Canola Acres Could Decline In Manitoba

Oilseed acres may be nearing their maximum in Manitoba and could decline over the next six years, according to projections from the provincial Agriculture Department. Total canola, flaxseed, sunflower and soybean acres will peak at 4.6 million acres in 2011 and fall slightly to 4.5 million acres by 2017, predicts Anastasia Kubinec, a Manitoba Agr

Lots Of Heat, Not Much Light

There was a little heat but not much light from the five candidates who squared off in the two-hour debate on agricultural issues hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture April 11. Despite his recent remarks in Minnedosa about letting farmers decide the future of the Canadian Wheat Board, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz reiterated the


What’s Up – for Apr. 21, 2011

——— Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] or call 204-944-5762. April 26:Environmentally Sustainable Food Production: What is the Role for Animal Agriculture? Session with AAFC research scientist Dr. Henry Janzen and a farmer panel, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. For more info or to

Cold Weather Makes Cattle “Greener”

Cattle emit less methane in the winter than in summer, a recent study has discovered. And now that the results have been sent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists will use it to develop a more accurate picture of the true contribution of ruminants to global warming. Previously, the IPCC had not taken


Organic Alliance Seeks Financial Relief For Small Growers

Aprovincial industry lobby group wants the Manitoba government to ease the financial burden which new regulations will place on small organic farmers. The Manitoba Organic Alliance is asking the province to rebate part of the money small producers will have to pay to comply with organic standards under the incoming regulations. Currently, growers can sell

Climate Change A Mixed Bag For Farming On The Prairies

In an 1860 report to the British government, Captain John Palliser recommended against settling the southern Canadian Prairies because he considered the area too arid and poorly suited for farming. Now, a century and a half later, his words may be prescient. The Palliser Triangle, a 200,000-square-km area named after the 19th century explorer and


New Chair, Directors For Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

The Mani toba Rural Adaptation Council is looking to expand its mandate and find new ways to serve rural Manitoba, says the council’s new chair. “I think we can take the talent that’s around the table, and do an awful lot more for Manitoba,” said Shelley Curé, a dairy producer from St. Pierre- Jolys, who

Buying Clubs

Once a month a delivery truck pulls up in front of Anna Weier’s Winnipeg home on Langside containing pre-ordered packages of meat, jars of honey, bags of grain and other farm-grown produce. Over the next hour people pull up to Anna’s house, to collect and pay for their purchases. They chat with each other and


Pencils And Green Thumbs: Learning Horticulture On The Prairies

The horticulture industry in Canada is thriving. In 2008 it represented $5.78 billion in agricultural cash receipts – 14 per cent of the total – and $3.85 billion in exports, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. On the Prairies, horticulturalists work in greenhouses and nurseries, help to improve fruit and vegetable production, and tackle landscaping

Harvest Cattails To Divert Phosphorus, Says IISD

Phosphorus in run-off water is turning Lake Winnipeg into the “most eutrophic” of all the large lakes on Earth. But on the other hand, phosphorus is a valuable nutrient that is arguably more strategically important to modern economies than crude oil. But what if the cattails in Netley Marsh were harvested and pelletized into solid