Special Aid For Flooded Farmers

The Manitoba government is promising “comprehensive” compensation to crop farmers and livestock producers whose livelihoods are threatened by the unprecedented Assiniboine River flooding this spring. “I do want to indicate we are developing through our Department of Agriculture a comprehensive plan for the many impacted areas throughout the province whether it be in the Shoal

Bipole III Route Must Change

Farmers will be directly affected by the construction of the Bipole III power transmission line and Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) continues to lobby the Government of Manitoba to abandon the plan to develop the west-side route. KAP is opposed to the west-side route because it is not the right way to proceed for farmers and


Weekly Weather Map – for May. 5, 2011

The Weather Vane is prepared by Daniel Bezte, a teacher by profession with a BA (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology, from the University of Winnipeg. Daniel has taught university-level classes in climate and weather and currently operates a computerized weather station at his home near Birds Hill Park, on 10 acres he plans to

Join The Celebrations

What memories do you have of Canada’s national parks? Is it strolling along the shores of Clear Lake, or swimming in the lake’s cold, clear water? Relaxing beside a campfire and your tent while you watch a beautiful sunset over Lake Audy and listen to the mournful wail of a loon? Or perhaps you’ve travelled


Rivers To Crest This Week

Rural Manitobans remained on high alert this week as rising flood waters continued to spread across the province, forcing people from their homes, washing out roads and inundating farmland. With crests on the province’s two major rivers, the Red and Assiniboine, expected by early next week, flooding also remained general along most of the smaller

Cattle Insurance In The Works

The Manitoba government has set aside $200,000 for a livestock insurance pilot program for the province’s cattle producers. The allocation is hidden in the 2011-12 provincial budget brought down April 12 by Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk. TheCo-operatorlearned about it during briefings by Treasury Board officials in a media lockup prior to Wowchuk’s budget speech in


In Brief… – for Apr. 14, 2011

Frozen culverts:Floods from melting snow could damage highways and bridges in Saskatchewan, the provincial government said April 7. The Saskatchewan Highways Department said it has brought in steaming equipment as well as pumps and water tanks to thaw out frozen culverts to help drainage. Last year, big sections of Saskatchewan’s highway network were flooded, including

Climate Change A Mixed Bag For Farming On The Prairies

In an 1860 report to the British government, Captain John Palliser recommended against settling the southern Canadian Prairies because he considered the area too arid and poorly suited for farming. Now, a century and a half later, his words may be prescient. The Palliser Triangle, a 200,000-square-km area named after the 19th century explorer and


Good Spot For Birdwatching

With spring’s arrival, many of us can hardly wait to start enjoying the great outdoors. It’s a little early for camping, but not too early for a nice drive and a short walk or two. Last year in April I enjoyed an outing to a couple of spots along southern Lake Manitoba: St. Ambroise Beach

What’s Up – for Apr. 7, 2011

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] or call 204-944-5762. April 7:“A threat to family farms, public health care and public services,” a National Farmers Union Region 5 public meeting on the Canada/European Union economic and trade agreement, 7 p.m., Room 2C, Union Centre, 206-275 Broadway, Winnipeg. For more info visit www.nfu.ca. April 9:Manitoba Organic