Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s agri-food trade profile continues to be in deficit. As the demand for specific items heats up around the globe, it’s apparent that a rethinking of our processing, value adding and export aggression is long overdue. Considering the low value of the Canadian currency, this is an opportune time to push our products onto the […] Read more
It’s a shame that Canada imports more food products than it exports
Canada should look to countries like the Netherlands, which is a leading exporter of roasted coffee even though it doesn’t grow coffee beans
The grass is greener
People have long used technology to change the world to suit their purposes, but healthy soil is the foundation of it all
Reading Time: 3 minutes In Bruce Feiler’s book entitled Walking the Bible, he has a discussion with his travel partner Avner as they were tightly squeezed into a nawamis, or tiny tomb, that pastoralists used 6,000 years ago as they made their way around the desert. Avner said, “Those in agricultural areas used technology to change the world around […] Read more
New national beef strategy is on the right track
The goals are ambitious, but what’s key is that the cattle sector is coalescing around a common vision
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beef industry leaders have outlined some gutsy goals for their sector to meet with their recently released National Beef Strategy. Boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent, increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent and reducing cost disadvantage relative to global competitors by seven per cent by 2020 won’t be easy. But much of […] Read more
A warm welcome from a very hospitable community
The number of producers is declining, but the spirit of the farming community grows stronger and stronger
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was running seriously late and my pal Rick’s email directions for the community supper were “four miles north of Vauxhall — lots of signs.” Judging when you’re four miles from a place you’ve never been before is a little tough, but surely I couldn’t miss all those signs. I did. I spotted one marking […] Read more
Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program is a great way to kick-start your career
The application deadline for this year’s program is looming and it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up
Reading Time: 3 minutes The future of the cattle industry in Canada is looking promising for the next generation of cattlemen and women. With more ‘skin in the game’ than ever before, today’s young cattlemen interested in going back to the farm or starting out on their own have a variety of complex tasks ahead of them. Developing leadership […] Read more
Advocating for forage crops is critical work and needs to continue
The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association works on a tight budget, but is in it for the long haul
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent reports on the financial situation of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association suggest its future is grim. But while we’ll be on a tight budget in the coming year, the association is on firm financial footing and we intend on being around for a long time. In fact, the need for an organization like […] Read more
The gift of Christmas comes not in a box or bag, but in the heart
The holiday season can be a stressful, and painful, time — but also one for cherishing the true gifts we have been given
Reading Time: 3 minutes Seasons of celebration can be lonely times for many individuals and families. It is a time that lends itself to reflect on times past, love lost, and the empty chair in the room. A painful memory can easily overshadow the chaos and commotion — even when, or especially when, children are involved. We suffer in […] Read more
The cattle industry hasn’t fully embraced animal welfare
The cattle sector has come a long way but there are still areas to be addressed and it should be leading the way
Reading Time: 3 minutes The children and I have a map marked with every road I drove in the 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s I spent speaking about animal welfare in Canada. There were a few empty spots, but those travels included hundreds of farm stops and thousands of participants. It was my mission to bring the […] Read more
Data from your farm has value and shouldn’t be given away
But under current rules, the end-user of the data is the owner, which means farmers are giving away an increasingly valuable commodity
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many questions surrounding the use of data for and from farmers. Who owns the data? What is required? How does this benefit me as a farmer? I took to the streets with these questions as part as an ongoing quest to clarify just what it is that farmers may expect and more importantly, […] Read more
New wheat-marketing system isn’t just a mess — it’s a great big mess
With Canada’s wheat selling at a discount to Russia’s, it’s time to admit the new open market isn’t working as it should
Reading Time: 3 minutes Critics of the Canadian Wheat Board used to routinely point to published price quotes for U.S. Dark Northern Spring (DNS) wheat from the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and assume that was a benchmark price for all wheat sold in the world. If the board got less, it must have screwed up, said the critics. In fact, […] Read more