A group of young women employed by the STEP program in the ‘70s.

How do you keep a kid on the farm?

Part 1: STEP ‘73 and the ongoing conundrum of rural depopulation

The truck’s name was Little George. It was brilliant orange, the only colour available when, decades before online shopping, Wanda McConnell went to town to pick up paint. The truck takes up the foreground of a grainy photo, taken in the summer of 1973 around the time of the Hamiota parade. In it, Little George

The notion of compelling competitors to divulge sensitive pricing data is baffling. Such an approach contradicts the very essence of a competitive marketplace.

Opinion: Let’s give the grocery theatrics a rest in 2024

Grocers made convenient punching bags, but that’s not how solutions are found

In an era when food inflation has become a contentious political issue, it’s tempting for politicians to target the grocery industry. Sadly, that’s exactly what transpired in our country this year, and it was both absurd and embarrassing. The government and Parliament relentlessly hounded grocers, drowning out the opportunity for Canadians to truly comprehend the


Comment: The smokescreen of COP28

The global climate change event is the world’s biggest green mirage

Its official name is the United Nations 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, or COP28 for short. Given the news from the two-week gathering in the desert near Dubai, a better name might be “Shifting Sands, Shifting Blame.” For example, “A staggering 88,000 people are accredited” to attend the meeting, financial magazine Barron’s

Editorial: The proxy war of Bill C-234

Editorial: The proxy war of Bill C-234

Good governance is often boring to watch from the outside. If things ever become entertaining, something has usually gone off the rails. Boring is not the word I’d use to describe Bill C-234’s push to clear Parliament in the last few weeks. On Dec. 7 and 8, drama around the bill had spilled back into


Farmers caught in C-234 partisan conflict

Farmers caught in C-234 partisan conflict

Bill C-234 seems set to languish with Senate amendments

Liberals are defending their pet policy while Conservatives are seeing blood in the electoral waters, likely leaving farmers holding the bag on Bill C-234, analysts say. “The ones who get hurt by this are farmers,” said Dave Carey, vice-president of government and industry relations with the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Why it matters: Bill C-234

U.S. ethanol needs carbon capture: Vilsack

American ag secretary says carbon capture and storage critical to biofuel hopes

Reuters – Carbon capture and storage (CCS) at ethanol plants in the U.S. Midwest is necessary if the industry and its farmers hope to have a role in the burgeoning sustainable aviation fuel market, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Nov. 29. Three CCS pipelines that would transport and store captured carbon from ethanol plants


Agriculture has the potential to further drive Manitoba’s economy, bring investment to our province and develop our communities.

Comment: Government in an uncertain world

There are a couple of asks agriculture needs to make of government

What should farmers be asking of governments? This is an especially relevant question for producers in Manitoba who are getting to know the new government led by Premier Wab Kinew. Farmers and their representatives need to get this question right. Sometimes, agriculture’s asks can be counterproductive both for the development of a positive relationship with

Premier Wab Kinew answers questions on his party’s Nov. 21 throne speech.

Health care and heat pumps

Throne speech light on ag as the province sets priorities

Agriculture got brief mentions in the provincial government’s throne speech Nov. 21, in which Premier Wab Kinew’s government outlined its priorities for the upcoming legislative session. One mention appeared as the speech turned to Manitoba’s economy. The government committed to investments in agricultural innovation. “Manitoba’s agricultural producers work hard to feed families in Manitoba and around the


Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn (left) and Premier Wab Kinew (center) at the Nov. 24 announcement regarding financial assistance on Crown land lease payments.

Rent cuts announced on Crown lands

Announcement expands rent reduction plan introduced by the previous government

The new NDP government has announced its first official policy change on the Agricultural Crown Lands program since taking the reins this fall. On Nov. 24, the province said it was immediately shifting plans for next year’s rent levels. The new plan will “essentially freeze rates to the same as 2023 and will provide producers

Manitoba ships millions of weanlings into the U.S. each year.

Manitoba Pork pushes for VCOOL prep 

Manitoba Pork wants retaliatory tariffs locked and loaded if VCOOL goes ahead

Manitoba Pork will support retaliatory tariffs if the U.S. goes ahead with its voluntary country of origin labeling scheme, producers heard at a recent meeting. “It’s my view that if the U.S. moves ahead with these changes, Canada will have the right to impose those retaliatory tariffs … We are again requesting the government of Canada to fight back,” said Cam Dahl, general manager