Soil moisture looks good: Survey

Newly released results of Manitoba Agriculture’s fall soil moisture survey are good news for Manitoba farmers worried last year’s dry summer could turn into a drought. The soil moisture situation in many parts of Manitoba is normal, and even better than it was last spring, say Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives’ staff. “It’s not

Will grain farming follow same corporate ownership path as hog production?

Not all KAP members are as sanguine about farming’s future as its president Doug Chorney or Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn. Lowe Farm-area farmer Butch Harder warned changes to the Canada Grain Act weaken grain farmers. With foreigners buying farmland and the government cutting safety net programs, grain farming is being corporatized, he warned. “I


Community pasture takeover plan revealed

Proposal calls for a new, non-profit corporation with seven elected 
members to take over former federally managed community pastures

The federal government is pulling out, but a new boss is taking up the reins. A steering committee for the Association of Manitoba Community Pastures, a new not-for-profit group, has developed a business plan for taking over the operation of a million acres of formerly federally managed grazing rangelands in the province. That’s good news,

Bale grazing may require rethink, say researchers

Winter feeding cattle on pasture has long been pitched to ranchers as one of the best things they can do to help the environment and their own bottom line. But new research on the Pipestone Creek watershed in Saskatchewan shows that it may not be as green as earlier suggested. “It’s controversial only because you


Western water hemlock is a deadly killer of cattle

This year’s wet spring has seen increased sightings of western water hemlock — one of the most poisonous plants known in cattle production. Prior to 2006, I had only seen one occurrence of this highly toxic plant in 25 years of practice. This year, several multiple plants have been found a great distance apart in

Know your plants: Understanding how grasses grow is key to maximizing pasture production

Grazing expert says producers need to gauge “range readiness” and carefully monitor the amount of defoliation

Good pastures start with a good understanding of how plants grow. Attendees at the recent Original Grazing School for Women were given some key pointers by Edward Bork, who is director of the Rangeland Research Institute at the University of Alberta and also operates a grain and beef operation with his family near Chipman. Grasses


Snake-oil versus innovation

Most farmers would scoff at the notion of replacing their nitrogen fertilizer with maple syrup. But Manitoba Agriculture soil fertility specialist John Heard was able to make a convincing argument using some creative interpretation of data. In 2009, Heard conducted a trial comparing the impact of a special “growth enhancer” derived from Acer negundo on

StatsCan report shows more canola, less wheat

Latest five-year agriculture census snapshot shows gross 
farm revenue up with expenses falling slightly

The numbers are out and they show canola is beating wheat, the cost of farming and farm incomes have improved marginally, and the provincial cattle herd is down by nearly a quarter. Canola area surpassed spring wheat area for the top spot among field crops, up 44.3 per cent to 3.3 million acres since the


Keeping an eye on tame pastures

Agri-News / Pasture assessments help producers decide if a pasture needs to be rejuvenated and if so, how best to rejuvenate it. The Alberta Tame Pasture Scorecard is a quick and easy way of doing a pasture assessment. The Sustainable Resource Development Health Assessment forms are another good tool that provides a more detailed assessment.

Assessing winter wheat survival

There are a couple of ways to determine if winter wheat survived the winter, MAFRI says on its website. One is waiting until the soil and crowns warm up and root growth starts. That could take until mid-May. Another option is to extract several “sods” from the field and warm them inside. Keep the soil