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
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
Opinion: The emissions controversy offers an opportunity for both sides
Like many farmers, I’m concerned but also see there’s a way to move forward if we work together
Reading Time: 3 minutes You may have heard the buzz lately. There has been a lot of talk about emissions, environmental impact, and what the future looks like with a changing climate. The past few weeks have been dominated by conversations about the government of Canada’s plan to reduce emissions from on-farm fertilizer use. With little substance revealed regarding […] Read more
Opinion: The path to reconciliation can start by reading some good books
There is some excellent fiction and non-fiction that opens the door to history — and understanding
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day meant to honour the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Many people haven’t learned the history of residential schools because it wasn’t part of school curricula until recently and was seldom […] Read more
Opinion: Canada’s disappearing ‘average farmer’
Agricultural policy used to be aimed at the middle — but what if the middle is missing?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s agriculture industry has been undergoing significant changes over the past 45 years. Since the 1970s, the number of farms has been steadily declining, but not all farms have been impacted equally — mid-size farms have been hit the hardest, as the number of small and large farms increases. The mid-size farm category used to […] Read more
Schoepp: Times have changed, and so must the way you treat employees
A living wage is important but there are other things that today’s workers expect from employers
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s crunch time as the harvest begins and farmers scramble for the help they need. A lot has changed on farms in the last decade as the baby boomers retire and are replaced by millennials and Gen Z. These generations have nurtured a different set of values and ethics. There has never been such a […] Read more
Schoepp: There has been a big price to pay as farms expanded
Reading Time: 3 minutes The rapid expansion and increase in farm size have had a large societal cost as enterprises grew and the communities they once supported began to shrink. The demise of small towns is not so much from the past attrition of young people leaving for the city as from the lack of a nearby rural population […] Read more
Comment: Cutting fertilizer emissions and cutting fertilizer use aren’t the same thing
Critics sow needless concern about federal plans, which are based on policies the industry has been promoting
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers came away from the recent federal, provincial and territorial ministers meeting in Saskatoon with a few items stroked off their wish list. Farm organizations welcomed a $500-million or 25 per cent increase in cost-shared funding over five years, half of which will help farmers fight climate change and reduce emissions. The […] Read more
Schoepp: Farmers are innovative and resilient — our food system should be, too
The globalized commodity model is needed, but so are regional and local alternatives
Reading Time: 3 minutes Today’s farmers show resiliency, whether they are highly technical mass producers or deliver fresh to the farm gate. In agriculture, technology continues to rapidly advance in areas such as robotics and precision farming. Nutrient attributes can now be added or taken away in plants through genomics. Machinery can do the work of humans in picking […] Read more
Schoepp: Don’t be brought down by the constant drumbeat of bad news
Yes, the world faces a lot of troubles right now but we remain fortunate in Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Each day we are bombarded with negativity — often regarding food, fuel and housing, those core foundational building blocks in our hierarchy of needs. Without them we start to lose our sense of belonging and of control in our lives and begin to fear for our future. Added to inflation and declining markets is the […] Read more
Schoepp: When we put values ahead of winning, good things happen
Of course we play to win but those who dare to be different often reap exceptional rewards
Reading Time: 3 minutes I have found a cousin — or rather he found me. Years ago, I had placed a little post on Facebook with a short message in which I said I was looking for information on my maternal grandmother. I knew her name and when she passed, but that was nearly all. And I wanted to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
