Portage

Getting the proper amount of sleep is one of the most important things we can do to maintain or even improve our health. If you have a hard time sleeping, there are many ways to improve the quality of your rest, from improving your sleep habits to trying over-the-counter medications like melatonin or sleep aids (check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking over-the-counter medications).

Lorna Knight has officially begun her tenure as the new executive director of the Community Foundation of Portage and District, stepping into the role on May 1. She replaces Kimberly Lavallee, who is retiring after three years leading the organization.

A seamless transition

Knight notes her first official day was May 1, crediting Lavallee for easing the transition.

The Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame has recently welcomed a distinguished group of inductees, including an individual and teams with a connection to Portage la Prairie.

Among them is Rob Olson, whose career in fastball has left a lasting impact on the game, particularly in Portage la Prairie and surrounding areas.

The Hall of Fame honors those whose dedication to the sport has shaped Manitoba’s softball landscape, and Olson's induction is a reflection of his legacy.

For cow-calf operations, a major driver of profitability is reproductive efficiency, or the number of calves weaned per cow exposed. There are a lot of factors influencing this outcome, from breeding time through weaning. However, some considerations can be looked at well before the breeding season begins.

After calving, cows will have about 30 to 100 days to recover, resume cycling and be re-bred to calve around the same time the following year. This period through calving and early lactation is when a cow’s requirements for energy and protein are the highest.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is releasing an update with April stats on federally reportable diseases.

As of April 30th, there have been 17 cases of avian influenza, with three in British Columbia, one in Alberta, three in Saskatchewan, and two in Manitoba.

The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, the Honourable Bernadette McIntyre, and her husband, Mr. Rich McIntyre had a private audience with King Charles today at Buckingham Palace.

Their Honours presented the King with lentil and chickpea snacks from the Three Farmers company of Saskatoon. Saskatchewan is a major producer of pulse crops.

A jar of Savoury Dill Pickle Mustard from Gravelbourg Mustard. The province is the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed.

Alberta's Agriculture Financial Services Corporation put together the first crop report of the season. 

Manglai a product coordinator with AFSC, says provincially there's now 23 per cent of the 2025 crop is now in the ground, thawhich t's well ahead of the 5-year average of 12 per cent, and the 10-year average of 14 per cent.

"Regionally - the South leads with 50 per cent of all crops seeded, followed by the Central Region at 22 per cent, the Peace Region at 10 per cent, the North West at 8 per cent, and the North East at 6 per cent."

Update: A statement was released from Manitoba Hydro about the incident yesterday:

"An equipment issue yesterday (May 14) caused an outage to approximately 5,700 customers for ten minutes. It began at 4:20 p.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m., affecting customers in Portage la Prairie, Oakville, Elm Creek, Southport, and the surrounding RMs."
 

Original story:

The Lakeshore Regional Wellness Commission is preparing to open the doors of the long-anticipated Lakeshore Regional Wellness Centre in Ashern.

The facility, a transformation of the old curling rink, will hold a soft opening on June 1, 2025, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the community-focused project.

Scott Cameron, vice-president of the board, says the project has been years in the making and has involved significant planning, fundraising, and upgrades to bring the vision to life.

Production is expected to recover by 70 million tonnes due to favourable conditions, while demand will rise by 45 million tonnes

SASKATOON — The global grain outlook for 2025-26 is incredibly balanced, says an analyst.

The International Grains Council (IGC) is forecasting 2.373 billion tonnes of production and an identical 2.373 billion tonnes of demand.

“We’re looking at quite a finely balanced fundamental picture for grains,” Helen Plant, senior analyst for the United Kingdom’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, said in a recent webinar.