The development of insecticide resistance happens for the same reason weeds become resistant to herbicides — the overuse of certain crop protection products, says John Gavloski with Manitoba Agriculture.

How to prevent insecticide resistance from developing on your farm

It doesn’t happen often on the Prairies but when it does product overuse is often to blame

Insecticide resistance on the Canadian Prairies is rare. Experts say producers have a pretty good handle on how to manage their insect crop pests with the products they have. But that doesn’t mean resistance doesn’t happen. Resistance in insects occurs for the same basic reason it does in weeds, says a leading entomologist — the […] Read more

Three generations of the Eppich family take to the ice on a farm pond before the spring thaw arrives.

Foaling begins as calving season ends

There’s always some ups and downs, but fortunately more ‘ups’

March was a busy month for us with calving. It was still quite cold at night so we were doing night checks at two-hour intervals. Our first heifer calved March 6 and we had to pull the calf. That same afternoon the newest member of Eppich family, Ian, was baptized. It was a beautiful ceremony […] Read more


Canadiana classics — Part 2: Rhubarb, a great spring fever tonic

Canadiana classics — Part 2: Rhubarb, a great spring fever tonic

Most Prairie gardens have a patch of rhubarb and it is one of the first plants to emerge in the spring

Most Prairie gardens have a patch of rhubarb and it is one of the first plants to emerge in the spring

Few ingredients say “Canada” — or spring — as insistently as rhubarb. Rhubarb thrives in cool climates and is among the first plants to emerge in spring. My mom has a rhubarb patch, like most Prairie gardeners. She can’t keep up with it once it hits its stride, so I am the lucky beneficiary. The […] Read more

PHOTO: FERTNIG/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

Unexpected trips and falls are major causes of injury

To help prevent this try these exercises to build awareness of the feet

Unexpected trips, stumbles and falls are major causes of injury risk for the vast majority of people, and the risk tends to go up as we age. The passage of time does often come with a regression of things like balance, body awareness and control. Degeneration of joint structures, soft tissue and neurological ability physically […] Read more


PHOTO: FIZKES/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

When it’s hard to honour Mom what can I do?

When you’re feeling stuck in your relationship here’s some suggestions

Coming to terms with a farm mom who is difficult to deal with may not be what you were expecting to read. After decades coaching farm families, one might expect that farm moms always are collaborative and willing to negotiate what is the best for all members of the family. Recently, the word “narcissist” has […] Read more

Ford took its all-electric F-150 Lightning to Alaska for cold-weather proving this winter.

Can the F-150 handle extreme cold?

Ford heads to Alaska to test its electric pickup in extreme temperatures

As more discussion in the automotive world centres on electric drivetrains, potential Canadian buyers tend to ask one question more than others: how will electric vehicles perform in the dead of a brutal Prairie winter? To help convince potential buyers its all-electric F-150 Lightning is a capable all-season vehicle, Ford sent six of them, along […] Read more


A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Be prepared for an animal disease outbreak

Hopefully, infectious diseases don’t appear in Canada but the industry needs to have a plan in place

Hopefully, infectious diseases don’t appear in Canada but the industry needs to have a plan in place

If there ever is a foreign animal disease outbreak in Canada, we all know it could be devastating to the industry. Contagious pathogens such as foot and mouth in bovines, sheep and swine, or African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs, can cost individual producers in lost production and animal deaths, as well as closing the […] Read more




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Planting progress picking up in Saskatchewan

MarketsFarm — Overall spring planting across Saskatchewan reached 33 per cent complete as of Monday, according to the latest weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture. Despite the good progress over the week, that’s still 20 points behind the five-year average. When compared to the excellent progress this time last year, the gap expands to 41 […] Read more