Food crisis strengthens EU biofuel critics

Drought-stricken crops and record-high grain prices have strengthened critics of the European Union biofuel industry, adding fears of a food crisis to their claims that it does not ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The renewed anxiety adds to pressure on the EU’s executive commission to forge a deal this year to help ensure that EU

Province bulldozes Agro Woodlot Program

Manitoba Woodlot Association “disappointed” that the one-of-a-kind 
program assisting small-scale forestry has been cancelled


Manitoba’s Agro Woodlot Program has fallen to the provincial budget axe. Short-term contracts for four forestry technicians based in communities in the southern part of the province were allowed to expire in March, and grants for logging based on beneficial management practices will no longer be offered. A provincial spokesperson confirmed the Manitoba Agro Woodlot


Farm group wants common sense applied on winter fertilization ban

Manitoba should lift its recently introduced winter fertilizer application ban to allow for more flexibility with changing weather and corresponding soil temperatures, say members of the Keystone Agricultural Producers. The year-old nutrient management regulation prohibits application of nitrogen and phosphorus between Nov. 10 and April 10, and that means farmers may not be able to

Top-up available for EMI coverage

The province has announced an Excess Moisture Insurance (EMI) top-up of $15 per acre, providing coverage of up to $80 per acre for land too wet to seed by June 20. Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn made the announcement at Ag Days in Brandon. “We can’t afford to jeopardize the economic


Cold-weather-proof biogas project to demonstrate renewable energy viability

Capturing methane gas from manure is taking the world by storm — in warm countries. In energy-poor countries of Southeast Asia, for example, biodigester facilities are popping up like mushrooms, including on large-scale livestock operations seeking less expensive and more reliable power, as well as ways to reduce odour and create a new revenue stream

BioBaler makes its western Canadian debut

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That really is a round baler being pulled behind a tractor through a juvenile hardwood stand and creating round bales. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) researchers recently demonstrated the “BioBaler,” a patented juvenile-hardwood baling system developed originally by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in collaboration with the CWFC and


Biomass Heating Goes To School

CO-OPERATOR STAFF / OTTERBURNE Staff and students at Providence University College and Seminary in Otterburne are stoked about a new biomass heating unit that will lower emissions and keep them toasty this winter. The No. 1 reason we wanted to do this is because we are a Christian university and, as a Christian university, we

Egypt Searching For Alternatives To The “Black Cloud”

Each autumn, Egyptians take a deep breath and brace for the black cloud, a thick layer of smog from burning rice straw that spreads across Cairo and the Nile valley for several weeks. Burning agricultural waste, mostly rice straw, turns the capital s already noxious air into an even more toxic mix. Farmers produce about


Gratitude

The harvest season s come and gone, dry grain is in the bin Grateful hearts acknowledge what a fine year this has been. Failure serves a purpose for we all remember when Grain fields, hay and gardens slumped last summer, twenty ten. Now there s ample feed for livestock bedding straw like strands of gold

Bioeconomy Gives Agriculture New Lease On Life

The emerging bioeconomy is rewriting agriculture’s contract with society, a senior official with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives told bioengineers meeting in Winnipeg recently. Daryl Domitruk, director of the Agri-Food Innovation and Adaptation Knowledge Centre for Manitoba Agriculture and Rural Initiatives, said agriculture is often portrayed as “the bad guy” when it comes to