Kaminski returns to Manitoba Agriculture

Kaminski returns to Manitoba Agriculture

David Kaminski is once again a field crop pathologist for the province

David Kaminski, Manitoba Agriculture’s new field crop pathologist, is a familiar face to many of the province’s farmers. That’s because Kaminski had the same position from 2001 until 2007 and worked as a manager with Manitoba Agriculture out of its Carman office until 2013. In May of that year Kaminski started his arborist business. After

Dairy Farmers of Manitoba chair David Wiens says the silver lining in the recent USMCA is the upswell of public support for Canadian dairy farmers.

USMCA discussions dominate at Dairy Farmers’ AGM

Supply management is the hill we must die on – Alistair Johnston Canadian Dairy Commission

Dairy Farmers of Manitoba chair David Wiens minced no words in his address to the organization’s annual general meeting earlier this month. “This has been one of the most dramatic years,” he told the assembled delegates. He was of course mainly referencing the recently negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and how it has affected the


Forecast: Nice long-weekend weather expected

Issued August 27, 2018: Covering the period from August 20 to September 5

It looks like the transition from a summer to a fall weather pattern has begun. This was evident in last week’s forecast, which didn’t quite play out as expected. We did see a rather strong area of low pressure move through our region last weekend, but the forecast timing and track of the system was

asian lady beetles

Respite from the ‘lady bugs?’

There were fewer aphids in Manitoba crops this year so Asian lady beetle populations should drop too

Those pesky Asian lady beetles, the bane of rural Manitoba homeowners, aren’t expected to be nearly as plentiful this fall because there haven’t been as many aphids for them to feed on, says Manitoba Agriculture entomologist John Gavloski. “The ladybird beetles were abundant last year because they had lots of food,” he said in an

Clinic attendees get into the fine details of combines during a July 13 clinic in Neepawa.

Women take the wheel at combine clinic

Ag Women Manitoba wants to beat back the 
preconceptions over female farm equipment operators

Tiffany Dancho and Pam Bailey don’t think machinery should just be for men. Two of the lead voices behind Ag Women Manitoba, Dancho and Bailey set off for Neepawa and the group’s inaugural combine clinic July 13 in the hopes of getting women more comfortable in the cab. “I’ve been in equipment for 10-plus years,


Sitting long hours in the tractor can cause lower back pain.

Farmers need to keep in shape

Sitting long hours in the tractor cab is hard on 
the body so here’s some tips to help prevent injury

Paul Gregory, 60, is a farmer and president of Interlake Forage Seeds Ltd. in Fisher Branch, Manitoba. He is also an avid skier and running marathoner who believes one must condition their body for farming just like for sport. “Lower back pain is a part of long days in the cab of a tractor or

Beef producers are celebrating the end of a U.S. TB testing requirement.

Manitoba scores a win on U.S. TB testing

The USDA will no longer require Manitoba beef and bison producers 
to test for TB before export. So what does that mean for the industry?

As trade tensions rise between the U.S. and Canada, Manitoba’s beef industry is celebrating the removal of a long-standing irritant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rolled back testing requirements on bovine tuberculosis for breeding stock, an issue that producers say has hovered over their industry since 1997, when the CFIA downgraded Manitoba’s TB status.

dan mazier

KAP president Mazier resigns to seek Tory nomination

Dan Mazier to seek Conservative candidacy for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Dan Mazier resigned his position Friday so he can seek the Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination for MP in the Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa in western Manitoba. “I would like to acknowledge my sincere appreciation to all the (KAP) staff, executive, board and the members of KAP who have offered support and


There just hasn’t been enough rainfall to fill dugouts this year in much of the province.

Producers watching drying dugouts

Livestock producers have a closer-than-normal watch on low dugouts, although Manitoba Agriculture says levels aren’t near the danger zone yet. No regions were reporting drinking water shortages as of early June, although Manitoba’s June 4 crop report noted varying levels across the province. Dugouts in the Interlake flagged at a third to two-thirds full, while

STARS donation

Manitoba farm family issues challenge to support STARS

Portage la Prairie farm donating the profits from a 40-acre soybean crop 
to support the air ambulance service

A Manitoba farm family is donating proceeds from a crop to support the STARS air ambulance program and issuing a challenge to other farms to do the same. They’ve planted 40 acres of soybeans and will donate the net profits to STARS, said Jill Verwey of Verwey Farms in the Portage la Prairie area. STARS