Canadian farmers in a good place, bank says

Agood harvest last year has put Canadian farmers in the driver’s seat for this year as steady production growth should lead to strong exports to emerging markets, says an analysis from BMO. “Rapid economic expansion in emerging markets and lagging demand growth from south of the border has resulted in increasing export market diversification,” Aaron

Struggling Farmers’ Markets Association faces uncertain future

With no funding for an executive director and a shortage of volunteers, the association in danger of folding, says its outgoing chair

The room fell quiet as outgoing chair Jennifer Morrison made her plea “not to let this organization fold” to the 40 people attending the recent annual meeting of the Farmers’ Markets Association of Manitoba Co-op Inc. “We need support from the membership,” said Morrison. “We can’t run this organization on a small volunteer board.” But


Mixed messages on gestation stalls

The head of Manitoba Pork Council says his group hasn’t pledged to move away from sow stalls after all

Manitoba hog producers should dig in their heels and say no to phasing out gestation stalls. That was the message Rick Berman brought to the Manitoba Pork Council’s annual general meeting last week, in which he urged producers to go on the offensive against “animal rights lunatics.” “Get your head around the fact you’re in



Tim Hortons expects stall-free pork by 2022

Having reviewed its pork suppliers’ plans to phase out the use of gestation stalls for breeding sows, Canada’s iconic Tim Hortons chain now expects to have moved to stall-free pork by the year 2022. In the Oakville, Ont. company’s annual Sustainability and Responsibility report, released April 3, Tim Hortons said it has “consulted with our

Brandon rally draws 40 protesters opposed to introduction of Roundup Ready alfalfa

Opponents of genetically modified crops rallied in front of the constituency office of a local MP to protest approval of glyphosate-tolerant alfalfa, which they say could be seeded on fields in Eastern Canada as early as this spring. The demonstration, which drew about 40 protesters, was organized by the local chapter of the National Farmers


Half-moon holes produce crops in the sub-Saharan desert

An innovative water-trapping technique is making the desert bloom in one of the most inhospitable regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Demi-lunes — holes in the shape of a semi-circle — are used to capture and store run-off rainwater. It’s a simple low-tech water-harvesting method which enables crops to grow in a hostile climate. The water conservation

Ritz fights COOL in Washington

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and representatives of the pork and beef sector were in Washington April 8 trying once more to convince the Obama administration to comply with a trade ruling against a protectionist U.S. labelling rule. The World Trade Organization gave the U.S. until May 23 to end its discrimination against Canadian and Mexican


Letters, April 11, 2013

One super farm group needed? Danny Penner has been advocating for one “super” farm group to speak with one voice. That idea has been around for as long as there have been farmers. It’s easy to feel disassociated with the groups that are left, such as the commodity groups and the astroturf wheat-barley growers, Grain

artwork quilt

Rugs elevate bygone Prairie symbol

An exhibit of exquisite hooked art rugs by the Heritage Rug Hookers of Saskatoon on six-community tour of Manitoba

An art exhibit of the gone-but-not-forgotten Prairie grain elevator is helping revive a once common craft of Prairie homemakers, too. A collection of 40 hooked rugs, each depicting a grain elevator, is now on display in Carman. The collection — which has been displayed at about 20 galleries in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and, most recently Virden