What's new?

There are some good news stories, and some that urge caution and some that are just plain strange.  The good news is that the flooding, for now, has eased in North Dakota but with the snow we had last night and they had this week it could come back up again. The strong winds that were forecast didn't materialize and their dykes held.  That also means they can start getting back to normal for work and school and for animal care.

Our flood forecast seems not too bad except for the 'big three' which are of course more rain, more snow and ice jams on the river. Any of these or a combination of will bring us challenges perhaps not seen before but I'm sure we'll prevail.  How are your plans for your farm, family and other animals going?  Have found a way to volunteer and get vulnerable places and populations taken care of?

Before I do some flooding and news links I'll share my two 'daily' links, espeically in rural areas, we need to be aware of the weather. Check out: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca and because much of our weather imports from the south link to: http://www.weather.gov/radar_tab.php These two links will not only show you what is going on but hopefully give you time to prepare.  And if you do the live loop the storms look rather pretty :-)

Next up are some flood update links: 

http://www.canada.com/news/Military+scouting+ground+Manitoba+flood+zone/1449334/story.html

We had a pretty good hit of snow last night and we were on the 'fringe' of the storm that really dumped on North Dakota.  Remember folks that water comes north and we already have lots of our own...

Until something better comes along sandbagging is going to be the primary tool for flood fighting. Although a new device http://www.nofloods.com is being tested around Selkirk this week.  We have our spider which makes short work of bagging.  This is the story about our sandbag spider: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/spider-speeds-up-sandbag-work-42251177.html

This is a move in the right direction, in the US a number of areas have farm groups asking their legislators to scrutinze the agendas of the animal rights activists who are proposing legislation.  While often we have similar goals when it comes to animal care our perspectives and experiences are worlds apart.  Our legislators need to remember this when they are considering choosing between supporting change for producers or legislating change.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-animalactivists,0,6833216.story

In Canada we have a few advantages when it comes to our animal care codes and our animal welfare legislation but it is always good to know what our friends down south, or in other parts of the world are facing for challenges. This is an emerging one in the US that could have ripple effects for us all...http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2009/03/29/news/local/doc49cff85af3c43701612569.txt

And the old saw, "If you have livestock you'll have dead stock" is true and with the new rules and legislations on the books the removal and appropriate disposal of dead stock is a major issue for producers in every day operations not even considering situations where you'd have higher than normal numbers. Canadian provinces from Ontario to Alberta are considering changes which would be more supportive of producers while others are looking in the other direction. Do you know what your local regs are?  How compliant are you?  Don't tell me - you just need to know!  Check this link and follow the other stories on Google.  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090326.DEADSTOCK26/TPStory/National

That's the full Chore Time for this week, photos and updates will be posted as they come up.  Keep a close eye on things close to home by using the net, talking to friends and neighbors.  There are a number of really great blogs to check out including: http://www.chrisd.ca/blog/

Don't forget you can help with flood relief efforts by letting the good folks at Manitoba Emergency Response for Animals know what you can offer and where you are located. Check out their group on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59977928830, check out their website at http://www.mb-searchandrescue.com/pages/prog_mera.html or contact Ciem here.  We are continuing our crate and animal food drive, with drop off points in both Winnipeg and Steinbach.  Contact Ciem or myself for details.

NOTE: I have included full url's for the website links rather than hotlinks for those folks who don't have reliable hotlinking in their browsers, I know it isn't as pretty or easy to read but I think we can be brave and muscle through eh?  Thought so!

For the next blog I'd like to see some photos to share - send some pictures of your spring this year...white and grey as it is right now...or of your flood preparations or whatever...