The Food Fight is on

Manitobans with a flair for inventing new food products are encouraged to participate in the seventh annual Great Manitoba Food Fight. “Every product on store shelves today started off as an idea,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn. “Whether it’s an old family recipe or a solution to a health issue, new


Master Gardener program growing strong in Manitoba

Manitoba now has 50 graduates from its newly offered Master 
Garden program, administered by Assiniboine Community College

Participants in a new program training Manitobans to be better gardeners are hitting the ground running — literally. That’s because those who study to certify as a Master Gardener take their classroom learning out into the community both as students and later as community volunteers. Master Gardeners are trained horticulturalists who are educated and certified

Yellow flowers in February at CanoLABs

Brandon is hosting the Manitoba version of the Canola Council of Canada’s CanoLAB, which comes to Manitoba for the first time Feb. 28. “CanoLAB is a truly unique learning experience,” says Dan Orchard, Canola Council of Canada (CCC) agronomy specialist for north-central Alberta. “You get a full day with an extensive list of professional instructors,


Optimism in agriculture unprecedented, says KAP president

It’s a good time to be a farmer and the future for agriculture looks even brighter, says Keystone Agricultural Producers’ president Doug Chorney. “I think the level of optimism in agriculture today is really unprecedented,” he said in his state-of-the-industry address kicking off the general farm organization’s 29th annual meeting in Winnipeg Jan. 23. “I

Manitoba Livestock Expo brings in nearly 600 head of show cattle

Best turnout in recent memory indicates optimism returning to province’s cattle sector after a dismal decade

If the record number of entries at the Manitoba Livestock Expo is any indication, the province’s beef sector is well on its way to recovery after a dismal decade. Event co-chairs Albert Rimke and Ron Kristjansson said about 570 head of purebred and commercial cattle were brought in to compete in over a dozen show


Former elementary school opens as nurse training facility

Cypress River residents look forward to welcoming 25 LPN trainees 
who will study in the small town’s former elementary school

When local residents put up $100 to buy their four-classroom school back from the Prairie Spirit School Division last year, they weren’t sure what they were going to do with it. But they weren’t prepared to stand by and watch the 7,000-square-foot school closed in 2009 fall into disrepair, so they took a leap of

MBP bursary winners for 2012

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has announced bursaries of $500 each for children of Manitoba beef producers pursuing post-secondary studies related to agriculture and the rural economy. “MBP is proud to invest in these students and the future of agriculture in Manitoba,” said Ray Armbruster, MBP president. “We congratulate all of the winners and we wish



Sun’s magnetic field could jinx GPS

Don’t blame the manufacturers — or even the gremlins — if your GPS system goes a little wonky in 2012. It’s likely solar flares will wreak havoc with at least some systems this coming year as the sun flips its magnetic field, says Pam Wilson, a precision agriculture instructor with Assiniboine Community College. “Basically the sun’s