Reading Time: 2 minutes I often hear farmers and ranchers say feed testing is expensive and I know lots of you guys don’t feed test. But feed testing and using that information to balance livestock rations is a whole lot cheaper than over- or underfeeding them. Let’s say you’re feeding your critters some pretty good-looking hay. You’re making sure […] Read more
Can you really afford not to feed test?
You’re rolling the dice if you’re not testing feed, and it’s not hard to rack up a five-figure loss if you guess wrong
Agriculture is responding to climate change
Warmer oceans and retreating glaciers are being felt at the farm level, but farmers are always moving forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes The following presentation won senior division honours in the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto last month. A rise of 0.8 over 130 years… Why are we paying attention to such a number? Why does it even matter? Because this rise of 0.8 C is affecting the way the world is fed! […] Read more
We need to dig deep and better understand our soils
Healthy soil is our greatest asset, and farm practices focused on just the short term undermine our competitive advantage
Reading Time: 3 minutes I believe that at some point in history, we will fully appreciate and understand that healthy soil is our greatest competitive advantage and the most valuable asset on Earth. As agriculture is the foundation of all civilization, we cannot ignore the evolution of food production. We have gone from gathering food to industrialized agriculture and […] Read more
Asking the questions that need to be asked
An innovative summit takes a frank look at the troubled U.K. dairy industry and what needs to change
Reading Time: 3 minutes Agrihive is an innovative new company out of Australia conceived by an idea that fellow Nuffield scholar James Walker had on his travels. His dream was to start a platform to tackle global issues and create actionable ideas. Part of that involves a U.K. Dairy Summit that was broadcast live on YouTube from London. The […] Read more
‘Probably carcinogenic’ needs to be put in context
The risk — if there is one — is small, and the nutritional benefits of red meat are known and are substantial
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has reviewed the monograph, Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat as published in The Lancet, which summarizes the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) review of red meat and processed meats. The Working Group charged with the review classified consumption of red meat in Group 2A, or “probably […] Read more
Our future Canadian farm leaders need to network
There is incredible diversity in the ag sector and great benefit in sharing ideas with farmers in other sectors
Reading Time: 3 minutes If we are to spread our wings in agriculture, it is often a good idea to look around. We gain an appreciation of the whole of agriculture if we look at all of it, rather than be limited to our sector. There are many good examples of how commitment can bring something into the mainstream. […] Read more
The ever-present danger on our farms and ranches
A mother and two experts talk about the need to do more when it comes to farm safety
Reading Time: 5 minutes Peter Friesen knew something was wrong as soon as the auger stalled. His warning to his five-year-old son Ernie to stay back and “not come any closer than this,” had gone unheeded. The boy had been running around with a dog nearby, and Peter had warned him to stay back, to “not come any closer […] Read more
Sowing gardens — and hope for a brighter future
A school garden may seem like a small thing but it can make a powerful difference
Reading Time: 3 minutes This is the story of Jimboy. He is my friend from the Philippines — one of the 100 million people who live on the nation’s 300,000 square kilometres of islands. And he is making a difference. Jimboy lives in the Tagoloan region which is 19 kilometres from the capital. It is largely an agricultural area […] Read more
The world is going online — and that includes the grocery store
Only a small percentage of people currently buy groceries online, but the sector is poised for explosive growth
Reading Time: 3 minutes Where do you buy your groceries? The answer to that question is getting more attention these days because more consumers now say they buy online. The growth of e-commerce has stretched beyond books, movies, parts and retro finds and is now filling the food basket. As folks shift to online buys it means an increase […] Read more
We need to look at land in the larger context
Fear of ‘peak soil’ is driving global investment and raising questions about who will control it in the future
Reading Time: 3 minutes A man named Louis Glickman once said, “The best investment on Earth – is earth.” And what do we, as farmers, know of this great gift? We know it is the foundation of civilization, the centre of well-being, and the giver of abundance, including joy. We know that it is scarred with the battles that […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
