A group of young women employed by the STEP program in the ‘70s.

How do you keep a kid on the farm?

Part 1: STEP ‘73 and the ongoing conundrum of rural depopulation

The truck’s name was Little George. It was brilliant orange, the only colour available when, decades before online shopping, Wanda McConnell went to town to pick up paint. The truck takes up the foreground of a grainy photo, taken in the summer of 1973 around the time of the Hamiota parade. In it, Little George

Woodchurch High School pupils Megan Pitt and Corey Gibson, 13, prepare their sheep for judging as they compete in the Young Handlers class at the Westmorland County Show near Kendal, Britain, September 14, 2023. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters

Urban school farm opens world of opportunity to British teens

Students from the underprivileged community have won acclaim at ag fairs, and some have gone on to be farmers, vets

The rural life of rearing rare breed sheep and nurturing alpacas is a world away for many urban teenagers. Yet a British school near Liverpool has opened its pupils to a wealth of jobs in agriculture and the benefits of nature with its own farm.


Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

JBS opens cleaning unit after outside firm fined for hiring kids

Company says has cut ties to cleaning contractor

Chicago | Reuters — JBS USA, one of the biggest U.S. meatpackers, is creating an internal company to clean some of its processing plants after a private sanitation firm it employed was accused of hiring children for dangerous work. The launch shows the complexities involved in replacing Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), a firm that

External view of the U.S. Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 30, 2020. (File photo: Reuters/Andrew Kelly)

U.S. to crack down on child labour amid massive uptick

Food processing plants among alleged offenders

Washington | Reuters — The Biden administration in the U.S. announced measures to crack down on child labour on Monday amid a steep rise in violations and investigative reports by Reuters and other news outlets on illegal employment of migrant minors in dangerous industries. U.S. officials said the Labor Department had seen a nearly 70

Farmers are making the best of the winter of COVID by building bigger and better backyard rinks.

Home ice advantage: Backyard rinks a winter oasis

A grassroots movement to resurrect the outdoor rink has got rural Manitobans back on skates despite pandemic restrictions

Ordinarily the skating rinks of rural Manitoba would be bustling community hubs. There would be the scrape of skates along the ice, the crack of a hard shot and the thud of the pucks along the boards. But today they’re ghost towns, as COVID-19 restrictions have closed and locked their doors. The parking lots are


Create safe play areas on your farm

Especially during harvest, there is equipment moving around the farm constantly. Children may perceive the farm as a gigantic playground if they are not given clear rules to follow about safe play areas. Clarity and consistency are key. Little ones do not always recognize or understand dangers even if they have been explained before, and

Grandparents are key to keeping their grandchildren safe on the farm.

Keep your grandchildren safe on the farm

Grandparents are a vital building block in creating a family safety culture

If you talk to any grandparent, they say that having children was wonderful, but having grandchildren is pure joy. There’s nothing better than having a grandchild throw their arms around your neck and whisper “I love you.” These young people are a farm’s future and a grandparent’s legacy. It’s important that grandparents understand their role

Developing a love of nature at an early age can help produce a next generation that will care about the environment.

Children who play outside more likely to protect nature

Development of environmental awareness 
necessary for next generation to care for the Earth

University of British Columbia researcher Catherine Broom says children who play outside are likely to care more about nature as adults than kids who don’t spend time outdoors. Research by Broom, assistant professor in the faculty of education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 per cent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed


The annual event at the Keystone Centre is organized by Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba.

Amazing Agriculture Adventure seeking volunteers

The annual event teaches Grade 4 and 5 students about agriculture

The Amazing Agriculture Adventure (AAA) is looking for a few helping hands for its upcoming event in Brandon June 7 and 8. Held annually at the Keystone Centre, AAA is organized by Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba, and provides a hands-on, interactive event that complements the science curriculum for Grade 4 and 5 students. Students

The joy of babysitting comes to grandma’s door

The Jacksons: From the June 18 issue of the Manitoba Co-operator

Grandma!” The front door of Andrew and Rose Jackson’s house flew open and four-year-old Allison burst into the dining room, her parents, Randy and Jackie following behind her. “Allie darling,” Jackie chided setting Allison’s little brother Andy down on the floor, “we need to ring the doorbell before we go dashing in!” Andy toddled off