

By Daniel Bezte April 7, 2021

Still working on a review of the winter and how it ranked compared to other winters. You would think accessing climate data would get easier with time, but in fact it is harder. Combine that with report-card week, and I just did not have time to finish it. I should be able to complete this

Because 85 per cent of his ranch is native rangeland, Sean McGrath selects genetics that will accommodate things like reduced milk production.

Beef cattle, Livestock, Other

Select cattle genetics that are a fit for your operation

Factors such as forage quality or even how far cattle walk can be key when selecting genetics

By Jennifer Blair April 6, 2021

Glacier FarmMedia – Putting cattle into an environment that doesn’t suit them is like jamming a round peg in a square hole — you might be able to make it work, but it’s going to take some effort. “Genetic selection is really about putting DNA into production,” said Vermilion-area beef producer Sean McGrath. “You’re buying

A new proposed program to AgriStability could be modelled similar to crop insurance.

News, Other

Whole-farm income insurance program gaining traction

The proposal is sure to be a topic of discussion at intergovernmental meetings later this year

By D.C. Fraser April 6, 2021

Support for an alternative program to AgriStability continues to gain momentum. Canadian agricultural ministers are continuing to consider replacing AgriStability with a margin-based income protection program as soon as 2023. Complaints of AgriStability being costly and ineffective, particularly on the Prairies, prompted governments in those jurisdictions to explore other options. Talks to reform AgriStability thus

Daily Network News

ICE Canada Weekly: U.S. biodiesel mandate will be a boon for canola

CBOT weekly: Planted area in focus

Prairie Wheat Weekly: Western Canadian bids move upward

Other