Reading Time: 2 minutes I’m a bit confused by all the saving-the-planet hullabaloo over that $330,000 hamburger manufactured in the laboratory. It was animal protein all right, fried in butter no less, not one of those concoctions of soy, brown rice, black beans or quinoa the vegetarians turn to for their burger fix. My daughter and I quite innocently […] Read more
My beef with fabricated beef
Putting some meat on the bones of the beef industry ‘straw man’
A beef producer says ‘industry solutions’ don’t help if producers aren’t part of the industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes Last year, a report analyzing the Canadian beef industry stimulated a discussion involving all sectors of the Canadian beef value chain at a summit last November. The outcome was that three of us with a solid knowledge of, but not a vested position in, the beef industry agreed to develop a draft industry strategy and […] Read moreSeven questions to consider in farm animal care
Key questions and concepts driving farm animal care progress for livestock producers and their industry
Reading Time: 2 minutes It may be the dog days of summer but in the world of farm animal care it’s also a time when new ideas and fresh progress are heating up. Here’s a rundown of several key questions and concepts to watch for in the months ahead. Who pays? It’s an unprecedented time of new standards and […] Read morePolitics and wheat varieties have a long history on the Prairies
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s unlikely the Canadian Grain Commission’s decision to remove Garnet wheat from the Canada Western Red Spring wheat class as of Aug. 1 will be met with more than a ho-hum response from farmers who long ago abandoned it in favour of better genetics. The variety’s historical significance is more because of its role in […] Read more
Canola ‘bloom’ may not last forever
Reading Time: 2 minutes Forty years ago canola production was confined mostly to central and northern Alberta. It wasn’t until private plant breeders got involved with developing new varieties that the production range of canola began to significantly expand in this province. Today we see canola growing well into southern Alberta. Much of that expansion is due to the […] Read more
Age verification may quietly disappear — or not
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was one of those government programs that was unwanted, even detested, by most cow-calf producers, but it was a darling of senior department bureaucrats. In fact it was so much loved by those folks that the government threw millions of taxpayer dollars at the program just to prove it was going to be good […] Read more
Barley has a lot of catching up if it’s to compete with corn
Reading Time: 3 minutes Two recent announcements by the federal government and private industry show different research approaches to a couple of crops grown in Alberta. Both have announced the investment of millions of dollars into barley research by the federal government on the one hand, and millions into corn research by Monsanto on the other. From the outside […] Read more
The next Okanagan boom may be even more interesting
Reading Time: 2 minutes The B.C. Okanagan is seeing an interesting development in horticulture which bears a resemblance to what occurred about 100 years ago in the same area. Anyone travelling to the area over the past 30 years can’t help but notice dozens of new vineyards and wineries. That compares to a mere handful of operations 30 years […] Read more
Calgary Co-op examines next steps on sourcing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Calgary Co-op is one of the largest retail co-operatives in North America, with more than 44,000 members and annual sales of more than $1 billion. Under its co-operative structure, Co-op members can put forward non-binding resolutions at the AGM which if passed by a members’ vote are moved on to the company board of directors […] Read more
Farmers frustrated with lack of access to generic crop protection products
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian farmers are at a competitive disadvantage to some of their main trading partners The Protection of Proprietary Interests in Pesticide Data in Canada (PPIP) regulation administered by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has been a serious obstacle for farmers getting access to lower-cost products. It has made it near impossible for companies to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
