An algae bloom photographed in 2017.

Opinion: Agriculture is part of the solution for Lake Winnipeg

Laying blame on farmers fails to capture nuance of the problem

It is not your great-granddaddy’s farm anymore. While some may have nostalgia for the old farm with a little red barn that housed a few chickens, a couple of pigs and a dairy cow, it is better for both the environment and the economy that agriculture has modernized. Today’s farmer has taken, and is taking,


Canada’s fire season is expected to begin earlier and last longer this year.

Comment: Canadians left high and dry on water management issues

Federal budget 2024 misses the mark on water-related investments

Canadians are worried as they look ahead to summer. Forest fires in British Columbia are expected to begin earlier and last longer this year and the Prairies are still expecting continued drought. Other Canadians are also bracing for or are already experiencing extreme flood conditions. In the lead-up to the federal government’s 2024 budget, there


A flooded field in St. Andrews, Manitoba. A new paper says Canada’s water policies, management and research efforts are under-developed and uncoordinated.

CAPI pitches national agri-food water strategy

Think tank says farmers have been let down by lack of a national plan

Glacier FarmMedia – Canada should use its enormous water resources to become a sustainable food powerhouse and a global water research superpower, says a new paper from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. The country’s water policies, management and research efforts are under-developed and uncoordinated, it said, which leaves water resources and challenges largely unaddressed. That’s something a national plan should fix, says the report written


photo: NDSU

Hay prices, supply steady for now

FEED | Producers in some parts of the province will be buying hay this winter

Areas across Manitoba may be hard up for hay and feed, but those watching the market say there’s good supply available for purchase and prices have yet to rise significantly. Ads for new-crop and carryover forage are plentiful, said John MacGregor, forage expert with the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, and prices have been fairly

Manitoba’s water strategy now has an action plan to go with it.

Water strategy action plan launched

The document will guide initial implementation of the provincial water strategy

Manitobans had their first detailed look last week at how the province intends to implement the water strategy it unveiled last year. The province announced its initial water strategy action plan July 5. The 38-page document includes 72 actions and itemizes $990 million worth of funding over the next five years. Why it matters: The

Zebra mussels are infamous for clogging water infrastructure intakes, threatening local ecosystems and being almost impossible to control once they make their way into a lake or river.

Forum to fight aquatic invasive species

The advisory group is the latest in Manitoba’s AIS measures

The Government of Manitoba is hoping that a multi-stakeholder advisory group will help hold the line on water-based invasive species. The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Advisory Forum was announced June 26 to “ensure a regionally diverse range of perspectives are incorporated into prevention and containment activities,” according to a government release. The forum will be


“Preventing the risk of waterborne disease is important and the province wants well and cistern owners to take steps to protect themselves.” – Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer.

Free water testing if you’ve been affected by flooding

The province will waive water testing fees for flooded cisterns and wells for four months

Flood-impacted Manitobans will not have to pay to ensure their water is safe to drink. The province has announced a four-month period in which water testing fees will be waived for owners who had flooded wells and cisterns. Free tests are only available through Winnipeg’s Horizon Lab Ltd., until Aug. 31. Manitoba Environment and Climate

The SWOT spacecraft is moved into a transport container inside the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 18, 2022. (Photo: USSF 30th Space Wing/Chris Okula)

NASA to conduct first global water survey from space

Data would bolster weather and climate forecasts

Los Angeles | Reuters — A NASA-led international satellite mission was set for blastoff from southern California early on Thursday on a major Earth science project to conduct a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time. Dubbed SWOT, short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography, the advanced radar satellite