African violet houseplant.

Need a quick pick-me-up?

This can provide continuous indoor bloom while you wait to garden outdoors

March can be one of the hardest months for an avid gardener to endure. It is still winter, not much can be accomplished yet in the outdoor garden, and we are tired of the same old, same old in the house. At this time of year, I look around for inexpensive and quick fixes to

Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) and Bill C-18

Despite what detractors say, both farmers and breeders will benefit

As public plant breeders with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Saskatchewan for a combined total of over 100 years, we were pleased to see the recently tabled Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18). This bill encompasses desirable amendments to the present Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) Act that will bring Canada into conformity with


North Dakota elevators are reportedly paying up to $1 per bushel more than their plugged counterparts in Manitoba. Photo: Andrew Filer/Creative Commons

Manitoba farmers get one-time amnesty on Faller wheat

They can deliver to ADM in the U.S. for a premium

Manitoba farmers who grew Faller from “brown-bagged” seed have a one-time amnesty allowing them to deliver the unregistered American red spring wheat to three ADM-Benson Quinn-affiliated facilities stateside until July 31, 2014. “This is becoming a bit of a management nightmare for producers so they’ve got an option to clean up,” Lorne Hadley, executive director

Mila Maximets is the creator of Solberry, a sea buckthorn purée made in Manitoba.  Photo: Shannon VanRaes

Prairie fruit business needs more sea buckthorn growers

Manitoba maker of sea buckthorn products says a lack of berries has limited the growth of her business

Sea buckthorn is moving out of the hedgerows and into the mainstream, as new varieties and evolving technologies promise to make harvesting the nutrient-rich berry less labour intensive. “It’s been a very difficult industry to kind of get going, a lot of the cultivars that were first planted aren’t ideal for harvesting, in fact they’re


Man with beard.

An ode to the Prairie garden

Letter Five from Northern Blossom Farms: In his fifth instalment from Northern Blossom Farms, Gary Martens 
reflects on the value a garden brings to a farmer’s life

In previous letters I have discussed three major components of a complete farm; crops, livestock, trees and the whole that results from these components. I propose that there is a fourth component that is already present on many farms and that is the garden. Gardening is an activity that is common to many people in

Agriculture Canada’s Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg is being mothballed and its research staff transferred to other locations.  photo: shannon vanraes

Where is AAFC’s wheat-breeding program headed?

After closing Winnipeg’s Cereal Research Centre, the federal government has
invested $85 million in a new wheat research program in Saskatoon

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has led Canadian wheat breeding for more than 100 years, but recent actions by the federal government have some wondering about its future role. A year ago, Ottawa announced it will close AAFC’s venerable Cereal Research Centre on the University of Manitoba’s Winnipeg campus because it would cost too much


photo AAFC

Is alfalfa weevil taking a bite out of your forage crop?

Researchers are working on an interactive map to help producers assess potential for weevil infestations

Many Saskatchewan forage growers dutifully waited for alfalfa to reach the 15 per cent bloom stage before cutting last year, but their patience went unrewarded. Thanks to the alfalfa weevil, a nasty little pest that has been gradually spreading across the southern Prairies since its arrival here in the 1950s, they were waiting for a

What to know when choosing seeds

In the spring gardeners are busy planning their summer gardens, and one of the enjoyable tasks is choosing and purchasing of seeds both for the vegetable garden and for the flower border. There are a few points to keep in mind when doing this job so that the garden produces its maximum output. Rather than


Starting slips and cuttings

Most plants used in our outdoor gardens are grown from seed, and in many cases, these seeds are planted indoors in early spring to produce good-size seedlings by planting-out time. There are many plants, however, which are grown from cuttings (or what some gardeners refer to as slips) rather than seeds. It may be that

Try rosemary to boost flavour

Rosemary has been used widely in Mediterranean cuisine, but it can be added to a variety of foods, including various meats, fish, eggs, breads, soups and vegetables such as potatoes. Herbs such as rosemary add flavour without adding calories or sodium. It can be used fresh or dried, and in general, use about one-half as