Reading Time: 4 minutes I am a big fan of Dr. Temple Grandin. A long time ago we stood in a small community hall in Alberta with 60 farmers in attendance. She talked about an animal’s reaction to light, movement, and sound, and encouraged producers to see their facilities through the eyes of their livestock. I talked about shrinkage […] Read more
The time has come to rethink single-trait selection
Temple Grandin was right about animal welfare, and she’s right about respecting the dual purpose of food animals, too
India is a country of two agricultures
The nation is a world player in food, but full of contrasts and contradictions
Reading Time: 4 minutes My visit to India a few years ago covered a lot of agricultural ground — a 1,500-kilometre loop starting in Ludhiana and ending in New Delhi. Our team — nine young agricultural professionals from five countries — experienced a transportation strike, a hit-and-run, watched a car slide off the road and into the jungle, and […] Read more
An unsettling discovery via a cool summer treat
Who would have guessed that propylene glycol is a permitted ingredient in a food product?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Long warm days call for cool refreshing treats such as ice cream. One afternoon I was enjoying a milky bar — ignoring the calories and savouring the apparent goodness — when I glanced at the ingredients on the box. Sugar, fat, cholesterol in mind-numbing percentages were accepted — with a good dose of guilt. What […] Read more
Constant change is the only sure thing in the food business
The environment was once the big thing, but then came animal welfare, local, gluten free, additives, food safety and more
Reading Time: 4 minutes The ‘mobile global food table’ is a phrase I use to capture the constant shift in consumer trends and food demand. I picture it as a round table without edges that can be placed indoors or out. Sometimes there are chairs and sometimes there are chopsticks. Always there is change. I’ve taken notes over the […] Read more
Communities must say no to the inappropriate use of guns
There are far too many reckless gun users in rural Alberta and the best way to stop them is when communities speak out
Reading Time: 3 minutes Throughout history there have been lives lost and communities devastated by the use of firearms. In rural Canada, the risk of death or disability by the inappropriate use of guns is increasing. This is dear to me as I continue to grieve a friend murdered on a rural property; feel for neighbours who have lost […] Read more
Spring is an energizing time — make that feeling last all year
The end of winter brings hope and rejuvenation. How can we keep that feeling all year long?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Spring is a celebration. Little plots of green sneak through the snow and are a welcome contrast to the brown. These changes are important for us as we pull out of the wrath of winter. The challenge is to keep that energy and joy that we feel in spring all year round. In spring, even […] Read more
Things have changed in the boardroom of big corporations
Consumers are voting with their wallets, and big companies understand they need to move quickly when issues arise
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are farm, environmental and consumer groups that advocate the elimination of the corporate agenda. They say corporations drive the family farm to ruin, destroy the air that we breathe, and force consumerism at the expense of human rights. In Canada, 98 per cent of farms are family farms and of the 200,000 farms in […] Read more
The secret of success can be found in a simple breakfast spread
The man behind Nutella shows how simple ideas can be very powerful
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was first introduced to Nutella while travelling in Europe as a young woman — the thought of chocolate for breakfast was just too good to be true! Today, the sweet treat remains a frequent visitor to our home, disappearing in the early hours shortly after waking. The man behind the mysterious blend of hazelnuts […] Read more
The third farm and a new set of challenges to overcome
The goal to quadruple carrying capacity in as many years was achieved, but soil building is ongoing
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was a dry year and the grasshoppers on our new farm were the size of jackknives. The carrying capacity was terribly compromised and the fact that sheep once prevailed was evident in the close-clipped grass. I found it a terrific challenge. Turns out this area north of Rimbey is great for rain and so […] Read more
A tale of success, and how greed can overpower common sense
Dutch entrepreneur learns a hard lesson about family dynamics and the need to put things in writing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Edda sat at my kitchen table, the tears streaming down her face. A young innovator from the Netherlands, she seemed to have it all — a successful business, access to land, her own cattle herd, and a fabulous boyfriend. What could be the problem? Like many young and passionate innovators I’ve met and mentored in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
