Winter Derange (r) and Maeve Partyka (l) show off goats to visitors at Aurora Farm. Nearly 40 farms participated in the annual event, which is in its sixth year.

Open Farm Day a success

Warm weather and sunny skies drew droves of urbanites to Manitoba farms

Gravel roads and farm lanes were packed with vehicles last Sunday, as Open Farm Day brought out what might be a record number of visitors in its sixth year. Just south of Winnipeg, Aurora Farm was literally crawling with visitors of all ages, eager for the opportunity to feed a goat, touch a chicken or

In 2014, nearly one million Manitoba acres were too wet to seed and thousands of acres of crop were damaged by too much moisture.

Risk management review task force seeks farmer input

It’s looking for ideas to mitigate the impact of increasing severe weather on producers

Everybody complains about the weather, the old saying goes, but nobody does anything about it. Well, Manitoba’s Agriculture Risk Management Review Task Force can’t fix the weather, but it wants to hear Manitoba farmers’ ideas for mitigating its impact. “We’re hoping there will be some real thinking out of the box by people on the


Bailey Gitzel sells her cookie sandwiches and French macaroons at the opening day of the Carman Farmers’ Market June 19. The 17-year-old Graysville entrepreneur also sells honey produced from her own beehives. She plans to study agriculture at university.

New specialists, more online resources for small-scale production

The government must act quickly to keep up with needs of a fast-emerging sector, says report chair

Manitoba is acting on the recommendations for improving the working environment of small-scale farmers and processors, says Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn. Last week he and other MAFRD officials were at the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market to introduce the two business development specialists being reassigned in the department to work with these

two veterinarians working on a cow

Provincial task force to evaluate rural veterinary services

The task force will report back to government with recommendations in January

A new three-person task force will evaluate Manitoba’s rural veterinary services, consult with stakeholders and provide recommendations to government on how to enhance the service, Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn has announced. The minister has appointed Dr. Paul Schneider, Bertha Russell-Langan and Merv Starzyk to the task force. Over the next six

two petri dishes of grain samples

Infrared technology identifies and removes fusarium-infected grain

Technology coming to Winnipeg feed mill will also provide the building blocks for a new biomass fuel

A Winnipeg feed mill is about to become the first in North America to install infrared grain-sorting technology in a commercial facility. Thanks in part to $1.1 million in funding from Growing Forward 2, Standard Nutrition Canada will integrate two BoMills into its St. Boniface facility over the next four months. The main allure of


4-H kids cleaning up litter

Roadways are cleaner now, thanks to 4-H clubs

Kids who pick up litter are far less likely 
to toss their own trash

Manitoba’s roadways are a lot cleaner this week, thanks to hundreds of young 4-H club members who donned gloves, boots and high-visibility vests and set to work last Saturday morning with supervising parents and adult volunteers to gather up garbage in the ditches. It’s an ‘ew-yuck’ sort of job, but the young folk taking part

girl kissing a young cow

Farmers encouraged to register for Open Farm Day

This year's event will be held September 20; farmers have until June 1 to register

The Manitoba government is encouraging farmers to participate in the sixth annual Open Farm Day to share information about the diversity and importance of the province’s farms while also showcasing local foods, Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn says in a release. “Open Farm Day is our opportunity to showcase Manitoba’s agricultural industry

pigs in a barn

New hog barns for Manitoba?

The rules haven’t changed but…

After years of being locked in a standoff, producers and the Manitoba government are inching closer to consensus on how to go about renewing the province’s aging pig production capacity. Producers attending the Manitoba Pork Council annual meeting last week were told a “special pilot protocol” would result in the resumption of new barn construction


CWB building

Mixed reaction to sale details: some like it not, some like it sold

Opponents say the lack of farmer control and foreign ownership is offensive while others are glad the deal is done

The Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board (FCWB) and National Farmers Union and federal NDP oppose the sale. “This was just another step in the largest transfer of wealth away from farmers in the history of this country,” said FCWB chair Stewart Wells who farms at Swift Current, Sask., and served as an elected wheat

Ag Awareness Day at the Manitoba legislature included showcasing local foods during lunch in the rotunda.

More than a decade of Ag Awareness

Canadian Prairie Garden Purées has been recognized for creating a pure product that 
makes excellent use of visually imperfect produce

It was a chance for Manitoba’s agricultural industry to step back and appreciate how far farming has come, before jumping into spring seeding. Producers, processors and politicians gathered at the Manitoba legislature last week to celebrate Agriculture Awareness Day — a non-partisan event launched in 2005. “Manitoba’s agriculture sector is soaring to new heights, which