vintage newspaper article

Southwest Manitoba goes from dry to drenched

Our History: June 1999

Manitoba’s southwest has historically been considered a bit on the dry side, but that reputation was beginning to change in 1999. Our June 3 issue featured several stories on dealing with that year’s deluge. Many farmers were said to be seeding from hilltop to hilltop, aerial sprayers were hoping for federal government approval to apply

shopper at a beef display in grocery store

Beef, pork producers watch home markets as exports grow

Both sectors have adopted strategies to increase domestic consumer demand

While they’re major players in overseas markets, Canada’s beef and pork sectors also want to stop losing domestic market share to imports, industry representatives told the Canadian Meat Council annual conference. “Imports continue to flow into Canada,” said Derrick Ash, director of national marketing for Canada Pork. Domestic pork consumption dropped by five per cent


processing fish for caviar

Amidst an oil boom, North Dakota produces premium caviar

There is only a limited number of paddlefish that can be caught per year

North Dakota is known globally not just for prolific oil production, but also, it turns out, for caviar. A distinctly American version of the salty delicacy prized for centuries by Russian czars gets its start each May in the cool waters where the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers converge, the same spot where explorers Lewis and

oats

Yorkton oat processor no longer accepting oats treated with pre-harvest glyphosate

Grain Millers Canada says its research links timing of application to reduced processing quality

Starting with the 2015 crop, oat buyer Grain Millers will no longer accept oats or oat products treated with glyphosate because of research showing it can change the processing quality. “We wouldn’t have taken this step if we didn’t think we had to,” said Terry Tyson, grain procurement manager for Grain Millers Canada based in


dairy cattle being milked

Milking it: Israel leads the way in dairy tech

China, India, other Asian countries, now look to Israeli expertise

Decades ago Israeli dairy farmers confronted a quandary — how could they provide milk to a fast-growing population in a country that is two-thirds desert, with little grazing land? They turned to technology, developing equipment that boosted output — from cooling systems to milk meters and biometrics — and have made Israeli cows the most

soil erosion

Human security at risk as depletion of soil accelerates, scientists warn

Change is needed so that valuable, non-renewable fertilizers are recycled

Steadily and alarmingly, humans have been depleting Earth’s soil resources faster than the nutrients can be replenished. If this trajectory does not change, soil erosion, combined with the effects of climate change, will present a huge risk to global food security over the next century, warns a review paper authored by some of the top


aerial view of a chicken farm

Wild birds have higher resistance to flu virus

With bird flu ravaging barns in the U.S. and knocking at Canada’s door, 
it might be time to reconsider how poultry are raised

For years, poultry producers have been breeding something in their barns other than birds. Avian influenza. Long present in wild bird populations, the low-pathogen version of the virus has entered barns, remaining there until a series of mutations turned into something else — something deadly. “We have been playing with fire,” said Earl Brown, a

U.S. Capitol Hill senate building

Editorial: COOL fight not over yet

U.S. legislators will soon vote to repeal, but how it will all play out remains to be clear

The WTO has made its final-final decision in Canada’s favour on U.S. labelling laws. It now appears that U.S. legislators in the House of Representatives will vote next month on a bill to repeal it. But Canada’s COOL fight isn’t over. Support for repealing the legislation is less secure from the U.S. Senate where the


chickens in a barn

Mozart and mood lighting, a healthy prescription for chickens?

Combined with probiotics, it all adds up to a reduced need for drugs

In barns filled with classical music and lighting that changes to match the hues outside, rows of chickens are fed a diet rich in probiotics, a regimen designed to remove the need for the drugs and chemicals that have tainted the global food chain. As food giants face growing pressure to offer healthier produce, Southeast