SINGER'S COWS HIT SOUR NOTE IN HOME TOWN

[AussieMark]

Singer's Cows Hit Sour Note in Home Town

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Singer Loreena McKennitt may be a powerful voice in Celtic music circles but she's not hitting any high notes in her home town of Morden, Manitoba, with a plan to move her family's herd of cows into town.

The farmland has been in the family for about 70 years, but the town of 6,200, located about 60 miles southwest of Winnipeg, has grown up around it.

Homeowners and businesses worry about how a herd of cattle will fit into the neighborhood just blocks from downtown, said town councilor Alex Fedorchuk.

"When there's a south breeze, it's not going to be a very pleasant smell for the downtown area," Fedorchuk told Reuters, noting the town is considering legal action against the family.

But the cattle have run out of water on their pasture in the surrounding countryside, and the family hasn't been able to sell them nor find a different space for them to spend the winter, McKennitt said.

Canadian farmers have been reeling under market backlogs since a single case of mad cow disease six months ago shut down most cattle and beef exports.

McKennitt said she is disappointed her home town hasn't been more understanding of why the family needs to pasture their cattle on their 53-acre spread -- or more forthright with their concerns.

"It's like a witch-hunt, almost," she told Reuters. "It's been a series of clandestine meetings, coffee shop talk, people running around with misinformation."

McKennitt, internationally known for her harp-infused Celtic music, and albums such as "The Book of Secrets" and "The Mask and Mirror," was scheduled to meeting with neighbors and town officials to discuss the dispute on Friday.

The family is willing to share the cost of extra fencing between the pasture and backyards, she said.