Editorial: The green world’s breadbasket?

Editorial: The green world’s breadbasket?

Jeff Rubin, the former chief economist for CIBC World Markets turned bestselling author, knows all about adaptation. His first book, Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller grabbed international attention with predictions that world oil prices would climb to more than $200 a barrel by 2012, forcing a rethink of almost

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working to develop a commercially available precision feeder.

Precision feeder for swine under development

Developers estimate that producers will be able to raise the same quality of carcass with 10 to 15 per cent less feed cost

Technology that will enable swine producers to cater to the specific feeding need of each individual pig will be moving into commercial trials early next year. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) dairy and swine research and development centre has been working towards the commercial development of a computerized precision feeder that will allow producers to


A worker cleans photovoltaic solar panels inside a solar power plant at Raisan village near Gandhinagar, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, February 11, 2014.

A new climate-smart cash crop — sunshine

Selling surplus solar energy to the grid is a triple-win scenario in India

London / Thomson Reuters Foundation – A pioneering project in one of India’s sunniest states has led to one farmer harvesting what could become the country’s most climate-smart cash crop yet — sunshine. A pilot project by Sri Lanka-based non-profit International Water Management Institute (IWMI) offered farmers the opportunity to sell excess energy generated by solar

Much of Manitoba’s reseeded canola is looking “impressive,” the Canola Council of Canada’s Angela Brackenreed said during the Westman webinar June 17.


Should crop insurance have a ‘do not seed before’ date?

This spring has prompted some to ask the question

There’s a crop insurance seeding deadline, so should there be restrictions on how early certain crops are planted? It’s a question some have put to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC), following what started off as an early spring, but saw crop emergence delayed by cool soil temperatures, a snowstorm on the Victoria Day long


A farm employee pulls out cornstalks on an 18-hectare operation owned by a retired educator near Livingstone.  hotos: Shannon VanRaes

A mix of pragmatism and fear keeps GMOs out of Zambia

While the debate over GMO labelling continues in North America, Zambians take it for granted that they aren’t consuming products made with genetically modified ingredients

In Zambia, it’s practically everywhere. Maize is in tiny garden plots, on small farms, huge estates, in markets and on dinner plates. Since its introduction to Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, maize has become the main staple crop in this region. Two megalithic-size cobs even flank the entrance to the Zambia National

Bailey Gitzel sells her cookie sandwiches and French macaroons at the opening day of the Carman Farmers’ Market June 19. The 17-year-old Graysville entrepreneur also sells honey produced from her own beehives. She plans to study agriculture at university.

New specialists, more online resources for small-scale production

The government must act quickly to keep up with needs of a fast-emerging sector, says report chair

Manitoba is acting on the recommendations for improving the working environment of small-scale farmers and processors, says Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn. Last week he and other MAFRD officials were at the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market to introduce the two business development specialists being reassigned in the department to work with these


Jack Pawich in his pickup truck

VIDEO: After 70 years, farming still puts a spring in his step

Cartwright farmer Jack Pawich says some things about farming never change

How does a southern Manitoba farmer end up pumping gas for Elvis Presley? Serendipity. But it was love of farming and a lot of hard work rather than luck that resulted in the 90-year-old farmer sowing his 70th crop this spring on the farm he was raised on, now operated by his son Randy and

farm equipment seeding crops

Seeding 2015: The never-ending story

Close to a million Manitoba acres could get reseeded and 90 per cent of them were canola


What started as an early spring has turned into a reseeding frenzy as farmers race against crop insurance deadlines to reseed nearly a million acres damaged by a blizzard, frost, heavy rains and voracious flea beetles. “The May 30 frost was bad for two reasons. One, it was widespread. Two, it was later in the


Manitoba farmer Les Harris

Manitoba farmers dropping out of AgriStability

Changes to the program three years ago made it less effective

Changes three years ago to AgriStability have prompted some Manitoba farmers to abandon the income stabilization scheme because the cost is too high and the potential for payments too low. Federal statistics show the number of farmers enrolled in the program has dropped about nine per cent since 2012. However, if informal surveys by Keystone

A bit ‘o Irish and politics

The Jacksons, from the Dec.11, 2014 issue of the Manitoba Co-operator

Andrew Jackson sat with his back to the window of the café on Main Street, waiting. Outside a cold winter wind whipped the snow across the pavement and piled it up in shallow drifts on the sidewalk. Storekeepers emerged periodically from their doorways to clear the walk, piling the snow up against the curbs, but