Last Sunday I attended an event in the City of Winkler [Manitoba Canada] Park that thrilled me. Why, because I witnessed, participated with, experienced the thrill of celebration like I haven’t seen in a while with over 2,000 new Canadian immigrants, mostly from Germany.

Star 7 International is an immigration consulting firm whose primary goal is to assist skilled workers, business persons, farmers, and professionals from abroad to immigrate to Canada and settle in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Adele Dyck, who started the Winkler, MB firm in 1996, has helped over 1200 families with their immigration to Manitoba, 10,000 people represented by the 2,000 who came together in Winkler to celebrate. “We have gained extensive experience by counseling families from western and eastern Europe and Latin America, to realize their dream of living and working in Canada,” says Dyck on her website. “The immigration process can be a time-consuming and costly undertaking. We encourage those interested in immigrating to Canada to carefully consider this life-changing decision together with family and friends.” Continue reading →

The Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation is encouraging small rural communities to join forces and work as regions as one way of empowering their local leadership. Last month the Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation released a study entitled ‘Identify a Process for Effective Rural Economic Development’.

The report features an analysis of historical and future macro trends in rural regional population in North America and explores the ‘Action Humboldt’ initiative” which used various methods of leadership empowerment to develop a strategic plan for the region. Continue reading →

The head of Maple Leaf Foods [Canada] suggests improved wastewater treatment is key to double shifting the company’s Brandon hog slaughtering plant.

In an address to community leaders in Brandon recently, Maple Leaf Foods President and CEO Michael McCain reaffirmed his company’s commitment to double shifting its flagship Brandon pork plant as quickly as possible.

He notes, to overcome the financial hurdles of a new wastewater treatment facility, the City of Brandon in partnership with Maple Leaf Foods and Wyeth Organics have sought out a collaborative solution to their respective wastewater treatment challenges. Continue reading →

The World Harvest for Kids was significant in many ways, but to me once I tallied up the media outlets I had touched in some way directly and indirectly, and the number of mediums I had used to get there, it blew me away.

Without sounding like I’m blowing my own horn overly much, let me explain. When Ray Wieler, the organizer of World Harvest for Kids contacted me about getting some exposure, I had no idea it would explode in the manner if did. My thanks go to all the different media outlets for catching the vision, and playing your part in getting the word out there. Today, I had a note from an editor in Quebec who wanted to use a combine picture, and tell the story about the camp. Continue reading →

One of my goals in posting to AgWired.Com is to improve relations by helping us better understand each other.

Henry C. Dyck, Consultant and media Specialist in Saskatoon, SA says trade deals within Canada, between provinces is necessary. Often, we do better with the Americans and countries around the world than with people in our back yard. Much of the price crunch facing farmers today comes from the cheaper US dollar; that drop has squeezed the profit right out of farming. I’m still trying to figure out how the powers that be, the economists couldn’t at least in part have forecasted the problems facing Canadians should this ever happen. Happen it did, and with a vengeance. Continue reading →

With farmers in the United States and Canada producing more food than we can collectively eat, exports and trade agreements help feed the system. In fact, those trade agreements are necessary for the survival of farmers, particularly in Canada.

John DePutter of Ontario writes how bilateral free trade agreements the U.S. is negotiating with Central and South American countries will put the Canadian pulse industry at a disadvantage in those markets. When ratified, bilateral pacts between the U.S. and Peru, Columbia and Ecuador will allow the U.S. to take advantage of tariff reductions of 15% to 30% on pea or lentil exports to those countries, said Greg Cherewyk of Pulse Canada. Continue reading →

Researchers at the University of Manitoba are confident sophisticated computer modeling will help ensure the emissions from biomass fuelled heating systems meet acceptable environmental standards. The two-stage greenhouse gas displacement system, developed by Vidir Biomass Systems, uses large straw bales as fuel and relies on primary combustion followed by secondary combustion to get a complete burn.

As part of 620 thousand dollar Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council sponsored project, researchers will be developing computer models designed to evaluate emissions from the unit. University of Manitoba industrial research chair Dr. Eric Bibeau says the goal is to create an automated system to maintain optimal conditions during operation to minimize gaseous emissions. Renewable CO2 is not an emission. Continue reading →

Randy Tkachyk is a beef producer in southeast Manitoba who wasn’t sure what to do when BSE shut the US border in May of 2003. He started selling beef from his own cattle to friends, neighbours, relatives. Today he’s part owner of ManitobaBeef.Com.

On top of BSE, 2004 and 2005 were wet years destroying much of his hay crops. This year, it looked real good, but then it didn’t rain in June and July, leaving him short again. However, this young chap, a strapping 6 ft 4, maybe 6-6, keeps on keeping on. Many could take a lesson from him. Here’s his latest email to me. Continue reading →

The US based National Pork Producers Council is expressing its concern over a Health Canada proposal to restrict even more the use of Carbadox in Canada. Carbadox is an antibiotic used to protect against swine dysentery in the nursery phase.

Canada authorized its use in the early 1970′s but in 2001, Health Canada issued a stop sale order on the product and withdrew its drug identification numbers in 2004. Now Health Canada is proposing to restrict its use further, to ensure no residues of the drug or its metabolites end up in pork products.

National Pork Producers Council president Joy Philippi says the approval for Carbadox has been around for 35 years. She’s convinced its 42-day withdrawal period is sufficient to guard against residues. “Carbadox is actually fed in the earlier stages of life for pigs and we know, because of the 42 day withdrawal period, there’s no residue from that drug in the meat at slaughter,” said Philippi. “What’s been brought forward is, whether meat that has been fed Carbadox could go to Canada. If we can not export meat into Canada that’s been fed Carbadox, it’ll have a tremendous impact on the US pork industry as far as our economic viability.” Continue reading →

It’s a new world record, and it’s going for a good cause.

