Souris River flooding north of Melita, Man.  

Province vows to tackle southwest’s water woes

A new study shows the link between unlicensed wetland drainage and stream flows

Heavy rainfall isn’t the only reason overland flooding is washing out roads and resulting in hundreds of thousands of acres left unseeded in southwestern Manitoba this year, provincial officials say. Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said last week the province now has proof illegal drainage in Saskatchewan is exacerbating the problems faced by


farmer seeding a field

Planting options after June 20, IF your land dries out soon enough

Greenfeed can be seeded until July 15 with reduced crop insurance coverage

June 20 is the last day to seed wheat in Manitoba and be eligible for crop insurance. The final tally won’t be known for a while but several hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, mostly in the southwest, won’t meet that deadline because they are too wet to plant. If their land dries up

Excess Moisture Insurance filing deadline Monday, June 23

Provincial crop insurance officials are anticipating a flood of Excess Moisture Insurance claims as the June 23 deadline for applications approaches. While the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) doesn’t know how many acres will have been too wet to seed by the June 20 deadline, officials expect it will be higher than last year. Farmers


Crop question? Ask Crop Chatter

What diseases and pests are you seeing? Let us know how your crop is doing

Crop Chatter is a forum where farmers and public and private agronomists can share the latest information on crop management in Manitoba. If you have a crop development, insect or disease question, email it along with any photos to [email protected] and a network of public and private agronomists will try to identify a solution.      

flooded rural area in Manitoba

State of emergency declared in southwestern municipality

Forty miles of RM of Edwards roadways are closed due to water

With as much as 95 per cent of farm land estimated unseeded, and roughly 40 miles of roads closed and unfit to travel due to water the RM of Edward in the southwestern corner of Manitoba declared a state of emergency June 5. “It’s a real mess,” said Reeve Ralph Wang June 9. “It’s dry


Processors consulted on food safety regulation

The new regulation’s intent is to allow innovation and flexibility for business 
while ensuring they follow safe food practices, government officials say

Garth Jarvis of Jarvis Meats in Gladstone knows business must follow food safety rules and regulations, but those who make the rules need to understand their impact on business, he says. “A small business has to be able to afford to do it. That’s probably the biggest issue,” said Jarvis, who does custom slaughter for

Books in a library

Local libraries in the online age

Will tablets and e-books mean 
the end of one of the few public 
spaces in small communities?

Pinawa residents put a lot of effort into stocking a public library in the 1960s, but would they repeat the job today? Maybe, but probably not with the same zeal, says Michael Luke, chair of the eastern Manitoba town’s library board. Now faced with circulation declines, including a recent double-digit drop in books checked out,


Large truck in a field spreading manure

Getting your nitrogen fix from manure a slow and steady process

New research says standard formulas overstate 
the amount of nitrogen released

Standard calculation formulas overestimate the amount of nitrogen that is available to crops the year after solid manure is applied to the field, researchers with the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE) say. Don Flaten and Wole Akinremi say the formula that is used in Manitoba is based on the assumption that 25

a bunch of radishes and water cans

Have your lawn and eat it too

This is a competition for those who prefer hoeing over mowing

The grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence — but the lettuce and beans might be, if Food Matters Manitoba has its way. It’s sponsoring the Manitoba Garden Makeover Competition to encourage more homeowners to start hoeing instead of mowing by creating an edible landscape. Balcony transformations are eligible too.