Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced at Ag Days the province will explore changes to how Keystone Agricultural Producers collects membership fees from farmers. (Allan Dawson photo)

Manitoba surveying farmers on KAP funding system

The Manitoba government wants “farmers’ and stakeholders'” feedback on potential changes to Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) funding model — and fast. The deadline to fill out an online survey or download and email it in is March 9, the government said in a release Thursday. “The current approach to funding our province’s general farm organization […] Read more



Wilting of a group of sunflowers due to root to root infections

Sclerotinia a triple threat for Manitoba sunflowers

Minimize chances of sclerotinia infection in your sunflower field next season

Sclerotinia affects a variety of crops, from canola to pulses to soybean. For Manitoba sunflower growers, the disease is a triple threat, with the potential to strike plants at the base, mid-stem or head. In 2016, it was present in 94 per cent of Manitoba sunflower fields. Dr. Khalid Rashid, research scientist at Agriculture and […] Read more

(Bruce Fritz photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Sunflowers fight for acres in crowded Manitoba fields

CNS Canada — Better prices have created some optimism for sunflower growers in Western Canada — a feeling that may be needed to help the crop maintain acres in the face of so much competition. “I think in Manitoba we’re going to be battling for acres compared to some of those competitive crops,” said Darcelle […] Read more


Snow on farmland at Turtle Lake in northwestern Saskatchewan on Oct. 14, 2016. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Saskatchewan snowpack points to below-normal runoff

Thanks to above-normal temperatures that drew down much of Saskatchewan’s snowpack in January, the province now sees “below normal runoff potential” in most areas outside the southeast. Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency on Thursday released its 2017 preliminary outlook for spring runoff, noting the province has another six to 10 weeks of possible snowpack development. The […] Read more




Pinto beans. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Pinto prices strong, farmers weigh new-crop options

CNS Canada –– Manitoba pinto bean spot prices are holding steady near yearly highs, as adverse weather during the growing season scaled back production. “It was a pretty wet year, compared to the previous year,” said Dennis Lange, Manitoba Agriculture’s industry development specialist for pulse crops in Altona. Areas of southern Manitoba saw heavy rainfall […] Read more



leafy spurge

Training cattle to eat leafy spurge

With leafy spurge acres spreading, it’s time to bring on some new tactics

There’s a reason why “spurge” rhymes with “scourge.” The last economic impact analysis of the noxious weed in Manitoba, which came out in 2010, concluded that leafy spurge costs the province $40.2 million every year due to lost grazing capacity, costs of chemical controls on roadsides and indirect costs. In 2010, there were roughly 1.2 […] Read more