Leaseholders pack into a fall 2019 meeting in Ste. Rose du Lac soon after the release of new Crown land regulations.

Crown land changes approved

Producers have been fighting to get the system changed for years

Producers say they hope the latest changes to Agricultural Crown Lands regulations in Manitoba put an end to the controversy and confusion of the past four years. “I think these changes make the system a lot more workable,” said Manitoba Beef Producers general manager Carson Callum. “The changes that happened in 2019 were against the

Editorial: Time to plug the BRM leak

Editorial: Time to plug the BRM leak

As reporter Don Norman notes in the front-page story of our Aug. 3 issue of the Co-operator, business risk management came up a few times when Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ag ministers met in New Brunswick in July. That’s not unexpected. Farmers are being told to expect more volatile weather as a result of


Keystone Agricultural Producers president Jill Verwey.

KAP advisory council broaches provincial election issues

Member panel dissects electoral issues important to farmers

Provincial election issues ranging from infrastructure to healthcare were top of the agenda for the Keystone Agricultural Producers during the organization’s summer advisory council meeting in July. “KAP has been working to identify key priorities for producers,” president Jill Verwey said to open the meeting. “Your vote matters and we will be doing our part

Foreign animal disease and inter-provincial trade barriers among the livestock-oriented sticking points discussed at Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ag ministers meeting.

Livestock issues take stage at ag ministers meeting

Foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank highlights several discussions affecting livestock producers

Full commitment to a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank was one of the top things that came out of July’s meeting of Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers. That’s according to Tyler Fulton, a Manitoba farmer and vice-president of the Canadian Cattle Association. “We kind of knew that it was coming, but more money moving


‘There are reams of data in the report, particularly in three key focus areas: seeds, meatpacking, and food retail. We — the “us” outside of the USDA — need to draw our own conclusions.’

Comment: Agribusiness competition and the danger of the middle road

Hemming and hawing avoids tougher action and ‘us’

After plowing through a 57-page U.S. Department of Agriculture report titled “Concentration and Competition in U.S. Agribusiness,” I asked an agronomist friend who had also read the report why it seemed that its writers used so much “hem-and-haw” language in analyzing, for example, the rise of today’s powerful seed companies. “I’m less interested in the

“We have heard deep-seated frustration from both farm families and non-farmers about the state of connectivity in rural Manitoba, and providers cannot continue to ask us to pay for a service that is subpar, at best.” – Jill Werwey, KAP.

AMM puts rural cell service in the hot seat

Only a third of rural Manitobans consider their cell service ‘fully reliable’

Rural connectivity remains an issue for Manitobans. That was one of the main takeaways from a recent poll commissioned by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. The poll, conducted by Probe Research, found that rural Manitobans are overwhelmingly concerned about mobile connectivity outside of the province’s cities. Why it matters: Unreliable cellular service can be a



Federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture at their annual conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick in July 2023.
 Photo: AAFC

Federal and provincial ag ministers meet in Fredericton

Environmental issues remain a hot topic for provincial agriculture ministers. That and sustainable agriculture dominated discussions during the recent federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers meeting in Fredericton, N.B. The annual conference was held from July 19-21. The focus on sustainable agriculture tracks, as this is the first time the ministers have met since


Comment: ‘Appeasing hardliners’ all but promises Farm Bill failure

Comment: ‘Appeasing hardliners’ all but promises Farm Bill failure

The next U.S. Farm Bill, due by the end of this year, will profoundly impact the ag sector of Canada’s biggest trade partner for the next five years

Members of the U.S. Congress are facing down two enormous tasks, with little time to complete them. As of Sept. 30 of this year, the 2018 Farm Bill will expire. Simultaneously, the American government needs a new budget in place to open its doors Oct. 1. It will take a mighty effort for either to

Leaseholders pack into a fall 2019 meeting in Ste. Rose du Lac soon after the release of new Crown land regulations.

Province asks for feedback on Crown lands amendments

Producers are cautiously optimistic, but over three years of fighting casts a long shadow

The latest round of proposed changes to agricultural Crown lands has earned a tentative thumbs up from pasture and forage leaseholders. Leaseholders “were surprised by the changes proposed by the minister,” said Brent Benson, president of the Manitoba Crown Land Leaseholders Association. “After three years of obfuscation and defiance by previous ministers, it was refreshing to be