Letters – for Apr. 15, 2010

Disastrous economic development The warning previews are being posted, as John Oliver speaks out on global energy, with food and water shortages on the horizon. (March 25 Manitoba Co-operator story by Daniel Winters.) We read that more than one billion people go hungry every single day and have little or no clean water to drink,

Putting Fertilizer Where It’s Needed

“We’re trying to match the nutrient requirements to the production.” – WADE BARNES, FARMERS EDGE Last year, about eight million pounds of phosphorus fertilizer – roughly equivalent to 150 semi-truckloads – were not applied on 750,000 acres of cropland in Western Canada. It wasn’t needed. Credit Farmers Edge and variable rate technology for the cost


Manitoba Farmland Values Continue Hot

The American humorist could have been referring to Manitoba, judging by the latest report on farmland values by Farm Credit Canada. Manitoba farmland values increased by an average of 5.9 per cent during the second half of 2009, following gains of 5.5 per cent and 4.2 per cent in the two previous reporting periods, FCC

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