Study skewers palm oil tactics

The World Health Organization has likened palm oil lobbying to the tobacco and alcohol industries

Reuters – The palm oil industry is deploying tactics similar to those of the alcohol and tobacco industries to influence research into the health effects of its product, a study published by the World Health Organization said Jan. 8. Evidence of the health impact of palm oil is mixed, with some studies linking consumption to

Regenerative agriculture attracts many types of farmers but they all share one goal: building the soil.

Regenerative agriculture creates a sprawling road map

Farmers who want to move past ‘sustainability’ have lots of management advice, but they’re also drawn from a wide range of sectors and every practice may not fit every operation

Blain Hjertaas of Redvers, Sask., and David Rourke of Minto, Man., were both well-known faces before their panel at the MFGA Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Brandon late last November. Why it matters: Regenerative agriculture has got lots of time in the headlines, but the movement may look very different for an organic farmer with 3,000


pig

Leaving lighter footprints

An upcoming study of the environmental footprint of the Canadian hog industry could shed new light on an important question

Just how big is the environmental footprint of the Canadian pork industry? There are a lot of opinions but fewer facts when it comes time to try to answer that question. Filling in those blanks is the subject of an upcoming multi-year study by Mario Tenuta, a professor of applied soil ecology at the University

Part of Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan, the $102-million Conservation Trust will fund activities that create, conserve, or enhance natural infrastructure in Manitoba.

A watershed moment — province funds Conservation Trust

When fully capitalized, the fund is expected to generate about $5 million a year for projects and environmental goods and services

The ink is now dry on Manitoba’s new Conservation Trust agreement, and groups looking to it to support new programs with it should submit letters of intent by January 15. The province signed its agreement December 11, putting in an initial $28-million contribution this month, towards making the $102-million trust it announced in last spring’s


Palm Reading Hand Gesture on White Background

Comment: Reading the facts at hand — or in your palm

If you ignore bad news because you don’t want to hear it, it’s at your peril

Years ago, an enterprising neighbour operated a palm reading business from her home with just a secretary, fax machine, and telephone. Her business model was simple: After clients faxed their photocopied handprint and sent some form of payment (rumour had it, it was $20), our neighbour telephoned them with the results of the “reading.” While

Climate change appears to be setting Mother Nature up to hit even harder with hot and dry conditions throughout multiple regions.

Nature doubles down on climate warming

A new study shows regions are more often simultaneously experiencing hot and dry conditions

A warming climate is causing weather woes to hit both harder and further. Stanford University scientists say hot and dry conditions are now regularly hitting multiple regions at the same time. These crop yield shrinking, food price destabilizing and environmentally catastrophic conditions are now twice as likely. Climate change has doubled the odds that a


Crop irrigation in the U.S. withdraws 118 billion gals. of water daily while its livestock sector uses an additional two billion gals. a day.

Comment: Brother, can you spare a cup of water?

Agriculture is a very thirsty industry and that could spell trouble

Humanity depends on three critical threes: Without oxygen, most humans will die within three minutes; without water, life expectancy is three days; without food, we’ve got three weeks. Few here give three seconds of thought of any of these life-ensuring elements because, here, food is safe and plentiful, air quality laws are in place and

New research shows how water moves massive amounts of carbon laterally through ecosystems — especially during floods.   PHOTO: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Soil carbon goes with the flow

Lateral movement of carbon throughout landscapes is much more significant than thought

The carbon cycle isn’t just vertical — CO2 moving up and down between soil, plants and the atmosphere. New Michigan State University research published in the current issue of Geophysical Research Letters, shows water moves massive amounts of carbon laterally through ecosystems — especially during floods. These findings — which analyzed more than 1,000 watersheds


Farm gasoline and diesel will be exempt from the federal carbon tax, but fuel to heat buildings and dry grain may not be.

Details on Ottawa’s carbon tax for Manitoba coming soon

Farm equipment fuel will be exempted but what about for grain dryers and barns?

The federal government has yet to announce details of its upcoming carbon tax, but it seems farm fuels will be exempted. “Our government knows that Canadian farmers are part of the climate change solution, and both gasoline and diesel fuels for on-farm use will be exempted from our plan to price pollution,” Dominic LeBlanc, minister

Manitoba’s Pelly Lake water-control project is cited as one example of how natural features can control flooding more cheaply than engineered structures.

‘Natural infrastructure’ — retain what you have; restore what’s lost

A new report says natural infrastructure can be cheaper than built infrastructure for controlling floods

Saving and carefully managing of wetlands, forests and other working natural landscapes can save Canadians millions in yearly flood damage costs, says a new report supported in part by the Insurance Bureau of Canada. This ‘natural infrastructure’ is also a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional — and often much more expensive — built flood