Seed Companies Pull Out Of Variety Trials

APrairie-wide program of canola variety trials has been cancelled this year after most of the participating seed companies unexpectedly pulled out. Canola seed developers did not enter enough canola varieties in the 2010 Prairie Canola Variety Trials for it to go ahead, the Canola Council of Canada, which administers the trials, said last week. Dissatisfaction

Loose Sow Housing No Panacea, Producers Say

“Removing a crate from the barn has a huge ripple effect.” – MARG REMPEL, STE. ANNE PRODUCER Mention activists who oppose sow gestation stalls and Marg Rempel gets so frustrated she can hardly talk. It isn’t just anti-stall people who upset her. It’s their lack of knowledge about what eliminating gestation crates would really mean


No Till No Silver Bullet For Lake Winnipeg Phosphorus Loading

It has long been a commonly held belief that zero tillage is a good way to keep phosphorus out of watersheds. But the latest research at South Tobacco Creek, near Miami, shows that the soil conservation practice aimed at covering up bare dirt with crop residue may be leading to more of the nutrient leaking

Canola And Peas “Love” Each Other

Results from intercropping trials are showing that planting two crops together offers higher yields than monocultures. It’s old hat for organic farmers, who have been seeding cover and relay crops since the days when Grandpa seeded peas and oats together, harvested them with a horse-drawn binder, and pitched the sheaves off a hayrack to his


Proposed Internet Cuts Spark Rural Outcry

“You don’t have access to do much business.” IAN WISHART, KAP Last week’s public outcry over a move to cut a federal program linking rural Canadians with the Internet may speak volumes about Internet service outside urban centres. The opposition to the government’s plan suggests Internet service in rural Canada isn’t nearly as good as



In Briefs continued from page 2 – for Mar. 11, 2010

Correction: W434 is a new winter wheat from Rob Graf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada adapted to Manitoba and was recently supported for registration. Its winter wheat survival is rated similar to Radiant and CDC Falcon. Incorrect information appeared last week. Joint effort: The University of Manitoba and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives have

Farmers Willing To Tackle Climate Change

Farmers can adapt to climate change, but they need the necessary tools to help them do it, a conference in Winnipeg last week heard. If they don’t get them, agriculture in Western Canada will take a big step backwards, Barry Routledge, a farmer from Lenore, Manitoba, told the gathering. Farmers will not take unnecessary risks


Cattle Producers Call For Predator Bounties

“The populations have just gotten way out of hand.” – SHEILA MOWAT, MCPA Acall by Manitoba cattle producers for a province-wide bounty on wildlife predators looks like a non-starter with the NDP government. “We’re not about to introduce a general provincial removal program for coyotes and wolves,” said Barry Verbiwski, Manitoba Conservation’s head of problem