KAP president Dan Mazier.

KAP has first meeting with Ag Minister Ralph Eichler

Manitoba’s general farm organization covered a number of issues, including 
education tax, in a meeting with the new Manitoba agriculture minister

School taxes, red tape, ALUS and Growing Forward 3 were topics of discussion during the first meeting between the province’s general farm organization and the newly minted provincial agriculture minister. The Keystone Agricultural Producers and Ralph Eichler sat down last week for the first time since the change in government this spring. “School taxes (on

Editorial: A voice for you

One of the greatest issues you face as a farmer in the coming years is going to be ensuring you have a voice in the public realm. Increasingly, there are people who have opinions about the way you farm and that’s not going to change. You can attempt to educate them about what you do


KAP’s membership fees are collected through a checkoff. KAP president Dan Mazier says the fee is worth it, but those who disagree can apply for a refund. Farmer Shelley Mitchell says KAP membership should be “opt in” not “opt out.”

KAP defends its refundable membership fee checkoff

Farmer Shelley Mitchell wants changes so those who don’t want to be members can avoid the deduction

A western Manitoba farmer says Keystone Agricultural Producers is wrong to put the onus on farmers to opt out of membership and the group’s refundable checkoff. Shelley Mitchell, who farms with her husband Byron Bellow between Baldur and Cypress River says KAP needs to revisit its funding model. “This has been a flawed program from

Wildfires in the RMs of Piney and Stuartburn in the spring of 2012 starkly illustrated the need for better rural telecommunications.

CRTC chief deems Internet a necessity

Modern telecommunications are still rare as hen’s teeth in rural areas, but hope is on the horizon

A mid-hearing speech, made by the chairman of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, is welcome news to rural advocates of digital equality. In recent televised remarks, Jean-Pierre Blais said the necessity of broadband Internet access was a “self-evident truth,” shifting the focus of the current review of basic telecommunications services from proving the need


Editorial: Future non-farmers

The agriculture community spends a lot of time and energy worrying about the future of the next generation of farmers. Succession planning has become a cottage industry, governments and agencies fall over backward creating young farmer programs, and there’s constant fretting over how we might smooth their way. But the fact is most of your

Reg Dyck, chair of KAP’s transportation committee, says most of the savings gained from a more efficient grain-handling and transportation system have gone to the railways, not farmers.

KAP seeks regulations to spur rail competition

The Manitoba farm organization submits 13 recommendations to the rail review panel

Thirty years of reforms to Western Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system (GHTS) have seen rail profits increase while farmers pay more to ship grain and get poorer service, Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has told the Canada Transportation Act Review panel. KAP blames a lack of competition between the two main rail firms, Canadian National Railway


drone

KAP doesn’t want new UAV regs to unnecessarily ground farmers

Dan Mazier agrees safety is important, but in wide-open rural areas Transport Canada’s 
regulations need to be flexible enough to reflect the reduced risk of flight mishaps

Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, need regulation to ensure safety but the rules shouldn’t be so onerous as to prevent farmers from flying them, says Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Dan Mazier “KAP would like dialogue before they (Transport Canada) make regulations,” Mazier said in an interview Sept. 3. “If they are

The Keystone Agriculture Producers held its general council meeting on July 8 in Brandon.

Condition of rural roads a major concern at KAP meeting

KAP members say rural road conditions are unacceptable and look to lobby for improvements

Keystone Agriculture Producers debated who should take the title of Manitoba’s worst road as producers gathered here for a general council meeting July 8 and compared notes on the province’s crumbling rural roadways. Improving rural infrastructure was clearly a top priority to the province’s producers following a discussion over resolutions at the KAP general council


KAP pleased with expansion of waterway accord

KAP pleased with expansion of waterway accord

Ontario and Alberta have become the first provinces to agree to work with Manitoba and others to improve water health

A Manitoba-made agreement aimed at protecting lakes and waterways has gained two new signatories. Last week, Alberta and Ontario signed on to the Lake Friendly Accord, which already includes many mayors and reeves, as well as the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, Manitoba Hydro, the government of Canada and state of Minnesota. For Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP),

highway road

Province says highway ditches not part of weed control ban

The AMM wants some areas to be exempt from new restrictions on cosmetic pesticides

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) is concerned a newly enacted ban on cosmetic pesticides will increase municipal weed control costs tenfold. “We are very concerned about this… the regulation is unreasonable,” said association president Doug Dobrowolski. Describing the regulations that came into effect on May 1 as “contradictory,” Dobrowolski said that he would like