Manitobas Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has confirmed the provinces second on-farm case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus in a finisher barn in southeast Manitoba.

The CVO has been advised the animals on this farm have shown no symptoms of PED.

PED is a reportable disease in Manitoba. Producers are encouraged to remain vigilant with the necessary biosecurity protocols that prevent the spread of PED and are reminded they must report all suspected cases to their veterinarian.

To date, eight high-traffic or environmental sites have tested positive for PED, including two cases where it is likely pigs contracted PED at high-traffic sites and not on-farm.

High-traffic sites move or handle large numbers of pigs and include livestock assembly yards, abattoirs, truck-wash stations and livestock trailers.

Manitobans are reminded PED is not a food safety issue and it does not affect humans. However, it can be a severe and often fatal illness in newborn and young pigs. Older animals often have less serious symptoms and generally recover.

The CVO will continue to work with the pork industry to help any affected producers eliminate the disease from their herds and prevent it from spreading.

Producers who have questions about PED, biosecurity and related issues should contact the Manitoba Pork Council at 1-888-893-7447 (toll-free) or online at http://www.manitobapork.comfor their resources and expertise.

There are now 62 farm premises that have tested positive for PED across Canada including two in Manitoba, one in Prince Edward Island, one in Quebec and 58 in Ontario.

Originally posted here:
PED virus found on second farm

Wimbledon remains the ultimate goal for Lleyton Hewitt but the Australian veteran is confident he won't simply be making up the numbers at the French Open.

Hewitt begins his 14th Roland Garros campaign on Monday or Tuesday and, for the first time in several years, has arrived in Paris fully fit and feeling capable of making his presence felt in the men's draw.

"The last few years I've come in really underdone and a couple of times it's been basically my first tournament back post (toe) surgery," Hewitt said.

"I haven't really given myself a chance of getting through too many matches and it was more about getting miles in my legs for the grass court season."

The 33-year-old says this year feels different.

"The body's feeling good and I've been able to hit a lot on clay without wearing myself out," Hewitt said.

"Obviously the bigger picture is the grass for me but I'm still enjoying (Roland Garros) and hopefully I can go out there and cause a few upsets."

Hewitt, equal third on the list of French Open appearances among active players, last won a singles match at Roland Garros in 2010.

His best performances at the slam played on his least-favoured surface are quarter-final appearances in 2001 and 2004 but it's often taken great claycourters to see him off.

He was eliminated by the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, four times between 2006 and 2010.

Excerpt from:
Fully-fit Hewitt optimistic at French Open

Tough opponent: Lleyton Hewitt. Photo: Getty Images

Wimbledon remains the ultimate goal for Lleyton Hewitt but the Australian veteran is confident he won't simply be making up the numbers at the French Open.

Hewitt begins his 14th Roland Garros campaign on Monday or Tuesday and, for the first time in several years, has arrived in Paris fully fit and feeling capable of making his presence felt in the men's draw.

"The last few years I've come in really underdone and a couple of times it's been basically my first tournament back post (toe) surgery," Hewitt said.

"I haven't really given myself a chance of getting through too many matches and it was more about getting miles in my legs for the grass court season."

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The 33-year-old says this year feels different.

"The body's feeling good and I've been able to hit a lot on clay without wearing myself out," Hewitt said.

"Obviously the bigger picture is the grass for me but I'm still enjoying (Roland Garros) and hopefully I can go out there and cause a few upsets."

Hewitt, equal third on the list of French Open appearances among active players, last won a singles match at Roland Garros in 2010.

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Fully-fit Leyton Hewitt optimistic at French Open

Whether the phrase "burning daylight" was first used by Shakespeare or Jack London, gardeners know it is important to fully utilize spring days to get the landscape prepped and planted for the summer season, which unofficially begins this Memorial Day weekend. You ready? Get out there you're burning daylight. But first ...

TAKE A WALK

Before you do any garden chores this Memorial Day weekend, take a walk. If walking isn't doable, drive or ask someone to take you for a drive. The reason is simple: Spring is here and summer is close behind. Don't miss it. Take it in with your eyes, your nose: leafed-out trees, flowering and fragrant shrubs like daphnes, mock orange, and viburnums. Spring-blooming perennials are doing their best despite the late snow: iris, peonies, salvia.

