a group of culinary students preparing food

GMO food misinformation a problem: Folta

Food science can help farmers and food processors meet demands of specific demographics

Does science belong on your plate? Kevin Folta and Nancy Ames think so, as did their sold-out audience at a Canola Connect event last week at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals. “Humans have been engineering plants for a long time, we have abilities to do some really good stuff — grow more

The banded sunflower moth. The economic threshold for control in confectionery sunflowers is two per head. The ideal crop stage for control is R4 to R5.1.  
photo: anastasia kubinec MAFRD

Time to scout sunflower fields

Farmers should be watching for two disease and insect pests

Sunflower growers should scout their fields for sunflower rust, sclerotinia head rot, lygus bugs and the banded sunflower moth, says Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. The four pests can affect sunflower yield and quality, especially in confectionery sunflowers where the seed is sold for human consumption. “You have to


Man speaking into microphone

KAP leaders asked to be more vocal on livestock issues

Issues ebb and flow but producers like to know their organizations 
are paying attention to their concerns

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) leaders have been asked to pay more attention to problems facing Manitoba’s livestock producers. “I’d like to see KAP try to create more awareness in the future when it comes to livestock issues and at least mention it more often,” George Matheson, Manitoba Pork Council’s KAP representative, said during KAP’s general

George Siamandas is the Winnipeg filmmaker and photographer who is writing the script for a four-part documentary on Canadian Prairie agriculture inspired by last year’s bicentennial celebrations of the Selkirk settlers’ arrival and establishment of the Red River settlement in 1812.  

Prairie farming coming to a (TV) screen near you

The four-part documentary was inspired by last summer’s bicentenary of the Red River settlement

Work is well underway on a four-part documentary on the story of agriculture in Manitoba and the Canadian Prairies. The film, inspired by last year’s 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Selkirk settlers, will follow the story of farming on the Prairies from the first sowing of a bushel and a half of wheat


Leadership takes many forms

It’s safe to say that Wilf Harder of Lowe Farm and Ernie Sirski of Dauphin have been on different sides of a debate in agriculture a time or two over the years, but there is one thing upon which these farmers do agree. This industry needs more people willing to step up, speak their minds



U.S. subsidy cap debate pits big versus small farmers

Reuters / U.S. farmers would be limited to $125,000 a year in crop subsidies in a significant tightening of farm support rules proposed by four senators from farm and ranch states. There is no effective limit on payments now. Large operators collect the lion’s share of subsidies because they are based on each bushel of

Dow agrees to safeguards for new crops, 2,4-D weed killer combo

Reuters / A U.S. farmer group said Sept. 11 it is dropping its opposition to efforts by Dow AgroSciences to roll out a new biotech crop system in exchange for a series of commitments by Dow, including help investigating any accidental crop damage. The deal calls for “several new safeguards” from Dow AgroSciences related to


Canadian farm groups want curbs on Agrium’s clout

Reuters / Two influential Canadian farm groups will urge the country’s Competition Bureau to scale back Agrium Inc.’s proposed purchase of Viterra Inc. assets, saying Agrium might become too powerful in the sale of fertilizer and other crop supplies. In a $6.1-billion deal, global commodities giant Glencore International PLC will buy Viterra, Canada’s biggest grain

CSA pioneers say market gardening works for them

Most of the local food grown 
by Theresa and Geoff Dyck is 
consumed in Winnipeg 
but they would love to 
sell to the cottage crowd

Geoff and Theresa Dyck drop tiny pepper plants into pressed earth squares with the ease of people who have done it before — many, many times before. “We always remind ourselves when we are tired or cranky and there are mosquitos… that we are not punching a clock,” says Theresa. “We are making our own