Reading Time: 3 minutes Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza A has crossed the boundaries from the chicken barn to the dairy farm and from there to a human in the United States. This is a serious virus that has infected poultry in 50 American states since 2022. The person infected in April is the second U.S. human […] Read more
The wild side of zoonotics
Did the U.S. practice of feeding chicken litter contribute to the bovine flu outbreak?
Opinion: The barons of the dinner table
New book pulls back the curtains on ag mercantilists
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Manufacturers are “an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public.” That quote is originally from the first economist, Scotland’s Adam Smith, almost 250 years ago, and is repurposed by writer Eric Schlosser in the foreword of Iowan Austin Frerick’s new book, “Barons: Money, Power, […] Read more
Letter to the Editor: Don’t surrender on the enviro front
Reading Time: 2 minutes I am a long-time reader of your paper and appreciate the informative agricultural news and other articles. However, the opinion piece by Matt McIntosh entitled ‘Time to farm with nature,’ has prompted some very serious questions I would love to pose to him, and to you, as you have printed his opinion; vital questions which […] Read more
Schoepp: For sale signs of the times
Should farms consider ecological diversity as a risk management tool?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s spring and the time of year that farmland often changes hands. The “for sale” sign signals an end to trial and triumph and always invites curious conversations. This spring, there is an increase of sales in certain sectors. Sales driven by land stress and owners’ inability to financially weather another storm. Tree fruits and […] Read more
Comment: Time to farm with nature
Don’t wait for the trend towards greater regulation, mold it by getting involved
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – I’m increasingly convinced that legislation to protect nature on farmland from ourselves is a necessity. Aside from the environment, there are practical political and economic reasons to support hypothetical restrictions on the removal of woodlots, fencerows, tallgrass prairie and the like. And if we are proactive, there is opportunity to lobby for […] Read more
Farmers need reasonable goals for reducing emissions
So far nobody’s willing to pay the bill for transforming our economy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Give farmers something they can work with. Give Canada’s agriculture and food industries something they can work toward. That’s how you’ll get them on-side with greenhouse gas reduction goals. Right now, there’s not much to make them care or to feel there’s a point in participating. With “intensity” spurned by the enviro-lords, […] Read more
Opinion: Food sales mirror Canada’s impoverishment
Our population is growing much faster than our GDP and food spending is falling
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada appears to be a “trading-down” market, a trend that may persist for some time. Recent data from Statistics Canada on the food retail and service industries, as well as fresh GDP figures, paint a concerning picture, especially for those looking to attract more food companies or grocers to our country. Our population grew by […] Read more
Schoepp: Wider conversation needed on climate cause
Agriculture has a role to play, but so does society at large
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s tough being a farmer today and it is easy to be fixed on sky watching, that proverbial hope of rain or snow and even perhaps a wee bit of wind. Even as the farmer watches, there are political and social expectations that we, the keepers of the land, do something to change the course […] Read more
Opinion: Charting Alberta’s energy transition destiny
Rural Alberta should be a powerhouse in the energy industry now and into the future
Reading Time: 3 minutes Living in what I’ve whimsically dubbed “M&M-ville” holds the promise of a ground-breaking energy paradigm for rural Alberta. Nestled about 45 minutes southwest of Calgary along Highway 543, this imaginary locale embodies the dynamic interplay between traditional petroleum industries and innovative renewable energy ventures. “M&M-ville” is my imaginary descriptor for the community of “Molecules and […] Read more
Opinion: Why ‘wait and see’ is not a realistic approach to climate change
It is more practical to act now based on what is already known, and adapt as we learn more
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Fifty years ago, on a moonless night in the Fraser Canyon of British Columbia, I was trudging back to camp. As I crossed a railroad bridge, I heard the wail of a train whistle ricocheting through the canyons behind me. I couldn’t judge the distance between train and bridge, nor how far […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
