From the hip Fewer cattle don’t necessarily mean less beef, and dairy is a major influence
Reading Time: 3 minutes With all the talk about the reduction of cattle inventory in Canada and the U.S. it is a good time to also revisit the balance of world beef trade. In which countries is beef demand and supply in balance and where do we expect change? More importantly — what does this mean? India continues to […] Read moreAnalyzing the mixed prospects for world beef trade
Urban farming gives city folks a connection to food and each other
Opportunity As science increases our ability to bloom indoors and without soil, so does our opportunity to provide food for the city from within it
Reading Time: 4 minutes When we think of agriculture our minds drift off to fields, bins, cages and pens. Ask an urbanite what they think of when it comes to the production of food from the earth and they dream of gardens, herb boxes and paper bags of “fresh” produce from the farmers’ market. Although at first glance the […] Read moreUrbanization is the growing trend in India
Impediments Culture, tradition and government inaction inhibit progress in Indian agriculture
Reading Time: 4 minutes The urbanization of nations is most striking in India where 30 per cent of rural residents have moved to the city in the past 10 years. This has created its own set of challenges, including excessive crowding and the overpowering of existing infrastructure including roads, sewers and schools. The rise in the daily wage to […] Read moreBullying doesn’t only happen in the schoolyard
From the hip The farm is one of the workplaces where bullying has been identified as a problem
Reading Time: 4 minutes Tom* continues to work on the family farm that was established by his father. He has a loving wife and five school-age children. Tom is getting long past the stage of waiting on Dad to fulfil his commitments and comes to the realization that he is simply a free hired hand and that his brothers […] Read moreFaith and determination can make a change
Reading Time: 3 minutes I could not help but feel intrusive as we pulled up to the little opening on the street to the New Delhi slum — one of 50 that house 300 million of the world’s poorest of poor. A tired man fed an unclothed child some dirty water from the cup of his hand, with the […] Read more
The beef business has changed and producers will have to change, too
From the hip Those who prosper in the future will excel in risk management, understand the consumer, and provide detailed data on how their cattle were raised
Reading Time: 4 minutes Recent events in the beef sector feel like a raw deal for cattle producers, although there are ways to not only cope but excel in these situations. Year to date, the fed beef cattle industry in Canada has not seen any marked improvement despite volatile action on the live cattle futures and a perceived shortage […] Read moreLess stress equals more profit when moving cattle to market
From the hip A typical calf fresh weaned, sorted, trucked and stood overnight will lose 12 to 15 per cent of body weight, but that can be reduced by half or more
Reading Time: 3 minutes Shrinkage is a measure of stress in calves. The amount of weight an animal loses through fasting, standing, transportation and handling is a signal of how it is responding to change, a lack of food and water, and heat and cold, as well as its anxiety level. There are two kinds of shrink. One is […] Read moreA few suppliers of key inputs have the real power
From the hip Improving infrastructure and reducing food waste can help relieve hunger
Reading Time: 3 minutes Like all weather-related discussions lately, talk soon turns to the drought in the U.S. and Ontario. It is hard to see it from our regional view as we sit on our deck, admiring the green from “a little too much rain.” Most of the social and economic consequences of drought have been repeatedly played in […] Read moreWomen produce most of the food, but get least of the credit
straight from the hip Women asked to fill in online survey about their needs in agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes Women empowering women to grow food, protect environments, strengthen trade and secure financial independence for themselves, their families and their communities.” That’s the theme of a project for which I received a 2012 Nuffield Agricultural Scholarship for Canada. This fall I start with rural leadership meetings in Australia as well as with Meat and Livestock […] Read moreThe “why behind the buy” for potential beef buyers
From the hip The beef industry needs to work harder on making consumers feel good about their decision
Reading Time: 3 minutes Before we start the fall calf run and a series on marketing cattle in this column, we need to take one more look at what drives the consumer. We have discussed this before, but it is important because the source of our wealth as producers is from the consumer, and the integration between producer and […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