Play I-Spy with wildlife you haven't seen in a while or ever (squirrels don't count). American white pelicans are a sure conversation starter, and they're usually hanging out at West Quincy Lake and Barr Lake. You'll also find them right now at Smith Lake (the north one) in Washington Park, along with the mostly jet-black, pre-historic looking double-crested cormorants and the all-white egrets that seem to float in the air when viewed from afar.

Look westward and check the snow coverage over the high peaks. I try to guess what day in June the snow will be gone from my view (this year, my guess is June 6).

VEGETABLES AND HERBS

If you've never grown vegetables before, try it this year. It doesn't take much space to plant a tomato or two, and they grow well in containers. You'll need amended soil and at least six hours of sun, but it can be three hours in the morning and three later in the day. Root crops like carrots and leafy greens will do fine with four hours of sun. More: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/ Gardennotes/719.html

Bare-root strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus are still available in garden centers; if you want these edible perennials, get them and plant them now. Container-grown strawberries can also be planted now. For a continuous crop, plant a mix of types: June bearing, everbearing and day-neutral. More: http://www.ext. colostate.edu/pubs/garden/ 07000.html

Other small fruits to consider: Raspberry, elderberry, currants, gooseberry, grapes, blackberries. More: dpo.st/1tbqwEm

Once nighttime lows remain in the mid-50s, you can begin direct seeding of beans, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, pumpkin, corn and melons.

See more here:
Colorado garden to-do list for May 23-29

Farmers annual race against cold fall weather has already begun.

Another cool spring has delayed seeding and slowed germination, said Harry Brook, an Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development crop specialist at the departments Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.

Looking at the calendar, a lot of these crops like the wheat and the canola its getting to the later end of their traditional seeding time where you can be assured that itll have enough heat units to mature, said Brook.

The later it gets, the greater the risk is that youre going to get hit at the other end with a killing frost before the plant is totally mature.

The past few weeks have seen a big push by farmers to get their crops in, said Brook, who estimates that seeding in the region is about 50 to 60 per cent complete.

For a lot of Central Alberta, its really caught up a lot. Soils have warmed up, and the fact is, people just cant wait.

Getting seed into the ground is no guarantee of a timely crop, however. Plants may be slow to germinate and grow when the soil is cold.

Its still too early to panic, said Brook, pointing out that crops got off to slow starts the past several years but escaped severe frost damage. Last years harvest even generated a record haul.

Were definitely behind, but then again, whats normal?

Despite this springs cool conditions, there hasnt been a lot of precipitation in most areas, noted Brook. Accordingly, crops will need rain over the next few weeks.

Read this article:
Farmers racing to get crops into the ground

This week I answer questions from readers: Q. I have this horrible weed/flower invading the grass in my front yard. It had little blue flowers in early spring. It has spread through about half my yard. How do I get rid of it? A. You have violets in your lawn - and violets are hard to eradicate. I don't think a broad-leaf herbicide will kill them and a broad spectrum herbicide would kill everything.

You might try covering the lawn with black plastic for a couple of years, then removing the surface soil containing the violet seeds, bringing in new soil and seeding the grass. This is so onerous, however, it's almost unworkable.

In any case, I wonder where the violets came from? If the source of the violet seeds (neighbours? city land?) is still there, seeds could blow in again and you'd have the violets back.

Your best bet is to shade the violets out by letting the grass get a little longer and treating your lawn so

well it stays lush and thick. The violets will remain because they have very deep roots, but they won't be as visible because they'd be submerged in long grass. Nor will they spread as fast because grass is a strong competitor.

Q. Last year my zucchinis all fell off the stems when they were about five centimetres long. Any advice? A. Your zucchinis have a pollination problem. This is happening to more gardeners now that honeybees are vanishing from gardens.

Bumblebees and many tiny wild flies (resembling wasps) still pollinate flowers. Mason bees aren't much help with zucchinis and other late-flowering vegetables because mason bees are dead by the beginning of June.

