U.S. Ethanol Policy Roundly Criticized

If the United States reduced the amount of corn required for its ethanol requirements by just one per cent, it would double Zimbabwe’s entire annual corn consumption and save American taxpayers $50 million a year. Bill Lapp, a U.S. market analyst, tossed those statistics out at the annual GrainWorld conference in Winnipeg last week to

Biofuels Here To Stay

Biofuels represent the only way to significantly reduce carbon emissions in road transport fuel and are likely to account for at least 12 per cent of supply by 2030, an official with oil giant BP said March 2. “There is no other alternative that I can really subscribe to in terms of decarbonizing road transport,”


Tapping Alberta’s “Other” Liquid Gold Resource

Mention the term “liquid gold” in Alberta and livestock manure isn’t likely the first thing that jumps to mind. But it’s slowly becoming part of the conversation as researchers learn more about how to harvest the nutrient benefits of this potentially abundant resource and byproduct of the livestock industry. One of the latest and most

Worries Aside, U.S. Has “Foot On The Gas” On Ethanol

The United States “can do it all” – turn more corn into ethanol without running short of food, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Feb. 24, as oil prices soared and the government raised its forecast of food price increases this year. “There is no reason for us to take the foot off the gas,” said


Spring Forward

As winter-weary Manitobans anticipate longer days, we also know we can expect one hour less sleep come March 13. Many refer to this as daylight savings time, but the correct term is daylight saving time (even though no daylight is actually saved). Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the standard time measurement for the world since 1928,

Forget Fuel Costs, U.S. Farmers Cheer Oil Surge

Not too long ago, a surge in oil prices would have caused a groan of misery from the U.S. farm belt, forced to pay higher prices for tractor fuel and fertilizer. Today, farmers are far more likely to cheer. The farm sector’s response to a surge in fuel costs has inverted for two important reasons:


Rebate Proposal Backed By Organic Growers

The Manitoba Organic Alliance will meet with Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers this week to ask the province to subsidize the cost of organic certification for growers who only sell locally. The rebate proposal emerged from a discussion among growers at last week’s Growing Local Conference over how to assist smaller producers who can’t afford the



Tubing Piglets Gives A Quick Energy Boost – for Mar. 3, 2011

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. Larger litters have created a new challenge in recent years when it comes to maximizing piglet survival rates. It is not unusual to see barns averaging

Hold The Thin Green Line

The following is an excerpt of an opinion piece prepared by former U.S. army general Wesley Clark for theKansasCityStar. A former presidential candidate, Rhodes scholar and graduate of West Point Military Academy, General Clark now serves as co-chairman of Growth Energy. When the United States rationed food during the Second World War so citizens and