Bridging The Disconnect Between Farm And City

“I think it’s important to state things that are valuable.” – BRIAN OLESON, U OF M There was the usual praise from the dignitaries assembled at the base of the grand staircase in the Manitoba legislature. Agriculture is a pillar of the Manitoba economy. Agri-food processing produces over $3 billion in goods and services annually.

Getting The Most Out Of Green Gold

“Being the opportunistic SOBs that we are in the industry, we take that free nitrogen, convert it to something, and then charge the guys for it.” – RAY DOWBENKO Growing crops to feed the world removes nitrogen from the soil. To figure out how much needs to be put back in for next year, a


No Smoking Gun For CCD

For the past three years, a mysterious die-off of honeybees in the U. S. has gripped public attention and led to fascinating theories about its origin. Suggested causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD) included pesticides, diseases, changing weather patterns, inadequate nutrition, environmental stress and plain overwork. Some blamed radio waves from cellphones for causing bees

ACC Forum To Discuss Climate Change

David Barber used to be a skeptic. Barber has spent almost 30 years studying sea ice in the Arctic region. For the first 10 years he thought that changes he was observing in the ice, and the effects they had on the Arctic ecosystem, were as a result of natural variability. He was not convinced


Phosphorus Hard To Manage In Organic Systems

“The problem is every time we’re removing forage, there goes our phosphorus and we’re never replacing it.” – Joanne Thiessen Martens, Organic Agriculture Centre Of Canada Research And Extension Associate Truly sustainable organic production systems recycle nutrients that are removed from the soil by crops. That is why farmers use legumes as cover crops and

High-Yielding Wheat Remains Elusive

“Canada’s grain quality reputation is being put at risk, we’re spending a crapload on testing and it’s costing farmers money. Someone should be held accountable.” – EARL GEDDES Kernel visual distinguishability was pushed into an early grave last August to clear the way for new developments in high-yielding wheat suitable for livestock feed and ethanol.


Stop Recycling Pathogens In Animal Feed

“Something needs to be done to show reduced levels of these frequencies.” – RICHARD HOLLEY, U OF M Two recent high-profile cases of foodborne illness have once again raised concerns about the safety of North America’s food supply. Last year, 20 Canadians died and 36 more sickened after eating processed meat contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes

More Tips From Reena

3 Wipe your hair with a fabric-softener sheet to control static electricity. Tip: Keep an extra fabric-softener sheet in your jacket pocket for this purpose, especially during dry months. 4 Drop a capful of liquid fabric softener into a litre of water to make your own lint-free cleaner for regular glass and Plexiglas. 5 Store


What’s Up – for Mar. 5, 2009

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762 March 5 – Canola College 2009, Victoria Inn, 3550 Victoria Ave. W., Brandon. Registration $100. For more info visit http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_college_2009.aspx. March 5 – Manitoba Buckwheat Growers Association annual meeting, 9:30 a. m. to 3 p. m., University of Manitoba Ian Morrison Station, Carman (one mile west

Kraft Lecture Timely

“He would have been impressed with the quality of the presentation and the quality of the questions.” – brian oleson University of Manitoba students too young to have learned from the late Daryl Kraft as a professor nevertheless felt his influence last week at the inaugural lecture series established in his memory. “This is something