The rise of Twitter and other modern mysteries

One of the great mysteries of the modern world has to be how a company like Twitter, a micro-blogging medium built around delivering short bursts of inconsequential information, can attract a value of $25 billion in its initial stock offering when the company hasn’t turned a profit since it was formed seven years ago —

After Washington GMO label battle, both sides eye national fight

Both sides of the costly and high-stakes GMO labelling battle in Washington state say they see an even bigger national fight ahead despite the apparent defeat of the mandatory labelling measure by Washington state voters this week. The measure died 47.05 per cent to 52.95 per cent, according to results updated Nov. 7 night by


Despite economic recovery, use of food banks at near-record levels

More than 700,000 Canadians turn to food banks every month, and many of them are employed or from two-parent households

Food bank use is at near-record levels and will only come down if there’s an increase in affordable housing, says Food Banks Canada. More than 700,000 Canadians turn to food banks every month because they have “to choose between paying rent or buying food,” said Katherine Schmidt, the organization’s executive director. “At the root of

Gardens and green lunches shine a light on two rural schools

Two rural schools nominated for a Food Matters Manitoba’s Golden Carrot Award 
help kids learn about food, while keeping things fun and delicious

There is a new food fad catching on among young students in the community of Pinawa. Chives. “I never would have guessed it, but yes, chives — they love chives, every time I turn around out there they’re munching away,” said Darcia Light, principal of F.W. Gilbert Elementary, where an innovative garden program has earned


Mila Maximets is the creator of Solberry, a sea buckthorn purée made in Manitoba.  Photo: Shannon VanRaes

Prairie fruit business needs more sea buckthorn growers

Manitoba maker of sea buckthorn products says a lack of berries has limited the growth of her business

Sea buckthorn is moving out of the hedgerows and into the mainstream, as new varieties and evolving technologies promise to make harvesting the nutrient-rich berry less labour intensive. “It’s been a very difficult industry to kind of get going, a lot of the cultivars that were first planted aren’t ideal for harvesting, in fact they’re

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


photo: thinkstock

Square roots? Scientists say plants are good at math

Plants do complex arithmetic calculations to make sure they have enough food to get them through the night, new research published in journal eLife shows. Scientists at Britain’s John Innes Centre said plants adjust their rate of starch consumption to prevent starvation during the night when they are unable to feed themselves with energy from

A report worth reading

We’ve been somewhat skeptical of some of the recent efforts by the Conference Board of Canada to wade into the food and farm policy realm, but we were pleasantly surprised by the newly released report Seeds of Success: Enhancing Canada’s Farming Enterprises. From our perspective, authors James Stuckey and Erin Butler, do a stellar job


(depicts marker for John Ramsay).

The legend of John Ramsay: kindness in the face of tragedy

Betsey Ramsay’s grave lies near the long-deserted settlement of Sandy Bar in the RM of Bifrost

Timeworn and solitary, the marble gravestone surrounded by picket fence lies in a hayfield overlooking the Lake Winnipeg shoreline about five km. east of Riverton. Its chiselled inscription, in a strange mixture of script and print fonts, reads: “IN Memory of BETSEY. Beloved Wife of JOHN RUMSAY. WHO DIED September 1876. Aged 35 years.” Lone

Dairy farmer Lisa Dyck launched a line of hand-crafted ice creams made from milk from the dairy farm she and her husband own between Beausejour and Anola.  photo: lorraine stevenson

Made-in-Manitoba ice cream flying off store shelves

Customers are happily forking over between $11 and $12 
for a litre of this premium, made-in-Manitoba ice cream

Lisa Dyck is going lickity split as summer arrives, ramping up production of a cool treat Manitobans haven’t tasted in a long time — made-in-Manitoba ice cream. This spring the Anola-area dairy producer launched Cornell Creme, a premium ice cream made from the milk of the 120 cows that she and husband William Dyck milk.