Miranda Leybourne

Brandon

Reporter at Brandon Sun

Reporter with Glacier Farm Media

Articles

Spring grazing tips: Walking the line between economical turnout and pasture burnout

2 days ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

One of the most important decisions a producer can make is when to start grazing, and plant development should be top of mind when deciding, according to a North Dakota grazing specialist. While many producers decide their grazing time based on what they’ve always done, or on other outside factors, that’s not always ideal, said Miranda Meehan, a livestock and environmental stewardship specialist at North Dakota State University.
Funds to pad Manitoba agriculture against tariff pain

3 days ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – The Manitoba government has laid the latest brick in their defence plan against the economic fallout of Canada’s ongoing trade war; this one targeted at agriculture. Speaking at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in early April, and then later in the day at Brandon’s Maple Leaf Foods, Premier Wab Kinew said the province would be bolstering the safety net offered by agricultural business risk management programs.
Control drainage costly, but beneficial

4 days ago | grainews.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Tile drainage can significantly improve soil conditions by accelerating warming and reducing compaction, allowing farmers to access fields earlier in the season, according to a University of Manitoba expert. Ranjan Sri Ranjan, a professor in the department of biosystems engineering at the University of Manitoba, says water needs five times more heat to warm up compared to dry soil — and the only source of energy to warm soil is the sun.
Insecticides losing ground against potato pests in Western Canada

1 week ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Resistance to insecticides is complicating pest control for potato growers, with experts warning that overuse, off-target exposure and pest resurgence are driving control failures. Ian MacRae, an entomologist with the University of Minnesota’s Northwest Research and Outreach Center, is one of the experts watching the trend. WHY IT MATTERS: Agronomists and farmers have noted for years that previous go-to chemical pesticides are providing lower control against pests like Colorado potato beetle.
Canadian beekeepers divided over U.S. package bee access after winter losses

1 week ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

As Canadian beekeepers assess significant winter losses, the debate around whether to allow the importation of package bees from the United States has returned to the spotlight. Package bees from the U.S. have been blocked from Canada since the 1980s, and a 2022 report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) notes that since 2017, package honeybee imports have come exclusively from Australia, New Zealand, and Chile.
Manitoba cattle producers can manage difficult labours with tested strategies

1 week ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – With calving season well underway, producers can benefit from some key techniques and advice for dealing with difficult or obstructed labour. The first two important steps in working with calving dystocia, as it is formally called, are figuring out why the calf isn’t coming and knowing when to intervene, said Dr. Shania Jack, who works out of the Morden Vet Clinic in Morden, Man.
Iron deficiency chlorosis took toll on Manitoba soy

2 weeks ago | grainews.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Manitoba’s soybean acres had a hard time with iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) in 2024. Although usually a soybean problem, IDC can also pop up in other pulses, such as field peas, dry beans and fababeans. Interveinal yellowing affects new growth, and sometimes interveinal browning, or necrosis, appears. “It’s a condition where the plant can’t take up iron.
Soil pH levels can help make seeding decisions

2 weeks ago | grainews.ca | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia — Managing soil pH is a crucial but often overlooked aspect of soil health and crop productivity, says Marla Riekman, a land management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “[The] pH is a measure of hydrogen ion activity in the soil,” Riekman said during a Manitoba Agriculture Crop Talk online seminar last month. The pH scale is logarithmic, with each whole number indicating a tenfold shift in hydrogen ion activity.
Busting myths about Manitoba’s wild pigs

2 weeks ago | producer.com | Miranda Leybourne

Glacier FarmMedia – Efforts to control Manitoba’s wild pig population are ramping up, but the province’s situation differs significantly from the invasive pig crisis in the United States, says Wayne Lees, co-ordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba. Wild pigs are a real threat to animal and human health because they contaminate water with E.
Riverside Hutterite Colony gets top honours

2 weeks ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Miranda Leybourne

It was a western Manitoba sweep at this year’s Royal Manitoba Winter Fair Pork Quality Competition. Riverside Hutterite Colony of Arden took the top spot for their hog carcass entry, followed by Treesbank Colony near Wawanesa in second and Wellwood Hutterite Colony of Ninette taking third. WHY IT MATTERS: Brandon’s Royal Manitoba Winter Fair brings out thousands every year, both farmers for events like the pork quality competition, and the general public.