PembinaValley

The month of July has brought cool, wet weather and smoke from forest fires to the majority of the Prairies.

Rain has been reported in some of the drier areas, but its coming too late for drought stressed crops and forage, with RM's across Manitoba, and Saskatchewan and  Alberta County's now declaring agricultural disaster areas.

Taking a regional look at what's happening:

Manitoba

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture & Food.

The agreement is designed to build stronger collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous agricultural producers.

Keith Currie, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says by working together, we can amplify Indigenous voices, support agricultural entrepreneurs, and promote food production in ways that benefit all Canadians.

The provincial government recently announced two conservation programs: the Private Land Conservation Program and Ecosystems Grant Program 

The government of Alberta is investing $10 million to improve private land conservation, with the launch of two new and improved programs.

The enhanced Private Land Conservation Program and the new Ecosystems Grant Program will enable better protection of natural areas across the province, while allowing landowners to use their land for farming and ranching, the province has said.

An Ontario judge is delivering her ruling in the sexual assault trial for five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team.

Content warning: This live blog includes graphic descriptions of sexual acts and explicit testimony from a court proceeding that some readers may find disturbing or triggering. Reader discretion is advised.

The RCU Aquatic Centre hosted their annual Swim Smart event this week, coinciding with National Drowning Prevention Week. With the goal being teaching the community about safe swimming practices, the day was both fun and informative for all ages.  

Funeral For:  Kevin Wynn 
Funeral Date: July 25, 2025 
Kevin Wynn, 56, of Belleville, Ontario formerly of Blumenort, passed away Thursday, July 10th at Belleville. He is survived by his mother Margaret Wynn, his
wife and best friend Kelsey Wynn, children Morgan, Devon and Jorja Wynn, grandson Malcom, siblings Brenda Hunt (Randy) and Johnathan Wynn. He was predeceased by his father Edward Wynn.
Cremation has taken place. 
The celebration of life for Kevin Wynn will be held Friday, July 25th at 1pm at Southeast Event Centre, Steinbach. 

Fire crews returned to the town of Leaf Rapids Thursday morning after a wildfire burning close to the community jumped the Churchill River and entered the industrial area of town, forcing emergency crews to flee.

In a post made on social media, officials say that so far, only one house has been damaged. 

 AgraCity - a generic crop input supplier - sending out an important notice yesterday to its clients thanking them for their patience while they work through their operational restructuring after experiencing cash flow problems.

AgraCity owes product to a number of farmers and is attempting to reimburse growers for crop inputs they bought but did not receive.

The company announced they have restarted their packaging and product fulfillment operations and will be making products available to customers soon.

 Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation will provide support measures through its AgriInsurance program, improving cash flow for livestock producers needing to secure additional feed.

MASC will be applying a quality adjustment factor to reduce yield appraisals by 40 per cent for drought-stricken cereal crops that are converted to livestock feed.