Sunday, August 26, 2018

'No grass': Europe's livestock sector stricken by drought


PHYS.ORG
A parched crop in the Netherlands. Photo by Rasbak

"Our cows hav been living off hay cut in June, there isn't any grass," says a French farmer who, like his counterparts across much of northern Europe, is wondering how he will feed his animals this winter.  More here.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Effective fisheries management can reduce extinction risk of marine fish stocks


Science News - University of British Columbia
Fishing boats docked in Canada's Bay of Fundy.   
Dillon Kereluk from White Rock, Canada.
Effective fisheries management plans, coupled with actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both separately, but especially in tandem, would have an immediate effect on the number of marine species that face extinction. More here.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Global warming will expose millions more to floods


Phys.Org

East Village in Calgary during epic flooding in Alberta in 2013. Ryan L. C. Quan

Global warning is expected to unleash more rain, exposing millions more people to river flooding particularly in the US and parts of Asia, Africa and Central Europe. Read more here.

Rural Americans’ struggles against factory farm pollution find traction in court. Will it happen in Canada, too?


THE CONVERSATION
A Manitoba animal factory. Photo credit - Mercy for Animals, Canada.

As U.S. livestock farming becomes more industrial, it is changing rural life. More here.

RELATED:
"In Hogs We Trust."  
A critique of Manitoba’s runaway hog industry.







Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Arctic’s strongest sea ice breaks up for first time on record



 The Guardian
Image Credit: NASA/Operation IceBridge
Usually frozen waters open up twice this year in phenomenon scientists described as scary. More here.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Deadly African swine fever arrives in China, the world’s largest producer of pigs

International Livestock Research Institute
A piglet, one of countless who died of Porcine Epidemic 
Diarrhea in Manitoba over the past 18 months. (A Manitoba Pork photo.) 
Diseases deadly to hogs, some of which can also spread to humans, are legion.
Long feared, it's now finally happened. African Swine Fever (ASF), an infectious and highly-lethal viral disease of pigs has, for the first time, reared its head in China. Story here.

Sources say pesticides linked to bee deaths will be phased out in Canada

Canada's National Observer
A honeybee forages on a flower. A PinP photo.

The federal government will begin phasing out the outdoor use of nicotine-based pesticides beginning in 2021, part of an effort to stop the mysterious decline of honey bee colonies around the world. More here.

Monday, August 13, 2018

A call for seagrass protection


Science Magazine
Sanc0209 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg
By Heather Dine. - NOAA Photo Library
Seagrass meadows - one of the most widespread coastal habitats on Earth - are in decline. Human coastal development and poor water quality are threatening the meadows - home to a wide array of marine plants and animals. More here.

Scourge of superbugs killing Malawi’s babies


The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Babies are dying in their thousands in Malawi because drugs to treat common infections no longer work. We went to investigate. 








Saturday, August 11, 2018

Why Is Glyphosate Sprayed on Crops Right Before Harvest?


EcoWatch
Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, is recognized as the world's most widely used weed killer. What is not so well known is that farmers also use glyphosate on crops such as wheat, oats, edible beans and other crops right before harvest, raising concerns that the herbicide could get into food products. Story here.

Friday, August 10, 2018

EPA ordered to ban pesticide linked to learning disabilities

The Guardian
A "crop-duster" sprays a pesticide on a canola crop in Manitoba. 
A PinP photo.
A federal court said the US agency must prohibit the use of chlorpyrifos after seven states and DC backed the case against it. Story here.

In 2,006, I told the story of  a farmer in the Swan Valley of Manitoba. He said he and his family were sickened when the same chemical, chlorpyrifos (brand name, Lorsban) drifted onto his property from a field across the road. Read the terrifying tale of the Burqharts here. And listen to my report on CBC Radio (with images), below.

A Rescue Center for Small Wild Animals Looks to Place a Blind Moose Calf

July 19, 2025 By  Ian Austen On Friday at Holly’s Haven, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in a rural section of Ottawa, there was...