Alum a useful tool to combat toxic algae

Alum a useful tool to combat toxic algae

The chemical has been used in the U.S. to clear lakes of algal blooms but hasn’t seen widespread acceptance in Canada

It’s no magic bullet, but aluminum sulphate can significantly reduce toxic algal blooms in lakes, American scientist John Holz told conservationists at a Winnipeg conference on December 3. “It is a common tool,” said Holz, whose company HAB Aquatic Solutions, has done 104 applications of the product, also called ‘alum,’ in the U.S. Holz spoke

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer in Winnipeg on Oct. 14, 2019, during the federal election campaign.

Comment: Conservative leadership and the carbon price

The majority of ballots cast in the last federal election were for parties that support carbon taxes

As the results of the most recent federal election poured in, pointing more and more towards the pollster-predicted minority Liberal government, I received a text from an old contact in Regina. He suggested the Conservative Party of Canada under Andrew Scheer’s leadership would never be able to form government. It wasn’t a unique opinion, but


Dori Gingera-Beauchemin, deputy minister of agriculture and resource development, speaks at the 2019 MCDA conference in Winnipeg, December 4.

Watershed districts waiting on funds to bring in new municipalities

Expansion has been on hold while the program is modernized, the province says

At least five municipalities are waiting in the wings to join watershed districts, some for at least three years, but provincial funding is maxed out. Conservation district members pressed Deputy Ag Minister Dori Gingera-Beauchemin and her staff for answers during a Q-and-A session at the recent Manitoba Conservation Districts Association conference in Winnipeg. Half of

Disappearing natural habitat threatens bees’ diet

Disappearing natural habitat threatens bees’ diet

Maintaining pockets of nature among cropland allows bees to thrive on a balanced diet, says beekeeper Ian Steppler

Cropland’s encroachment on nature threatens to starve bees and pollinators, beekeeper Ian Steppler told those at a Manitoba Conservation Districts Association conference on December 4. “Where we find a balance within our countryside between agriculture and nature is where we find tremendous growth and prosperity,” Steppler said. Why it matters: Bees and other pollinators are


Canadian farmers can help save the planet and themselves by cutting petroleum-based farm inputs, according to a discussion paper written by farmer, researcher and author Darrin Qualman in co-operation with the National Farmers Union.

Rethinking the Green Revolution

Canada needs to ‘swing for the fences’ and transform its agriculture, says a new discussion paper

The climate change and farm income crisis have many of the same causes and solutions, according to a major new discussion paper. Cutting back on petroleum-based inputs, including nitrogen fertilizer, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase net farm incomes by lowering input costs. The result: more farmers and revitalized rural communities, says the

Soil-stored carbon is easily released due to warmer temperatures or drought, a recent discussion paper claims.

Sequestering carbon won’t solve climate change

Some farmers say they’ve already done their bit for climate change through reduced tillage, but it’s a dubious argument, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU). “We should not become confused by claims that we can somehow fix the climate crisis by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and ‘sequestering’ it in soils,” says an


... there is some indication that excess heat entering the atmosphere from the large amount of open ocean in the Arctic helped to alter Arctic weather patterns.

Earth continues to run a fever

After weeks of rapid growth, October’s average sea ice extent came in at a record low

It’s been a while since we’ve looked at what has been happening, weather-wise, around the world, so I figured we should do that. To start off, we don’t have to go further than our own backyard. The global temperature anomalies for October have all come out and nearly all of the different reporting agencies agreed

TD Bank Group signs on as ALUS sponsor

New Acre Project aims to boost acres under the pay-for-benefits plan

TD Bank Group has signed on as a major sponsor for ALUS Canada’s “New Acre Project,” to spur investments in ‘naturalization’ projects across the country. “Nature is one of the most powerful tools we have to help communities become more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” Nicole Vadori, TD’s head of environment, said. “By


A farmer shows a corn shoot infested with fall armyworm at his farm in Narayangaon village in the western state of Maharashtra, India, Dec. 18, 2018.

Technology eases farming ‘drudgery’ and risk as climate threats grow

Farming technological innovations can make the work more secure and appealing around the world

Thomson Reuters Foundation – In India, farmers growing crops for seed company Mahyco get a text message after they deliver their harvest, noting its weight and how much was usable — followed quickly by another text saying their money is in the bank. That reliable flow of cash through their accounts means when a farmer

Manitoba farmers need manure spreading flexibility this fall

Manitoba farmers need manure spreading flexibility this fall

The Manitoba government’s deadline is almost here, 
but wet weather has kept applicators out of the field

The manure could soon hit the proverbial fan. The Nov. 10 deadline for applying manure to Manitoba fields, as well as fertilizer, is just a few days away. As of last week many livestock farmers hadn’t emptied their hog manure lagoons or cattle pens because wet weather prevented some fields from being harvested, while many