Bags Of Money On A Farm Field

Editorial: Risk management on the farm

What does the future hold for farm stabilization payments in Canada?

Changes to AgriStability three years ago that were designed to limit the exposure of federal and provincial coffers appear to have been more successful than politicians and bureaucrats ever imagined. The changes implemented for 2013 reduce the potential for a payment as well as the potential size of payment. It now appears the number of

Manitoba farmer Les Harris

Manitoba farmers dropping out of AgriStability

Changes to the program three years ago made it less effective

Changes three years ago to AgriStability have prompted some Manitoba farmers to abandon the income stabilization scheme because the cost is too high and the potential for payments too low. Federal statistics show the number of farmers enrolled in the program has dropped about nine per cent since 2012. However, if informal surveys by Keystone


man spraying disinfectant on boots

Biosecurity measures key to combating crop diseases

Potato wart, potato cyst nematode, bacterial wilt (or brown rot) and bacterial ring rot 
are all diseases of concern to Manitoba potato growers in 2015

The risk of devastating losses from potato pests can be managed through crop biosecurity measures, says Vikram Bisht, an extension plant pathologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. As part of his presentation at Manitoba Potato Production Days in Brandon in January, Bisht issued a call to action to potato growers to stay ahead

clubroot in canola

Systematic survey aims to track clubroot in Manitoba before it gets out of hand

Farmers in untested areas can inquire about getting their land test for free

Some Manitoba fields are infected with clubroot, a serious canola disease, but how many and where? To find out one soil sample is being collected from each of the province’s 900 or so agro-townships, Anastasia Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’s (MAFRD) oilseed specialist, said in an interview April 23. While the location of

picking blueberries

Assessing the validity of wild food production in Manitoba

Can Manitoba landowners harness the potential that grows in untouched wooded areas?

Manitoba forests and wooded areas could be a cornucopia of wild edibles ranging from mushrooms to herbal teas, the Woodlot Association of Manitoba (WAM) says. It has been consulting with woodlot owners this spring about the potential for creating a sustainable woodland food industry. “We are trying to suggest to landowners that they can do


John De Pape

Clock ticking for company co-operation on grain price transparency

Gerry Ritz wants information posted starting Aug. 1 and John De Pape is confident the target can be met

John De Pape is trying to get all Prairie grain companies to give him their prices so he can post regional averages starting Aug. 1, but if they don’t the federal government might have to force them to. “It’s a stick the (agriculture) minister (Gerry Ritz) has,” De Pape, president of FARMCO, told the Keystone

wetland marsh

Wetland count begins in southwestern Manitoba

Project will reveal distribution and interaction of wetlands in agro-Manitoba

Water and land managers will soon have a precise picture of the state of wetlands in southwestern Manitoba as staff with the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corp. begin a mapping and classification project this spring. Wetlands as small as a quarter of an acre will be included in the study designed to help farmers and drainage

washing a semi truck

Livestock truck wash facilities to be upgraded

Sanitation process includes heating trailers to kill bacteria

A Manitoba company has received Growing Forward 2 assistance to upgrade its livestock truck-washing facilities at Brandon and Blumenort. North America has an efficient transportation system for moving livestock, but unless precautions are taken, it can be equally efficient at transmitting disease. Manitoba Pork estimates that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) costs the Canadian


field of winter wheat

Winter Cereals Manitoba announces wheat project funding

Part of a $2.2-million, four-year initiative across the Prairies

Winter Cereals Manitoba Inc. (WCMI) has announced an investment of $125,000 in 11 winter wheat-related research and development projects. They are part of an overall program with investment from all funding partners being $2.2 million over four years, including $1 million in matched funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) under the Growing Forward 2

a room of schoolchildren

Breakfast an important meal: survey

Many favour offering school breakfast programs funded by parents

Most Manitobans start their day with a morning meal, and most favour schools offering students the same option. Those observations come from the latest summary reports released this month by the Manitoba Consumer Monitor Food Panel (MCMFP), an ongoing study of consumer opinion and behaviour in Manitoba. The MCMFP began in February 2011, posing questions