Storm Warning

MOVE FAST:Tornadoes like this one can travel in excess of speeds of 100 km per hour. Altona residents knew why a siren in town wailed for four minutes straight on a calm mid-afternoon May 18. It was a test of their community emergency warning siren, a specially installed system to alert residents in case of

Softer Side Of Dining

The dining room in the photo has an unusual colour palette. The pale yellow and blue paint colours are an u n c ommo n choice for a space like this, being more common for a bedroom or perhaps a bathroom. There is something inviting about this room, however. The space is warm and welcoming


In Brief… – for May. 26, 2011

Accelerated efficiency: The chief executive of Viterra says plans to scrap the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly on western wheat and barley would likely accelerate improvements to the grain transportation system. “Obviously, change brings more change, so that certainly may accelerate that change in creating greater efficiencies in that system,” said Mayo Schmidt May 18.

Paying More Won’t Help

Canada’s newly reappointed agriculture minister believes he knows where the answer lies to squeezing better service out of the railways. It’s in your wallet. While doing some post-election musing about the government’s priorities for agriculture over the next several years, Gerry Ritz suggested farmers would be willing to pay more to move their grain to


Let’s Feed Ourselves

Squeeze almost any official of almost any agbiz or farm group and the words “Feed the world” will cross their lips. The phrase is this century’s “Manifest Destiny,” a near-imperative, a cornerstone of our export-directed ag policy. But this ambition, according to the number-crunching crew in Daryll Ray’s ag shop at the University of Tennessee,

Companies Chip In For CFGB Growing Projects

To be successful, Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) growing projects require land, people, time and energy. The fundraising efforts also need inputs like seed, fertilizer and other chemicals – products generously provided by some of Canada’s leading agro-sciences corporations. This year over $220,000 of inputs have been donated through CFGB to growing projects across Canada by


Manitoba’s Wild Turkeys

Over the years attempts have been made to introduce or reintroduce a number of birds into southern Manitoba. Some of these – pheasants and chucker partridges, for example – have been unsuccessful, mainly due to our harsh winters. But one success story is that of the eastern wild turkey whose spread throughout the province is

Gardening Has Many Benefits

When my daughter and I were getting ready to plant the garden, I thought about how a garden has much value on many levels. When children are involved with gardening, much learning can take place in this outdoor classroom. Giving children a small plot to care for provides an opportunity for them to take responsibility



Food Fortification: Still Looking For The Sweet Spot

Canada has one of the most restrictive discretionary food fortification laws in the western world. Health Canada officials spent the last 15 years trying to develop a comprehensive new policy to allow food companies greater scope for adding vitamins and minerals to their food products. But last year the health minister stopped the proposed new