Miranda Leybourne, Brandon Sun Journalist Profile

Articles

Wild pig control goes high-tech

1 week ago | farmtario.com | Miranda Leybourne

Canada’s wild pig fighters are increasingly looking to the sky. Drones, thermal cameras and AI-assisted image tagging are among the tools transforming how researchers and control programs are tackling Canada’s wild pig problem, attendees heard during the second Canadian Wild Pig Summit April 30. Why it matters: Wild pigs are an ecological and agricultural threat.
Manitoba scenario finds faster response needed against wild pigs

1 week ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

A simulation meant to mimic a sudden finding of wild pigs near Selkirk, exposed gaps in disease response, pig monitoring and the need for better mapping, local outreach and agency co-ordination. That’s according to material presented at the Canadian Wild Pig Summit II held online April 29. WHY IT MATTERS: Manitoba industry, residents and government have been fighting to beat back invasive wild swine, which are both an ecological and agricultural threat.
Irish advocate urges safer farms for Canadian families

1 week ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – Families can make farms safer for their children by following a few simple concepts. It beings with empowering children, acknowledging risk, and rethinking long-held habits, believes Alma Jordan, founder of the award-winning Irish social enterprise program AgriKids. Jordan grew up on a beef and crops farm in Kildare, Ireland, and now farms with her husband in County Meath, founded AgriKids following a particularly tragic year for farm accidents in her country.
Dry fields? Watch when you roll soybeans

1 week ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Soybean growers tend to roll right after seeding; they get any stones out of the way without having to worry about breaking plants. But when the field is dry, as fields were in the first part of Manitoba’s 2025 seeding season, farmers might want to think about wind erosion before they roll, according to Dennis Lange, a provincial pulse and soybean specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.
Industry wrestles with regenerative certification

1 week ago | farmtario.com | Miranda Leybourne

With producer and policy interest in regenerative agriculture growing across Canada, policymakers and industry leaders are debating how to standardize the concept without undermining its core principles or grassroots appeal. Why it matters: Canada needs flexible, farmer-driven standards to guide regenerative agriculture so that it’s more than a buzzword. Questions around standardization and regulation were front and centre during a recent webinar hosted by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.
Canadian cattle industry preps for new traceability rules in 2026

2 weeks ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Canadian cattle producers are awaiting new federal traceability regulations following a two-year consultation process. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency released an ‘owner’s guide’ based on early industry consultation, but amendments to the guide are anticipated after they were delayed by the recent federal election.
May swings Manitoba seeding weather

2 weeks ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Farmers in Manitoba got an involuntary break in their seeding and weed control operations in the second-last week of May, although that same rain brought relief to previously parched areas of the province. “We went from warm days to heavy rains, to no rain, to freezing temperatures and kind of been all over the board,” said Lionel Kaskiw, a Manitoba Agriculture crop production specialist, during a weekly Crop Talk webinar May 21.
Weed pressure hampers good winter wheat start in Manitoba

2 weeks ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Winter wheat is off to a good start in Manitoba, but the recent wet spell put a damper on weed control and let weeds like dandelions and cleavers get more foothold than producers would probably like. That’s according to a May 21 webinar hosted by Manitoba Agriculture. Winter wheat was generally average to above average going into the week, according to Lionel Kaskiw, a crop production specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “There’s not much winter kill showing up in most areas,” he said.
Wild pig control goes high-tech

2 weeks ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s wild pig fighters are increasingly looking to the sky. Drones, thermal cameras and AI-assisted image tagging are among the tools transforming how researchers and control programs are tackling Canada’s wild pig problem, attendees heard during the second Canadian Wild Pig Summit April 30. Aerial technology has become a vital part of wild pig surveillance and control, said Travis McGee, a research technician with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
Regenerative ag conference planned for Manitoba

2 weeks ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association is set to host its annual Regenerative Agriculture conference from Nov. 12-13 in Brandon. This one-and-a-half day event will bring together agricultural professionals, producers and families from across the region for a series of presentations and trade show.