Even a fall from less than 10 feet can be fatal or cause serious injury.

Opinion: Hiding in plain sight – hazards posed by grain bins

It’s a risk that can’t be ignored. Last year, two farmers in Alberta died after falling from a grain bin

Reading Time: 2 minutes Last year, 11 people were killed on farms in Alberta. Over the past 11 years in the province, an average of just over 15 people have lost their lives each year on farms. Most were the owner/operators of the farm. We urge you to make a commitment now, to keep yourself, your family and your employees safe. […] Read more

Without constant vigilance, social media use can turn into a habit that clouds the mind and skews perceptions of reality.

Opinion: It’s time to shine a light on the dark side of social media

Farmers should know better than most how quickly misinformation spreads in online echo chambers

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Social media is undermining our shared reality, and those of us in the agriculture sector need to take better note of the trend. Why? Because not doing so could result in a continued separation between rural and urban Canada, as well as one another. Social media is a drug of sorts, in […] Read more


Schoepp: It was both an ordinary day and an extraordinary one, too

Schoepp: It was both an ordinary day and an extraordinary one, too

Sometimes when the load seems too heavy, little moments can lift you up

Reading Time: 3 minutes What started as a downer of a day turned into one of fulfilment and meaning. The person cutting my hair always surprises me with the depth of her compassion and her understanding of the world. Everything about her is beautiful and regardless of where I am that day, I feel uplifted when I go to […] Read more

‘The only way the commercialization of carbon sequestration works is when the farmer takes control and sets the terms of an annual or short-term agreement.’ – Brenda Schoepp.

Schoepp: The business of carbon credits is murky and risky

The payments are small and the agreements are often complex and ill-defined

Reading Time: 3 minutes In overall climate discussion, there is constant reference to trade in terms of carbon sequestration known as carbon credits. This is a global movement in carbon offsets under an assumption that the land, sea, and forests will absorb all carbon from total greenhouse gases. Does this benefit Canadian farmers and consumers? It’s a complex matter […] Read more


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Opinion: It’s not just oil production that’s keeping diesel prices high

Refinery production has fallen since the pandemic, and that’s unlikely to change

Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Global shortages of middle distillates such as diesel, gas oil and heating oil are intensifying rather than easing, making it more likely a relatively severe slowdown in the business cycle will be necessary to rebalance the market. U.S. inventories of distillate fuel oil fell to 106 million barrels in early October, the lowest […] Read more

In many areas of the world, the introduction of ruminants has increased biodiversity when the intersection between animal and plant is understood.

Schoepp: Climate-focused diet misses the mark in targeting meat

Advocates of ‘climatarian’ diet need to look at entire picture when it comes to livestock

Reading Time: 3 minutes The ‘climatarian’ diet promotes the elimination of beef and lamb. The original movement is based on the premise that elimination of these ruminants reduces carbon emissions. Beef and lamb, the founders claim, leave the largest carbon footprint. Being climate conscious involves more than choosing one main point, such as carbon, and one culprit, such as […] Read more


Might ‘Big Food’ gain too much control over growers in the future if it takes over the little guys?

Opinion: Food companies are looking over farmers’ shoulders

Cost used to be king when companies sourced ingredients, but they’re increasingly focused on how they’re grown

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Earlier this year, McCain Foods quietly purchased a little-known firm called Resson. Ten years ago, the news that a food company had bought a predictive crop technology company might have raised a few eyebrows. In McCain’s case, many may have wondered why a company known for its frozen french fries would want […] Read more

At least one company in the U.S. already supplies animal-free protein made from microflora, which is then used to make ice cream, protein powder and milk.

Opinion: Synthetic milk is no longer a sci-fi fantasy, it’s here already

Backers of this alternative milk say their product is indistinguishable from the real thing

Reading Time: 3 minutes The global dairy industry is changing and among the disruptions is competition from alternatives not produced using animals, including potential challenges posed by synthetic milk. Synthetic milk is produced without animals. It can have the same biochemical makeup as animal milk, but is grown using an emerging biotechnology technique known as “precision fermentation” that produces […] Read more


A cruise ship sails out of the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia. It is estimated that the domestic and foreign shipping industry dumps a total of 147 billion litres of sewage and waste water in Canadian waters each year.

Schoepp: What produces more waste — a feedlot or a cruise ship?

Feedlot waste gets a lot of scrutiny by consumers while shipping gets a free pass

Reading Time: 3 minutes During a recent agricultural discussion, the chat centred around the public’s perception of animal agriculture and waste. As I had recently been at sea, our conversation shifted to the ocean being used as a dumping ground for human sewage and other waste. I became curious. What produces more waste — a feedlot or a ship, […] Read more

Harvest requires a keen appreciation of the weather and an acute respect for staying safe.

Schoepp: Take a ‘man overboard’ approach to make your farm safer

Sailors don’t leave harbour without going over the safety plan for that day. It’s an approach farmers should also take

Reading Time: 3 minutes I learned a lot about farm safety while sailing this summer. We set off for a week of fair skies, light winds and glorious sunsets, which were delivered in breathtaking beauty. On our first day out, a Minke whale graced our port side, followed during the week by porpoises and four humpback whales. Eagles soared, […] Read more


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