Severe clubroot case in northern North Dakota gets Manitoba’s attention

Severe clubroot case in northern North Dakota gets Manitoba’s attention

This province has clubroot but there could be undetected 
fields with high spore levels farmers should be looking out for

A suspected severe case of clubroot just across the border in Cavalier County, North Dakota is a wake-up call for Manitoba farmers. “I’m drawing attention to this because it’s at high levels right there so you can probably expect it’s at high levels close by and there is greater risk in those areas (close to



American dog tick.

Manitoba arthropod populations expanding

Although rare in Manitoba, bovine anaplasmosis can be spread by wood ticks

They only have eight tiny legs, but ticks are on the move in Manitoba and across the Prairies. “They’re moving north for sure,” said entomologist Kateryn Rochon, noting the arthropods travel with their hosts, including deer, birds, rabbits and other animals. The University of Manitoba professor is tracking the movement of the American dog tick

It is impossible to determine whether pelleted feed contains ergot toxins without laboratory testing. The sample on the left contains 230 ppb ergot toxins. The sample on the right contains 38,900 ppb.

Ergot becomes invisible in manufactured feed

Researchers and feed makers say new guidelines for assessing risk are needed

The two pictures of pelleted feed veterinary toxicologist Dr. Barry Blakley put up on the screen at a recent ergot symposium here looked identical. But one had enough toxins in it to kill livestock. The rising levels of ergot in western Canadian cereal grains and forages has turned into a nightmare for the manufactured feed

Man holding canola samples in jar.

Clubroot not so scary anymore, says CCC agronomist

Better scouting and earlier detection are key to avoiding an ugly, Alberta-style epidemic in Manitoba

Clubroot isn’t as scary as it used to be. At the CanoLAB event a couple years ago, there was only one example of an infected root — and it was securely encased in a kind of translucent hockey puck. But this year, there were trays of clubroot-infected canola seedlings set out on tables that could


Probiotics, prebiotics and horses

When supplements or products containing live micro-organisms are fed to horses the products are called probiotics, and Latin names like Lactobacillus, Acidophillus, Entercoccus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccaromyces will appear on the product’s ingredients label. While prebiotics have a similar intention to probiotics they do not contain the actual micro-organisms, rather substances which have been extracted from

file photo

Probiotics could serve as alternative to antibiotics in pig feed

German researchers have found that piglets fed probiotic Enterococcus faecium showed reduced numbers of potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in their intestines, the American Society for Microbiology says in a release. Researchers were looking for alternatives to antibiotics for reducing pathogens in the intestines of young pigs following the EU’s ban on using antibiotics as

CFIA hands over anthrax control to provincial authorities

Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Veterinarian is moving in as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency pulls out of the anthrax business. The agency announced last fall it would be handing over responsibility to provincial authorities, saying the endemic presence of anthrax in some areas means eradication is not feasible. It wants its staff to focus


Rhizobia just the tip of the iceberg, researchers say

A new field of research looks at dark septate endophytes’ potential for 
helping crops become more efficient and cope with stress

Everybody and their pea-growing grandma knows about rhizobia, the nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. But there are a host of other beneficial soil organisms that could potentially boost crop growth, increase stress tolerance, and reduce the need for fertilizer, say scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Semi-Arid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre in Swift Current. Dark septate endophytes,

Ritz again vows to boost food safety inspections

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz is promising major changes following the release of a scathing report into last year’s contaminated beef fiasco at XL Foods. But critics say they’ve heard that before, and that the federal government still has a long way to go to fulfil the recommendations of an inquiry into a deadly food poisoning