Ag News

Livestock producers are looking for a good stretch of warm, dry weather to get this year's hay crop in.

Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist Natasha Wilkie says as the forage matures, the quality decreases over time, while the quantity of the forage increases over time.

Ideally, producers are looking for that sweet spot when those two lines intersect, that's when you'll have your greatest quality with your highest yield.

She says if you're looking for a general rule of thumb, alfalfa quality is greatest in the early stages.

Summer storms are bringing not just rain and high winds to the prairies but also hail.

This year, heavy rain, hail, funnel clouds, and even tornado warnings seem to be a prominent occurrence across the prairies.

Hail damage can prove very costly, cutting yields and, in some cases, devastating a crop.

Crop Extension Specialist Meghan Rosso says following a hail storm, farmers will want to give crops 3–4 days to see if plants will recover.

Manitoba and the Federal Government are working to revitalize traditional food systems under the Sustainable CAP program.

Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says they are working with Indigenous communities to bring and expand traditional ways of growing food, train workers and grow businesses in the agriculture sector.

This year, 26 projects have been funded, totalling $1.52 million, and applications are now open for next year’s funding.

One of the projects is the Long Plain First Nation Community Wellness’ Hunting and Gathering, Foraging and Processing Project.

The June 21st Prairie Pest update covers a lot of ground with information on a variety of insects for farmers to be aware of covering insect identification, scouting tips, potential issues and more.

Dr. Meghan Vankosky, a field crop entamologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, works with her AAFC and her provincial counterparts in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in putting together the weekly report and identifying any potential issues.

Virden area cattleman and auctioneer, Rick Wright has been synonymous with the Manitoba livestock marketing industry for decades. 

Wright has served with the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association as Executive Administrator for multiple years, as well as on the Board of Directors for the Livestock Markets Association of Canada.  He has been recognized for his work on improving the livestock marketing industry both for Manitoba cattle producers as well as on a national level.

Farmers now have access to a new disease monitoring website specific to issues on the Prairies.

The Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) launched its new website at "prairiecropdisease.blogdpot.com.".

The PCDMN is a coordinated field crop disease monitoring program for the Prairies, focusing on providing timely information about crop diseases and highlighting effective disease management strategies.

CN's Assistant Vice-President of Grain, David Przednowek says they saw strong movement early in June.

"We're about a half million tonnes of processed grain products shipped in week 45, pushing 550,000 tonnes in week 46."

He points out that compared to historical levels, those are both pretty strong weeks. 

Przednowek says going forward into July, he expects to see a slowdown in grain movement as a number of the export terminals and canola processing plants start their maintenance shutdowns.

Four agricultural champions from across Canada have been selected by the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame as its 2024 inductees. Dr. Bruce Coulman, Dr. Michael Eskin, Paul Larmer and Dr. Charles Vincent will be formally inducted on November 2 at a ceremony during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario.

"It's like we're the doormat of Manitoba," says Scott Chalmers from the Melita area. "Every storm seems to come through the Souris River and enter the province, at least the big ones anyway."

As an Applied Research Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Chalmers keeps his eyes on the skies watching for the next system that's developing in Saskatchewan or North Dakota making its way east. 

Frequent rainfall and excess moisture have resulted in one per cent of the acres in the province going unseeded.

Crops extension specialist Meghan Rosso says overall, the rain is supporting crop growth in the majority of regions across the province, but there is some crop stress occurring in the northern regions from excess moisture.

"Currently, three per cent of land is flooded and unlikely to produce a crop, one per cent of forage crops have excess moisture and are unlikely to produce a crop."