Ag in City draws newbies

The Forks Market in Winnipeg helps cook up some interest in agriculture by 
playing host to the eighth annual Discover Agriculture in the City event

For farmers, it’s all in a day’s work, but for the students who came to check out Discover Agriculture in the City, it was something totally new. Thousands of visitors made their way through the three-day event held at The Forks Market in Winnipeg last weekend, including many youths and students, taking in displays, cooking

Hand signals a good farm safety tool

Communication is vital to worker safety in any situation, particularly in a fast-paced environment such as on a farm or ranch. Distracting surroundings can prevent important messages from getting through. Distance, noise and distractions from moving livestock, hooking up farm implements or navigating an oversized load, significantly reduce a worker’s ability to hear another worker.


Safely moving equipment

It’s a common sight on Manitoba roads – a large piece of farm equipment, slowly making its way to the next field or the equipment shed. And too often, it leads to a collision with another vehicle sharing the roadway. Motorists can easily be caught off guard, not aware of how much room the farm

Clubroot found in Manitoba

Testing has confirmed levels of clubroot capable of producing disease in two soil samples collected from Manitoba canola fields last year, provincial officials say. “It is significant in that we can no longer consider ourselves free of clubroot in Manitoba,“ said Holly Derksen, a plant pathologist with the Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Soils


Deaths in farm workplace decline

The number of fatalities is falling on Canadian farms, but the statistics are far from good. The average number of deaths on farms has fallen to 89 annually since 2000, compared to 118 annually throughout 1990s, according to the latest Canadian Agricultural Injury Report. No deaths is the only acceptable number, but the decline is

What’s new? At Ag Days, plenty

New products are always interesting and there are always plenty to check out at Manitoba Ag Days. Some equipment dealers will have additional signage at their booths that indicate they have opted to include their products in the 2013 New Products feature and will be vying for the annual best new product award presented at



Leaders keen to see farm robotics and “smarter” crops

Participants in a vision session like the idea of robots operating 
equipment 24/7 but still want people on the scene

Robotics, “smarter” crops, and equipment that’s easier to operate and maintain topped the wish list of 30 Saskatchewan agricultural leaders who recently participated in a “vision session” organized by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute. “Sessions like this are essential to ensure that our research is focused on producing the new technologies farmers want and need,”


New technologies mean new challenges for farm safety

The death and injury statistics tell the tale — agriculture remains one of Canada’s most dangerous professions. All the industry’s efforts to improve the situation haven’t made any difference. In Alberta 16 people were killed in farm accidents in 2011 and three of them were under 18. Just as a comparison, among all the workers

Large Canadian presence at Big Iron

The 32nd Big Iron farm equipment and services show here is like a huge handshake between U.S. and Canadian farmers and equipment manufacturers that do business across the 49th parallel. More than a dozen Manitoba- and Saskatchewan-based companies were exhibiting at the annual event, which typically marks the last of the summer shows in the