It would be best to plant pollinator-attracting flowers near your zucchini area. These include dill, chervil, coriander, mint, fennel and Sweet Cicely. If you let a few carrots, cabbage or parsnips go to seed nearby, they'll also draw masses of pollinators.

Your alternative is handpollinating the zucchini flowers. The female flowers have a small, round knob in the centre of the bloom. The male flowers have spiky stamens. You could take a new

paintbrush and brush pollen from the male flowers into the female blooms.

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Tough to rid lawn of violets

(PRWEB) May 15, 2014

The White Houses Report on Climate Change this last week stated that wildfires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, droughts and more extreme weather are here to stay. Here are a few simple solutions that can help people do their share to save the earth while at the same time saving money, time and water. One of the most effective solutions is around the home, it's keeping the grass fresh.

Cities and states across America spend lots of money to respond to natural weather related disasters after the fact; even better some cities like Philadelphia are adopting major steps to lessen "extreme heat events".

The average person who worries that government and corporate response may not be fast enough, and would prefer to do something positive NOW; can take steps to lessen the impact of the extremes.

One simple solution is to save water, money and time by planting Pearl's Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed because it is a grass with very deep roots (12 inch) that requires very low water usage. A grass such as Pearl's Premium can be seeded right over your existing lawn to look like this:

Pearl's Premium is not just a beautiful grass, it requires only 1/3 to 1/4 the water of other grasses and is much more drought tolerant because it grows 12-14 inch deep roots (if it can go deep) and grows very slowly. Pearl's Premium has more surface area on the blades of grass and deeper roots, it can produce up to 5,760 times the oxygen compared to other grasses. It also sequesters up to 2 tons of carbon per acre per year out of the air, to be locked into the soil. That is 4 times the carbon sequestering per year compared to ordinary grasses which have 3-4 inch roots.

Pearl's Premium has a lush deep green color everyone enjoys and it is extremely soft. It grows incredibly slow after being established. It can be cut once every 4-6 weeks for a well-manicured area, as opposed to weekly with most grass; Pearl's can be not cut at all! It can be left to lean over as a No-Mow type grass. If left to lean over, Pearl's Premium is an ultra low maintenance 3-4 inch-tall meadow for back yards and other residential, municipal or commercial applications! The below picture, is Pearls Premium grass leaned over in a No-Mow type application without mowing for 2 years:

After creating a less thirsty more sustainable lawn that produces far more oxygen for our air and also sequesters far more beneficial carbon into the earth; there are a lot more things you can do to help the environment. You can recycle more, reduce your heat in the winter and AC in the summer, change as many light bulbs to CFL or LED lights, drive smarter with tires inflated, use public transit when possible, buy more energy efficient products and turn off lights when you leave the room.

Why focus on grass as the easiest and highest impact solution to address climate change? It is both easy to implement just seeding a better grass seed over your existing lawn and there is a heck of a lot of grass out there. NASA expert Dr. Cristina Milesi says there are 32 million acres of grass in the US alone and it is part of the climate change problem, (see: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Lawn/) therefore Pearl's Premium can be part of the solution. All grasses are not created equal. One grass called Grassology that home improvement expert Bob Vila raves about uses far less water, requires less mowing and grows deep roots. However, the next generation grass after Grassology is named Pearl's Premium and it uses even less water and saves even more time.

TIME: The EPA says that the average homeowner spends 40 hours per summer dealing with the home lawn grass. What if you could have an ultra low maintenance grass with deep roots? What if your lawn was much more drought tolerant, saving 3/4 of your lawn time because Pearls Premium requires far less maintenance, watering, mowing, or ever having to chemically fertilize the lawn? You could use, the 30 hours you save with your Pearls Premium lawn (on average), helping mom or your significant other, playing with the children or your dog, engaging in that hobby you never have time for. Be a smart shopper and conscientious homeowner. Buy Pearls Premium today! Use the Code FATHER2014 at http://www.pearlspremium.com/ for 10% off until Father's Day!

