Brandon-area farmer, Brett McRae recently began trialling an intensive grazing plan.

Cattle producers implement new grazing options

Using forage to finish cattle takes a strong focus on everything from cattle genetics to forage quality

Ryan Boyd would rather be searching for newborn calves in waist-high grass than snowdrifts. The western Manitoba grain and cattle farmer has joined the ranks of producers changing things up on the cattle side of their operations in search of lower operating costs and better environmental stewardship. He’s found that producing forage-finished cattle requires a

John Heard

VIDEO: Successful nodulation in soybeans

Crop Diagnostic School: Very dry or wet soil conditions can make rhizobium establishment difficult

Soil problems and poor inoculation are two common issues facing Manitoba soybean growers each year. One area of research being studied is how acidic soil can affect soybean inoculation. But as John Heard, crop nutrition specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development shows, what the textbook tells us doesn’t always dictate what happens in the field.


Thick smoke moved through Manitoba last week, creating air quality concerns and reduced visibility to two kilometres in some areas.

Forest fire smoke invades Manitoba skies

Thick smoke from neighbouring forest fires has been lingering over Manitoba 
but experts say it’s unlikely to impact plant growth

Manitoba has been blanketed in smoke for more than a week as forest fires continued to spread across Western Canada. Drought-like conditions across the Canadian Prairies culminated to cause 395 active fires in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories by Monday morning. Air quality warnings have been issued almost daily and some producers may

MAFRD’s Anastasia Kubinec says the Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School gives agronomists hands-on training.

Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School focuses on topics important to agronomists

July 17 is set aside for farmers only to attend with a reduced registration fee

This year’s Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School is expected to sell out — again. As of last week there were still some openings July 16 and for farmers only — July 17, said Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD). “We’re pretty much sold out,” she said in an interview June 25. “I


Blackleg infections girdle canola stalks preventing the plant from taking up moisture and nutrients. Sometimes the disease will appear in strips of what appears to be prematurely ripening canola, which occurs sometimes with sclerotinia, another fungal disease that attacks canola.

To spray or not to spray canola for blackleg?

Longer canola rotations and switching varieties can reduce the need and cost of a fungicide

The best time to spray canola with a fungicide to control blackleg is at the two- to four-leaf stage, but there are things farmers can do to avoid having to spray at all and save money, says Anastasia Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’s (MAFRD) oilseed specialist. “Blackleg becomes a greater risk when you

Pupae and larva of redbacked cutworm

Manitoba crop insect and disease update – June 9, 2015

Flea beetles in canola and cutworms are the insects of most concern

Summary Flea beetles in canola and cutworms continue to be the insects of greatest concern. Insecticide applications and some reseeding have occurred because of feeding by these insects. Monitor emerging crops for seedling disease. So far populations of disease vectors have been low. Aphid vectors of barley yellow dwarf have not been seen or reported, and only small populations of


two men standing in front of brick building

Practising medicine outside the city limits

University of Manitoba medical students say early exposure to rural life draws some into rural practice

First-year medical students from the University of Manitoba got a dose of country life last week as part of an event showcasing the benefits of working and living in rural Manitoba communities. Thirty-three students from the University of Manitoba’s faculty of medicine were placed in 13 communities, including Brandon, Dauphin, Glenboro, Grandview, Hamiota, Neepawa, Rivers,

Johanne Ross

Agriculture in the Classroom formalizes and elects chair

After more than 15 years of directing the Manitoba chapter of Agriculture in the Classroom, Johanne Ross has been elected as the chair of the national chapter

A national chapter of Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is now an official not-for-profit organization and has elected Manitoba’s Johanne Ross as its leader. Ross has led AITC-Manitoba as the executive director for more than 15 years. She began her new role as the chair of the organization’s national chapter on May 20. “Johanne has


healthy groceries, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and vegetables

Editorial: Demand pull nature of organic foods can’t be ignored

The market for organic foods continues to grow in spite of naysayers

Imagine farming in a world in which you could control your production costs, receive a premium for what you produce, and where demand exceeds the supply. That might seem like the impossible dream in a year like this one, when it appears it doesn’t matter what crop a farmer grows, there are very few opportunities

women in a greenhouse

Women’s Institute focuses on food literacy

Gardening, food preservation and cooking come easy to its members 
so why not share those skills with others, say Woodmore WI members

Last spring they planted an extra row of vegetables in their gardens to donate to food banks. This year, members of a local Women’s Institute are going an extra mile to teach others to grow their own. The Woodmore WI held the first of three planned gardening workshops last week, and hopes to bring participants