Will It Pay To Retain Or Purchase Heifers?

Better prices have returned to the cattle industry, and last fall, bred heifers were selling in the $1,100 to $1,350 range with some reports at $1,450. “When your heifer comes off pasture next fall and comparable animals are selling for $1,350 to $1,450, you need to know whether or not you should keep her or

Thoughts On Valentine’s Day

When I think of valentines the colour red comes to mind. The card is usually inside a red envelope and inside the card there may be red printing or a red heart. It gives a shy person an opportunity to express the love that is in his or her heart. Then there is the box


That’s One Nutty Squirrel

I first noticed the squirrel late in the fall when he took a flying leap from the carport vines to the hanging bird feeder, causing it to swing erratically. He held on, swaying to and fro as he feasted on sunflower seeds. On a subsequent visit he noticed the supply was running low, so he



Halloween Apples

Halloween is a time for fun, a time to get spooked and a time to eat wonderful treats. One food that is synonymous with Halloween is the apple. It has been part of the Halloween tradition for over 1,000 years. The Celtic people of Britain and Northern Europe had two seasons, summer and winter. On

Cooking Contest For Manitoba High School Students Launched

Food Matters Manitoba has launched its first-ever cooking competition open to all high school students. Teams of students across Manitoba in Grades 9-12 are encouraged to enter a local food recipe they’ve created themselves which represents a yummy, healthy dish that also reflects the kinds of seasonal foods available in mid-winter in Manitoba. The winning


T – for Sep. 23, 2010

o the very end of his life, our father was a farmer. For Jerry, there was nothing else; no other calling had any more value, worth or meaning than farming. He was as rooted into the black soil that he farmed as were the crops that he raised year after year. For Jerry, farming wasn’t

Ohio Livestock Growers Caged By Farm Groups – for Sep. 9, 2010

What was to be a clever, voter-sanctioned effort to fence out the animals- are-people-crowd in Ohio last year is, depending on your perspective, either a progressive way for farm and animal rights groups to work together toward humane livestock production or a total sellout of livestock producers by Big Ag to the Humane Society of


Brits Take The Lead On Welfare Assessment – for Aug. 12, 2010

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. British pig producers have long extolled their high animal welfare standards compared to European competitors and welfare has been an important component of quality assurance schemes

Brits Take The Lead On Welfare Assessment – for Jul. 29, 2010

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. British pig producers have long extolled their high animal welfare standards compared to European competitors and welfare has been an important component of quality assurance schemes