Soybean crop surprisingly good in 2008

It was a year in which almost everything that could go wrong did for Manitoba soybean producers. But in the end, things turned out surprisingly well. “We were very happy with the yields,” said Bruce Brolley, a Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives pulse crop specialist. You wouldn’t have known it from producers attending St.

Monsanto to commercialize growth promotant

Britain’s Plant Health Care Plc has reached an agreement with Monsanto Co. on commercialization of a seed treatment for row crops and vegetables. Under the agreement, the natural plant products company said it would license to Monsanto the rights to commercialize its harpin-based seed treatment technology in corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and selected vegetables. The


China to boost corn buying by 20 million tonnes

China’s government has boosted its plan to support farmers by buying an extra 20 million tonnes of corn, tripling its commitment, the State Administration of Grain said Dec. 24. The increase will help “stabilize grain prices and protect farmers’ incomes,” it said on its website www.chinagrain.gov.cn. The purchases, the third round of buying after this



Argentina’s farmers renew protest of export taxes

Argentine farmers rallied at demonstrations across the country’s agricultural belt Dec. 10, demanding further cuts in export taxes as global prices plummet for soy and other products. The protest is the latest in a long-running dispute between the centre-left government and farmers angry over a host of issues, including curbs on beef exports, price caps

Bigger U. S. grain supply, markets rally

DON BOUSQUET It’s Your Business For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca Grain and oilseed futures at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Dec. 12 higher with gains in the U. S. grain and soy markets boosting prices. Canola saw solid gains, rallying


China to expand grain reserves

China’s largest soy-producing province, Heilongjiang, has confirmed its part in a central government plan to buy more grains and soybeans for reserves. The scheme is an effort to shore up prices and protect farmers’ incomes, thereby avoiding hardship and unrest among the rural population. Beijing has given approval for the northeastern province to double its

New market lows, as crops are huge

DON BOUSQUET It’s Your Business For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca Grain and oilseed future s at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Dec. 5 lower, with fresh contract lows appearing in both barley and canola. Canola was pressured down by weakness


Beefing up your bale grazing

“I would rather moderately fertilize 40 acres than highly fertilize four acres.” – LORNE KLEIN Not every cattle producer has been successful with bale grazing, and an expert in the field was on hand at the recent Manitoba Grazing School to tell livestock producers why. Lorne Klein, who was raised on a mixed farm at

Coaxing cows to eat weeds

It was a photograph of a cow eating a dead rabbit that inspired land management specialist Kathy Voth to consider new possibilities for controlling invasive weeds. Voth, who started out her career in “land management” 11 years ago using brush-eating goats as a fire-prevention tool, turned her attention to cows in 2004. During the Manitoba