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Soggy fields spur Manitoba farmers to swap corn acres for wheat

Farmers struggling in waterlogged parts of Canada’s Prairies are simply ditching acres of corn and soybeans for crops that are likely to fare better, like wheat and canola.

Growers are “extremely concerned” about planting delays, which is prompting the shift, Manitoba’s provincial agriculture ministry said Tuesday in a report. Soybeans and corn have to be planted earlier in the spring season or there is a risk yields will drop. Virtually nothing has been planted in the Canadian province after heavy rainfall in April saturated fields and led 26 municipalities to declare states of emergency due to flooding.

More rain is forecast for the eastern prairies this week. Canada is one of the world’s major exporters of wheat and the top shipper of canola.

“There’s great concern,” said Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “Some guys have started to seed but I could probably count them on one hand.”

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Creating Pollinator Habitat From Farmland

Video: Creating Pollinator Habitat From Farmland

Why did we turn this land in to pollinator habitat? We we rented this farm consisting of six fields this 23 acres was the most challenging. Nine acres of is a large sandhill with trees all along the North edge. Most years it wouldn't produce very much grain at all. So when we bought this farm we decided it was time to take that hill out of production and put it to good use. So we seeded it to pollinator habitat. Here's a look at it three years in, and it's looking better every year. There's a strong marestail seedbank out there, but the pollinator species are beating it back a little more each year. The grasses have really come on strong this year. And we have a neighbor who keeps some beehives on the habitat. Hope you enjoy taking a tour of our pollinator habitat!