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‘Ugly produce’ trend may have limits, as grocers end tests

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URBANDALE, Iowa - Is the "ugly produce'" reaching the end of its shelf life in grocery stores?

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2019 (2713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

URBANDALE, Iowa – Is the “ugly produce'” reaching the end of its shelf life in grocery stores?

Companies like Walmart and Whole Foods in recent years tried selling blemished fruits and vegetables at a discount, produce they said might otherwise be trashed because it’s not quite the right size, shape or colour. But the two chains and others quietly ended their tests, suggesting dented apples and undersized potatoes may not be that appealing in stores where better looking fruits and vegetables are on display.

Still, home delivery startups say they’re still seeing interest. Some stores also haven’t given up on selling less-than-perfect produce to reduce waste.

Kroger says it still plans to introduce ugly produce this year, and the supplier of “Misfits” produce says about 300 groceries still sell the fruits and vegetables.

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Visitors from across Canada make Somerset restaurant’s social media challenge a success

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Visitors from across Canada make Somerset restaurant’s social media challenge a success

Zoe Pierce 3 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

There may not be another restaurant in Manitoba that can say it has welcomed visitors from as many communities across the province and beyond as the Somerset Food Bar & Lounge has this summer.

In just over a two week span, visitors from more than 100 towns have come out to the family-owned restaurant tucked away in Somerset, a community of roughly 450 people in the Pembina Valley 130 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

It started as a challenge, “60 Towns in 60 Days,” where the restaurant wanted to document how many different places they could reach, as it often sees people travelling across Canada stop at the restaurant. The goal was also to encourage people to make a drive they normally wouldn’t.

“The more we started sharing, the more people really started getting behind it, and it turned into this really big thing fairly quickly,” said Jay Friesen, restaurant manager.

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Students continue to criticize handling of MITT’s closure

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Students continue to criticize handling of MITT’s closure

Morgan Modjeski 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Students at a Manitoba trade college say their education has been hampered as a result of its impending closure and they blame government for a poor transition.

The provincial government announced in January it would close the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology because it was no longer financially viable following the federal government’s decision to cut the number of international students allowed to study in Canada.

Officials have said students would remain the top priority as 19 programs from MITT are set to be absorbed by Red River College Polytech.

Kieran Smith, an electrical applications student at MITT, said it feels like those in charge “don’t really care.”

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Automation reaches new heights on farm

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Automation reaches new heights on farm

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

LANGHAM, Sask. — The thousands of farmers from across the Prairies who flock to the annual Ag in Motion show every July seem oblivious to the possibility the technology on display could one day replace many of them.

Families with children in tow, Hutterite colony workers, grandparents and young couples just starting out roamed through the 600 or more exhibitor displays, amazed at how everything about farming just keeps getting bigger, more efficient and increasingly more automated.

It’s now possible to seed using a 100-foot-wide drill — a 12-foot jump over the widest available a few years ago — provided the farmer can afford a tractor with enough horsepower to pull it. Those sell for around $850,000 and up.

Granted, the number of farms with enough acres to justify that kind of width and drawing power is still relatively small, but farms continue to grow. And it’s no secret the number of people who have the interest, skills and financial wherewithal to run them continues to shrink.

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‘Eight credible threats’ against Hydro employees: CEO

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Manitoba Hydro president and CEO Allan Danroth took aim at critics and revealed that he and staff members have been threatened while defending the Crown corporation’s plan for three new combustion turbines Monday.

Danroth said “constant, uninformed criticism” of Hydro and misinformation from some people have eroded the public’s trust and contributed to hostilities and an unsafe workplace for employees.

“Manitoba Hydro is currently managing eight credible threats against our employees, five of them directed at me personally,” Danroth told a Public Utilities Board hearing in Winnipeg.

“More troubling is that these threats are increasingly affecting our front-line workforce. In the last year, my employees have been threatened with weapons, including guns, while performing their duties, and in one recent incident a homeowner directed his dogs to attack one of our meter readers.”

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Trailblazer Kati Tabin brings PWHL championship trophy home to share success, inspire next generation

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Starstruck kids and fans zigzagged throughout the rink, anxiously waiting to get an autograph from Kati Tabin and to see their role model on the same side of the glass.

Tabin, Montreal Victoire defender and Team Canada silver medallist, on Saturday came home to the rink where it all began, the Oakbank Community Club. She brought the PWHL championship trophy, the Walter Cup, won in her third season with the club, as well as her 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic medal.

The arena was packed to the brim with fans from all over coming to see Tabin — the local player who made history in women’s hockey. Hundreds of enthusiasts of all ages lined up with their Victoire or Team Canada merchandise, some waiting over two hours to see their idol.

Eight-year-old Loxley Cierzan came with her mother, Ainsley, and other family members to meet the one and only Tabin. Cierzan has loved seeing other girls grace the ice and play the competitive sport she adores. When the PWHL takeover stopped in Winnipeg in March, she not only got to watch the game but also a practice beforehand where Tabin signed her Victoire hat.

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