Cool deals on refrigerators

Cool deals on refrigerators

Our History: January 1954

Electricity was still a novelty for some farms in 1954, and the Manitoba Power Commission — later Manitoba Hydro — was looking to encourage consumption by advertising appliances. This Leonard model refrigerator, trimmed in gold and green, was available for $279.50, or $2,627 in 2019 dollars. In news for that issue, officials of the Manitoba

Wheat Board and ‘Crow’ in the headlines

Wheat Board and ‘Crow’ in the headlines

Our History: January 1982

The wheat board and the Crow rate dominated the front page of our Jan. 28, 1982 issues. The Western Agricultural Conference of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture passed a resolution calling for the CWB’s Producer Advisory Committee to be replaced by a producer-elected board of directors, to which the CWB would be directly responsible. The


Discount long-distance after dark

Discount long-distance after dark

Our History: January 1972

This ad in our January 13, 1972 issue urged readers to take advantage of lower long-distance rates on evenings and Sundays. While we couldn’t find statistics on local Manitoba calls, a three-minute Winnipeg-to-Montreal call cost $2.75 in 1970, which is $18 today. Farmers would have a bit more money for phone calls after an announcement

Canada puts out call for British agricultural families

Canada puts out call for British agricultural families

Our History: January 1928

The Scoop Shovel, which later became the Manitoba Co-operator, carried this ad from the Department of Immigration and Colonization in the January 1928 issue. It said that Canada wanted more British agricultural families, farm workers and house workers, and invited nominees who could have passage paid at different rates to different locations in Canada. A

A holiday message from Eaton’s

A holiday message from Eaton’s

Our History: December 1955

What goes around, comes around. Mail order is big business these days, as it was in the 1950s, but the dominant supplier then was Eaton’s, not Amazon. This ad thanking farmers for their business ran in our Dec. 22, 1955 issue. The front page that week carried a report from the Manitoba Agronomists Conference, which


Sandison Farm nabs attention of Scotland Yard

Sandison Farm nabs attention of Scotland Yard

Our History: December 1890

The December 1890 issue of the Nor-West Farmer and Miller contained a glowing, two-page-plus report on the success of the Sandison Farm near Brandon, including renderings such as the threshing crew shown here. It had “within the last four years, expanded from a moderate beginning to a size hitherto unapproached in this province.” That year

New durum does it all!

New durum does it all!

Our History: December 1997

Melita durum wheat advertised in our Dec. 4, 1997 issue was named for the southwest town in what was once Manitoba’s durum area, but that apparently wasn’t any incentive to keep growing durum in this province. Statistics Canada reported 140,000 acres in 1997 and 200,000 acres the following year, but the crop began a steady

Beef-processing plant closure “devastating”

Beef-processing plant closure “devastating”

Our History: November 1990

The front page of our November 8, 1990 issue carried the news of closure of the last major beef-processing plant in Manitoba. Burns had announced the immediate shutdown of its Brandon plant, meaning the loss of processing capacity for 2,000 cattle per week and 145 jobs. However, the plant had only been running at half


Top prices for live and dressed poultry

Top prices for live and dressed poultry

Our History: November 1947

This ad in our Nov. 13, 1947 issue urged farmers to ship their live or dressed poultry to Burns plants in Winnipeg, Brandon, Estevan, Beausejour and Winkler. That issue contained some of the Co-operator’s first classified ads. Among the eight that week (minimum 10 words at four cents a word) were ads for a 1940

Dead battery? Don’t panic, plug in the Muscle Man

Dead battery? Don’t panic, plug in the Muscle Man

Our History: November 1976

Blanchard was seeking 200 farmers to sell the Muscleman battery charger/booster along with 100 items on commission in this ad in our Nov. 25, 1976 issue. The front page reported that Manitoba’s crop yields for the year were up, but income was expected down because of lower prices. The provincial average wheat yield was 27.1