Canola is often referred to as western Canada's Cinderella crop because of its humble beginnings and fast climb to multi-billion dollar status. The oilseed is my favorite crop because of its bright yellow flowers. The countryside around my family farm is a sea of yellow during the summer. Here are some photos from our recent canola harvest. We... Continue Reading →
View from the top
I can jump out of a plane at 13,000 feet and jump off a ledge from 47 metres up (sky diving and bungy jumping in New Zealand last winter), and yet I had to work up the courage to climb to the top of the new grain bin on my family farm. I finally did it this past weekend... Continue Reading →
Savoring sweet corn
Sweet corn is a summer treat on the Prairies. My mom usually grows a couple rows of corn in her garden. Of course we eat some of the corn on the cob and some we put in bags and store in the freezer to be enjoyed during the winter months. Here is a series of photos... Continue Reading →
My road to ag comm
I grew up on a mixed farm in what many people would consider the middle-of-nowhere. There was no 7-Eleven or Starbucks just down the street, and no arcade or mall to waste my time and money at (there still isn't). Instead we had a few friends/family down the road, cows in the pasture and grain in... Continue Reading →
Bringing in the harvest: Winter wheat
On the Prairies winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested the next summer, as opposed to spring wheat which is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Last week we harvested approximately 400 acres of winter wheat on our farm. Here are some photos from our winter wheat harvest. This year... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday: Discovering PEI agriculture
During my recent summer vacation I visited Canada's three Maritime provinces - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Being the farm girl that I am, I always take note of the agriculture when I visit a new place. I saw very little farmland during my time in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. We seemed... Continue Reading →
Follow the field: Spraying
What does it take to get that loaf of bread into your hands? Wheat grown by a farmer is ground into flour and used to make that bread. Rewind the process and you begin with a wheat seed. Wheat is the cornerstone of many of the world’s most basic foods. This spring I decided to... Continue Reading →
Farming fish in Manitoba
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the Manitoba-Canadian Model Aqua-Farm Initiative. The aqua-farm is located on Rudy and Leslie Reimer's farm near Warren, Man. Aquaculture produces more than 50 per cent of seafood consumed globally, according to Jeff Eastman, aquaculture business development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural... Continue Reading →
Building better blogs
Last night I participated in my first AgChat, which is a weekly conversation via Twitter (#agchat) for folks involved in the business of growing food, fuel, feed and fiber. It takes place every Tuesday from 8 to 10 p.m. EST. It was created by @mpaynknoper and assisted by @agchatfound. (For more information visit http://agchat.org). Unfortunately I arrived late... Continue Reading →
Follow the field: Seeding
What does it take to get that loaf of bread into your hands? Wheat grown by a farmer is ground into flour and used to make that bread. Rewind the process and you begin with a wheat seed. Wheat is the cornerstone of many of the world's most basic foods. I've decided to start a... Continue Reading →