Bioblending a path to growth

A Manitoba short line railway has been nationally 
recognized for its innovative solution to blending biodiesel

Central Manitoba Railway (CEMR) didn’t plan to get into biofuel blending — until it saw a good business opportunity headed the wrong way down the tracks. “The railway is a mature business and we’re a short line with 120 miles of track, so where do we grow our business?” said CEMR’s assistant general manager, Sean

KAP questions checkoff administrator

The Keystone Agricultural Producers is miffed over a federal decision to appoint the Alberta Barley Commission as administrator for the new interim checkoff on western wheat and barley. “I can’t see why KAP couldn’t have handled it or why the Canola Growers or Corn Growers couldn’t,” KAP president Doug Chorney said in an interview last


Farmers urged to tell their story but keep it real

Ordinary farmers could help polish the livestock industry’s image 
by posting matter-of-fact video clips on popular Internet site

Corrected, June 8, 2012 — Livestock producers should seize the power of YouTube to counter the influence of animal rights activists. But ditch the PR and keep it real. That was the advice of renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin delivered at a sold-out presentation here last week. “When YouTube first started, about two or

Rust arrives ahead of usual

Leaf rust appears to be showing up on winter and spring cereals earlier than usual this year, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives May 25 insect and disease report says. There have been reports of rust on spring and winter wheat in the Dauphin-Grandview area. “It is unknown whether the pathogen overwintered in the area


Good data is the antidote to hype

Magnetized seed, cheese whey, aspirin and diesel exhaust are among some crop-enhancing treatments farmers have been urged to buy over the years. A lot more are certain to appear when companies don’t have to prove their fertilizers work to get them registered, predicts Don Flaten, a professor of soil science at the University of Manitoba.

Ottawa appealed ruling against Ritz on CWB Act

The Federal Court of Appeal reserved its decision May 23 after hearing the federal government’s appeal of a ruling last year that Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz broke the law by not consulting with farmers before ending the Canadian Wheat Board single desk. The Appeal Court hasn’t signalled when it will render a decision. But its



Dry spell spooks wheat market

Adamaging global dry spell is wilting wheat crops in Kansas, threatening exports from Russia and slowing sowing in Australia, serving a timely reminder to hedge funds that a new era of surplus grain is far from assured. In their biggest surge since 1996, Chicago wheat prices jumped by more than 17 per cent in mid-May


High compound feed cost hits pig farmers

amsterdam / reuters Europe’s pig farmers are struggling to maintain production, caught between a slide in pork prices and a rise in the cost of protein-rich soymeal and rapemeal used in compound feed. The price of soymeal has surged nearly 40 per cent this year. Along with rapemeal it is used as the main source

Snake-oil versus innovation

Most farmers would scoff at the notion of replacing their nitrogen fertilizer with maple syrup. But Manitoba Agriculture soil fertility specialist John Heard was able to make a convincing argument using some creative interpretation of data. In 2009, Heard conducted a trial comparing the impact of a special “growth enhancer” derived from Acer negundo on