Unearthing The Potential

As I looked down at the thick mat of rotting vegetation PhD student Caroline Halde was holding up for me to peruse, it was hard to fathom – at first – why anyone but the most devoted of researchers would find this exciting. I was at the University of Manitoba’s Ian N. Morrison Research Farm

What’s Up – for Aug. 25, 2011

——— Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] or call 204-944-5762. Sept. 19-22:North American Weed Management Association annual conference, Canad Inns Fort Garry, 1824 Pembina Hwy., Winnipeg. For more info call 204-232-6021 or visit www.invasivespeciesmanitoba.com. Sept. 30:University of Manitoba Transport Institute’s Fields on Wheels conference, Delta Winnipeg Hotel, 350 St. Mary Ave. Theme: “Grain transportation


New Centre Brings Farming To The Table

Having difficulty explaining where piglets come from? Or struggling to get a city cousin to appreciate the origin of whole wheat bread? A new facility located at the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station has the answers to those questions and more. The Bruce D. Campbell

Winding Down The Canadian Wheat Board

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) will be “wound down” if the federal government delivers on its promise to end the board’s single-desk marketing authority next Aug. 1, says CWB chair Allen Oberg. Ottawa, not farmers, should cover the millions of dollars in costs, including employee severances, pensions and delivery contact defaults, the board said in


In Brief… – for Aug. 11, 2011

Correction:The following four winter wheats – CDC Kestrel, CDC Clair, CDC Harrier, CDC Raptor and CDC Falcon will be transferred from the Canada Western Red Winter wheat class to the Canada Western General Purpose class Aug. 1, 2013. Incorrect information appeared in last week’s edition. CDC Falcon will remain in the CWRW class past 2013

“Endnotes” On The CWB’s Future

The following is the endnotes from the recently published paper by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy called “Removal of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly: Future changes for farmers and the grain industry.” The paper concludes that while the loss of the board’s monopoly will be challenging, Western Canada’s sophisticated farmers will adapt to find



Why Keep Bashing The Board?

After decades of hard work, the Canadian Wheat Board’s opponents have finally won their battle. Normally, congratulations would be in order, but congratulations are deserved only by those who have courage of their convictions and are gracious in victory. We’re not seeing much of either. Instead, the winners of this debate are continuing to heap


Agricultural Hall Of Fame – for Aug. 4, 2011

Keith Smith was born and raised on a farm in the Oak Lake area of Manitoba. Following high school, Keith attended the University of Manitoba from which he graduated with a B. Sc. in agriculture in 1955. Three years later, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an M. Sc. in Extension Education. In

Ugly Perennials Getting Admiring Looks

In a back corner of the Ian N. Morrison Research Farm is a nursery of what most farmers would consider butt-ugly plants with spindly stems, tiny seeds, and weedy characteristics. But they might just be the salvation of grain farming if the impact of climate change falls hard on the Canadian Prairies. The plots contain