Organic hemp a money-maker

Manitoba organic farmers could be reaping excellent returns from the “green buffalo,” according to the co-founder of the world’s largest vertically integrated hemp food-processing facility based in Winnipeg. Only five per cent of the 7,000 acres of organic hemp seed contracted each year by Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and Oils comes from its home province,

Social media: Lending credibility to marketing in the digital age

Just being good isn’t enough. Being special can elevate products like canola oil to new levels and increase sales

Low in saturated fat and high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids canola oil, offers clear health benefits to consumers. But marketers can’t expect the product to sell itself — they need to grease the wheels. Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist, author and consultant spoke at the Canola Council of Canada’s convention in Washington, D.C. about



Our history: February 1929

Hemp is not a new crop in Manitoba. The February, 1929 issue of The Scoop Shovel, which later became the Manitoba Co-operator, featured an advertisement for rope made from Manitoba-grown hemp by the Manitoba Cordage Co. in Portage. Another local product advertised was Kirchner’s seeder plow, which “plows, sows and covers the seed,” with claimed


Entomologist warns sunflower growers to take a close look before spraying

Something bugging your sunflower crop? Or just bugging you? Separate sunflower friend from foe before spraying, a provincial government entomologist reminded producers at the annual Special Crops Symposium. “Ground beetles can destroy as much as 40 per cent of the sunflower beetles’ larvae over the winter, they’re important … and significant,” said John Gavloski. “It’s

Valentine for a gardener

Fresh cut flowers and jewelry seem to be the items of choice for a lot of people when they are out shopping for something to give that special someone on Valentine’s Day. There is nothing wrong with choosing either blooms or bling, but if your special someone is an avid gardener who loves all plants,


No surprise in grain stocks report

Reuters / Canada’s supplies of canola were slightly tighter on Dec. 31 than a year earlier, but all-wheat supplies grew modestly, Statistics Canada has reported. The calendar year-end stocks report is an indicator of how accurate StatsCan’s final production estimates were for the most recent harvest, along with how robust demand was late in the

Manitoba Seeing A Products Revolution

It takes a lot of energy to keep the largest greenhouse in Manitoba warm through a bone-chilling winter, and until five years ago, that energy source was natural gas at Vanderveens Greenhouses in Carman. With gas prices spiking and the cost of heating hundreds of thousands of square feet of greenhouse rising with it, the


Manitoba Entrepreneur Says Sea Buckthorn Packs A Punch

Genghis Khan used it, and so did the cosmonauts, ancient Greeks, and modern Chinese Olympians. Now Mila Maximets wants Manitobans to get on board and start consuming sea buckthorn. The tart orange berry is more commonly associated with shelterbelts than health foods in this province, but it s the sole ingredient in Solberry, a new

Canadian Hemp Crop Looks Good

Commodity News Service Canada Canada s hemp crop came off in good shape this year, with better-than-average yields and no serious quality issues, according to an industry source. We re seeing average to above-average yields, said Anndrea Hermann, of Manitobabased hemp processor Hemp Oil Canada and vice-president of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance. On the