See the original post:
Grass Seed That Saves Money, Water & The World

Published on May 12, 2014

The No. 16 hole at the Cabot Cliffs golf course in Inverness is shown in this recent photo. Construction of the new course is now underway. It's expected to open in 2015.

Submitted by Ben Cowan-Dewar

Published on May 12, 2014

Seeding is underway at the new Cabot Cliffs golf course in Inverness. This photo offers a view from the No. 17 hole of the new course that is expected to be ready for the 2015 season.

Submitted by Ben Cowan-Dewar

INVERNESS Seeding on some holes at the new Cabot Cliffs began this week as the course remains on schedule for a July 2015 tee off.

The new 18-hole course is being built on the Cabot Links resort, just north of the now renowned Cabot Links on a property overlooking the coastline of Inverness.

Ben Cowan-Dewar, managing partner for Cabot Links, said the same grass underfoot will give those who have played Cabot Links a sense of familiarity when they finally get the chance to walk Cabot Cliffs.

Familiarity will also come from the fact that Cabot Cliffs designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw share some of the same philosophies as Rod Whitman, who designed Cabot Links.

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Cabot Cliffs on schedule for 2015 opening

Stick rake for Ride-on Lawnmowers
Cleaning up leaves and Sticks with a stick rake designed for Ride-on mowers. In areas with a lot of trees, picking up the fallen sticks before mowing can sav...

By: Oil Burner

Excerpt from:
Stick rake for Ride-on Lawnmowers - Video

Now you are ready to seed your lawn. If the planting area has been leveled smooth and all debris has been removed along with the end of construction activity --- you are now ready to seed your lawn. LETS GET STARTED!

Determine the amount of grass seed you will need for your lawn. You can use the chart at http://www.lawngrasses.com or look on the seeding page for your particular lawn grass species. Once you have the seed and are ready to start --- Continue on to Step (1)

NOTE: COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS OFTEN USE A METHOD CALLED HYDROSEEDING

PLANTING METHODS -- How can I plant grass seeds? SEASON TO PLANT -- When can I plant seeds?

This method can help avoid erosion problems and is an efficient way to seed large areas of turf. For more about seeding with this method, read our page above.

Step (1) Your lawn area should be already tilled with all roots , weeds and other debris removed . Secondly the final level smooth surface should have been obtained. If not, now is the time to remove hills and depressions so that you have a nice smooth lawn for years to come.

Step (2) Plant the seeds. You can use a commercial turfgrass planter or sow the seeds by hand (not recommended), or just as easy and much preferred, buy a broadcast seeder (hand held models are available for $8-30). Set the seed for the correct seed application rate. Remember, you can always seed a second or third time, but it is pretty hard to pick up the seed you broadcast if you only planted 1/3 of your lawn and ran out of seed.

We suggest you use a 2-step PLANTING process... Divide your seed into two equal quantities. Set your seeder rate so that you will cover the entire lawn with 1/2 of the total seed. You will need to determine how far the seeder is throwing the seed as you walk. An ideal use is to walk in a pattern that allows double coverage (seeding) of all areas. Most seeders come with instructions that explain this planting principal.

Plant the first 1/2 of the seed walking in one direction with your seeder. Then plant the second 1/2 of the seed walking in a direction 90 degrees to the first time. This double spreading provides for a more uniform broadcasting of your seeds and also insures that you get complete coverage of your lawn area. Always sow lawn seeds at the recommended rates. Good quality lawns require lots of seeds in order to achieve the correct plant density. You will save very little money by cheating on the quantity of seeds to plant.

Step (3) Once your seeds are sowed, rake or drag the seeded area, so that as many of the seeds as possible are lightly covered (1/4 inch is ideal covering for grasses). Be sure and use the correct rate for seeding your particular lawn seed. You can also drag a small fence post or preferably a piece of chain link fencing behind a mower, 4 wheeler or tractor. This will drag the soil so as to cover your grass seed. Not every seed will be covered by these methods, but a large quantity of them will, and over time soil and wind action will also work to cover additional seeds.

Original post:
Seeding your Lawn With Grass Seed - Plant Grass Seed In A Lawn