Off-label glyphosate applications can be costly

Farmers are increasingly going “off label” applying higher rates of glyphosate to their Roundup Ready canola at a later crop stage than recommended, a survey commissioned by Monsanto Canada reveals. As a result farmers are losing three bushels an acre, Monsanto Canada said in a recent new release citing its own research. “The symptoms of

Half-moon holes produce crops in the sub-Saharan desert

An innovative water-trapping technique is making the desert bloom in one of the most inhospitable regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Demi-lunes — holes in the shape of a semi-circle — are used to capture and store run-off rainwater. It’s a simple low-tech water-harvesting method which enables crops to grow in a hostile climate. The water conservation


Changing climate and oil markets good for Churchill

Churchill port sees new opportunities for shipping in a melting — and rapidly developing — Arctic

The thawing of the Arctic is a chilling environmental prospect, but Port of Churchill proponents say it heralds a new era for Canada’s long-neglected and underutilized northern deepwater port. Since the port was built 70 years ago, the focus has been on grain shipments, but it’s now shifting to supplying the fast-growing communities in Nunavut

Ag in City draws newbies

The Forks Market in Winnipeg helps cook up some interest in agriculture by 
playing host to the eighth annual Discover Agriculture in the City event

For farmers, it’s all in a day’s work, but for the students who came to check out Discover Agriculture in the City, it was something totally new. Thousands of visitors made their way through the three-day event held at The Forks Market in Winnipeg last weekend, including many youths and students, taking in displays, cooking


Producer touts benefits of grass-fed beef

Bragi Simundsson says raising beef on grass is just common sense; it’s the marketing that gets complicated. “Ruminant animals like cattle and sheep were built to eat grass,” reads the Arborg farmer’s web page at www.manitoba grassfedbeef.ca. “We think that animals should do the job they were built for. We believe that the protein portion

Researchers praise the many benefits of cover crops

University of Manitoba plant science researcher says farmers need to think more about what happens below a field’s surface and how they can improve soil health

It’s time for farmers to stop treating soil like dirt. “The role of a farmer is to manage a complex ecosystem to produce food, feed, fibre and fuel,” University of Manitoba plant science researcher Yvonne Lawley said at the recent Ecological and Organic Farming conference. “Millions of ‘moving parts’ need to work together, both above


Cows and crops: A perfect combination, experts say

Fifteen years ago, Marc Boulanger and his family took a closer look at what was happening on their operation near Grande Clairière, Man. — and didn’t like what they saw. “In the late 1980s, when grasshoppers were a major problem, we’d spray — then we were watching how the grasshoppers died, then the birds were

New professorship in agricultural risk management

Staff / Lysa Porth has been selected to head the new Guy Carpenter Professorship in Agriculture Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business. The professorship was made possible through a gift of $750,000 from Guy Carpenter & Company, a global leader in risk management and reinsurance intermediary services. The


An agricultural connection to the Iran hostage crisis

Since a Canadian flag helped American Lee Schatz escape the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, he never left home without one

Brian Oleson is head of the department of agricultural economics at the University of Manitoba. He recently watched the Academy award-winning film Argo, based on the 1979 rescue of six U.S. diplomats by the Canadian Embassy in Iran under the direction of Ambassador Kenneth Taylor. Here he relates another Canadian connection. Watching Argo reminded me