Winkler began to celebrate it’s centennial today by harvesting 160 acres of wheat with 100 combines.

It only took them 11 minutes 16 seconds, beating the previous mark of 15:48 set by Westlock, Alberta in 1998.

For me, this day has been an awesome experience. Thousands of people with estimates as high as 8,000 or 9,000 were not uncommon as the combines moved down the field at speeds of 2 1/2 to three miles an hour.

Here’s event organizer, Ray Wieler announcing and displaying the official record.

The event was also a fundraiser to send underprivileged children from countries like India to camp. Funds raised through the event will go to Children’s Camps International, which sends thousands of kids in countries like India to camp.

The awareness created by this event will help to increase the fund raising efforts.

Siemens Says

Farmscape.ca reports the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB has kicked of a three-year project aimed at developing monitoring systems that will improve control of emissions from straw-fired industrial heating systems.

Five years ago, Vidir Machine replaced the coal fired heating system at its Arborg manufacturing plant with a wheat straw fueled heating system and the company is installing a similar unit at its manufacturing plant at Morris. The greenhouse gas displacement system, developed by Vidir Biomass Systems, uses large straw bales as fuel and relies on primary combustion followed by secondary combustion to get a complete burn. Continue reading →

Ray Wieler, President of Children’s Camp International and coordinator for World Harvest for Kids says things are ready for the big harvest set for August 5, near Winkler, Manitoba. The group’s goal is to break the record for the fastest harvest of a quarter section of wheat.

All proceeds from the event will go to help send children in Asia to camp. Their goal is to raise enough money to send 40,000 kids to camp where they can receive a message of hope for their future. Children’s Camps International is an organization dedicated to giving underprivileged children in developing areas of the world an opportunity to attend camp. Based in Winkler, and under the direction of Wieler, a former Winkler Bible Camp director, the organization currently runs children’s camps in India, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Belize. Wieler said they have about 95 combines lined up. Continue reading →

A food science professor with the University of Manitoba says processors have dramatically increased the shelf life of fresh meat products using new sanitation compounds and procedures, tighter temperature controls, and new packaging materials.

The investigation and control of factors that cause spoilage in meat will be among the topics explored next month in Calgary when the Canadian Meat Council hosts a symposium on advanced methods in quality control of meat and meat products. Continue reading →

An industrial equipment manufacturer in Manitoba expects to save about 50 thousand dollars a year in heating costs by switching from natural gas to waste wheat straw fuel.

In 1999, Vidir Machine replaced the coal fired heating system at its Arborg, Manitoba manufacturing plant with a three million BTU wheat straw fueled heating system and the company is now installing a smaller one million BTU unit at its manufacturing plant at Morris.
The greenhouse gas displacement system, developed by Vidir Biomass Systems, relies on primary combustion followed by secondary combustion to get a complete burn. Continue reading →

A home economist with Manitoba Pork Council is recommending barbecuing as one of the healthier low fat ways of cooking. With the arrival of the warmer summer temperatures outdoor barbecuing peaks in popularity.

Home economics consultant Marlene McDonald says barbecuing, along with baking, grilling, broiling or roasting, is one of the recommended methods for healthy cooking. “When you’re looking at a nutritious cooking method, we’re looking at methods that either minimize the fat in food by limiting the amount that’s added during cooking,” says McDonald. “That would be like frying or deep frying or deep frying where you’re using a lot of fat. On the other hand, if you’re doing something like grilling or broiling or barbecuing, you’re cooking the meat on a grill somehow and the excess fat is dripping away so you don’t have it retained in the meat.” Continue reading →

North Dakota has traditionally led in confection sunflower acres. However, this year if estimates prove true and projections are on, Manitoba may have more acres than North Dakota. “It has to do with alternative crops,” said Fred Parnow of Seeds 2000, Crookston, Mn. “When we got into spring time here, the farmers finally realized that confection contract prices were not going to be to the price levels they were in previous years. Wheat futures had a pretty good boost coming into spring.”

Rob Park, Oilseed Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture said ND had 230,000 acres last year, dropping to 125,000 this year, 54 percent of 2005. The confection market overall in the US and Canada is only 54 percent of 2005, dropping to about 350,000 acres this year. Continue reading →

Prairie swine producers are applauding a Canadian Grain Commission plan to restructure western Canada’s wheat classes.

Last month, the Canadian Grain Commission unveiled plans to eliminate kernel visual distinguishability requirements on all classes of wheat except hard red spring and amber durum and introduce a new general purpose wheat class. The changes, set for August 2008, will clear the way for the registration of high yielding wheat varieties suited for feed or industrial uses such as ethanol, currently not allowed because they resemble milling wheats. Continue reading →

An Alberta, Canada pork producer suggests technologies designed to cut the amount of water wasted by hogs in the grower barn not only offer environmental benefits, but substantial economic benefits.

As part of a project to examine water wastage and greenhouse gases reduction in hog operations, JV Farms in High River, Alberta installed water meters and compared usage by pigs drinking from ball bite type nipple drinkers to those using standard drinking systems for one calendar year. The switch to ball bite drinkers slashed water use by an average of 35 percent with the most dramatic reductions evident during the hottest days of the summer with no negative impact on behavior or performance. Continue reading →

Canada’s national and provincial farm animal care councils are joining forces to deliver a three year 700 thousand dollar project designed to put farm animal welfare on the agenda.

A new national initiative, being coordinated by the Ontario Farm Animal Council, its sister groups in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and the new National Farm Animal Care Council has been launched in an effort to improve the lines of communication among the scientists who conduct animal welfare research, the farmers, ranchers and veterinarians who use that information and the public. Continue reading →