What’s Up – for Jun. 30, 2011

——— Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] or call 204-944-5762. June 28-29:Compost Matters in Manitoba, AAFC Brandon Research Station. Two-day workshop for “organics recycling and compost advocates.” For more info call 1-877-571-4769 or email [email protected]. July 6-8:Canadian Seed Growers’ Association annual general meeting, Sheraton Hamilton Hotel, 116 King St. W., Hamilton. For more info

One More Seeding Option

The crop insurance deadlines for annual crops have passed, but farmers still have an opportunity to generate a salable crop from those unseeded acres – while controlling weeds and soaking up some of that excess moisture. Extension agronomists and cattle producers are urging crop farmers with unseeded acres to grow greenfeed. With so many pastures


Letters – for Jun. 23, 2011

Bipole boondoggle continues Another week, another round of rains drowning the grains and livestock sectors, another Manitoba Co-operator in the mail, and yet another letter from Rosann Wowchuk proclaiming the economic and environmental virtues of Bipole III. The former minister of agriculture gives us the same story: west side is good; east side is bad. A

Tick That Can Cause Lyme Disease Making A Home In Manitoba

The odds of picking up a blacklegged deer tick – and contracting Lyme disease – are on the rise in Manitoba. The southeast corner of Manitoba and an area around the Stanley Trail in south-central Manitoba now have established blacklegged tick populations. Surveillance findings suggest they now occupy an area that may stretch from the


Rural Schools Pursue New Way Of Teaching Agriculture

They caught and identified bugs, walked the banks of the Boyne River looking for evidence of riverbank erosion, spoke to weed and soil specialists about biodiversity, ecosystems and farm production systems. And while that might sound like any other end-of-school-year field trip, for about 100 Grade 10 students in south-central Manitoba, the visit to the



Ted Bailey Honoured

Manitoba feed industry entrepreneur Ted Bailey was presented with the Distinguished Service Award at the University of Manitoba Spring 2011 Convocation earlier this month. The award is presented by the Board of Governors for exceptional contributions to Manitoba in areas which are of major interest to the University of Manitoba, and/or which are directly associated

Lake Manitoba Residents Forced To Flee Flooding

Tom Teichroeb was busy last week moving the last few cattle off his flooded farm near the shores of Lake Manitoba. When he’s done, he’ll move his family out, too. Teichroeb, his wife and two young daughters had rented a house in town and were moving in furniture when shifting flood waters would let them.


Stuck With The Blame

Manitoba pork producers are bristling over a provincial plan to protect a deteriorating Lake Winnipeg by clamping down on hog manure applications. Hog farmers say they feel the government is unfairly fingering them as offenders in endangering the health of the lake by polluting it with phosphorus. “It’s completely unfair to the industry to target

Smoking Guns And Testy Waters

We almost expected to hear the hoofbeats of a white horse in the background as Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger rode to Lake Winnipeg’s rescue last week. Armed with a new report by Saskatchewan biologist Peter Leavitt that says changing agricultural practices, specifically increased hog production in Manitoba, are to blame for at least half of