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June bugs are an important food source for many other insects.
Comment, Op/Ed

Comment: June bugs. The ‘crouton of the sky’

Widely thought a pest, these creatures deserve a second look

By
Many people grit their teeth in anticipation of the arrival of June bugs. You might already have had your first run-in with one. Perhaps you heard one clumsily bounce off your window? Maybe you saw one loop around the porch light? Possibly, you felt one tangle its six sticky legs into your hair? June bugs,
Wildlife, especially rodents like raccoons and rats, can transmit leptospirosis to so-called ‘closed herds.’
Beef cattle, Livestock

Don’t be fooled into thinking a ‘closed herd’ is an excuse for inaction

Beef 911: Transmission can occur from wildlife, via spores or breeding bulls, so be proactive

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In my travels, on calls or when talking to other veterinarians’ producers, I still hear some hide behind the proverbial, ‘I don’t do that because I have a closed herd.’ It is an absolute misconception that because a herd is ‘closed,’ it is protected. That is a very broad statement and may apply to a
Mice can cause significant damage to on-farm grain storage, with contamination of grain with mouse droppings even leading to rejection by grain distributors and exporters.
Comment, Op/Ed

Comment: ‘No one ever forgets living through a mouse plague’

The dystopia facing Australian rural communities, explained by an expert

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Imagine constantly living with mice. Every time you open a cupboard to get linen, clothes or food, mice have been or are still there. When you go to sleep they run across your bed and, in the morning, your first job is to empty traps filled with dead mice. And the stench of dead mice
Swans and mallard ducks, seen using a car as a photography blind.
Farmit Manitoba

Continue with bird activities in spring

With the new season come new avian arrivals and observation opportunities

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Are you one of those who has recently taken up watching birds, or feeding or photographing them? With most Manitobans staying close to home, these have become new hobbies for many. With the arrival of spring, there are different birds to watch for, new requirements in bird feeding and maybe some changes in how you
Some areas of Western Canada might already be past the point where “pig free” is even possible, says a University of Saskatchewan researcher.
Farmit Manitoba

Losing the war with wild boar

Forget eradication. For some parts of Manitoba it’s now a containment game

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It’s time to up our efforts in the battle against wild pigs, according to a leading voice in the field. Ryan Brook of the University of Saskatchewan has spent years studying the rise of the invasive species in Western Canada, and has also spent years raising the alarm. He has watched as sounders — the
Beavers unlikely inspiration in drought mitigation
Farmit Manitoba

Beavers unlikely inspiration in drought mitigation

‘Biomimicry’ brought the Coen farm back from the edge of a water disaster

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If you look closely at a Coen family photograph taken over 100 years ago, you’ll spot a well in the back corner of the picture. It’s hand-dug, about 20 feet deep — all it took to find drinkable water in 1914. Today, the farm’s wells are 180 feet deep. Takota Coen told his audience at
Wolf spiders, robber flies, coyotes and burrowing owls are happy to dine on grasshoppers.
Crops

Predators line up for grasshoppers

Grasshoppers might be voracious — but so are the many things that consume them

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Farmers fear grasshoppers because, according to legend, they eat everything. There’s a flip side to this and farmers can use it to their advantage. In the grand scheme of Prairie ecology everything eats grasshoppers. “They do have a positive side,” Dan Johnson of the University of Lethbridge told the Manitoba Agronomists Conference earlier this winter.
An upcoming survey is going to define the predation problem and look at potential solutions.
Livestock, News

Producers asked to share information on predation

Producers can expect to see a survey in early December as part of the Livestock Predation Prevention Project

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Sheep and cattle producers are being called to share their experiences with predation. The Livestock Predation Prevention Project, launched earlier this year, will be releasing a producer survey in the hopes of gathering producer data on predation. Why it matters: Producers are being asked to give their insights on predation as the Livestock Predation Prevention
Manitoba Metis Federation says moose hunting ban ignores rights
News

Manitoba Metis Federation says moose hunting ban ignores rights

A one-year extension of a moratorium on moose hunting in certain areas all about the moose: Pedersen

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The Manitoba Metis Federation has indicated it’s prepared for a legal battle over members’ constitutional rights to hunt moose. “We are standing firm on our commitment to a balanced approach for Métis harvesters seeking moose meat to feed their families and elders, while limiting the number of animals taken,” said MMF president David Chartrand in
Night hunting has been explicitly outlawed in Manitoba. While Métis and Aboriginal rights remain, new rules require free permits in agro Manitoba, and some strict safety prohibitions.
News

New night hunting law now in effect

Law proclaimed makes night hunting explicitly illegal

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A law which explicitly makes night hunting illegal and which adds more regulations to its enforcement has been proclaimed. “This has been a priority for MWF and our members,” said Manitoba Wildlife Federation in a statement. “Together with all stakeholders and the government, we have made enormous strides.” As amended, the Wildlife Act reads, “No person shall hunt

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