Little change Business as usual likely, but Premier Redford’s promise of OHS rules for agriculture may come to pass
Reading Time: 3 minutes Voters in rural areas and small towns, particularly in central and southern Alberta, sent a message to their political leaders at the ballot box during the recent election — they wanted some respect. Whether they will get that respect from the victorious PC Party only time will tell, since the Wildrose Party won most of […] Read moreElection creates a new political reality in rural Alberta
Livestock industry needs to build trust with consumers
Shared values Simply claiming that science is on their side won’t help producers build trust with consumers
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new culture of care is emerging around farm animal welfare that demands fresh thinking, partnerships, expectations and strategies for the livestock industry to define a successful future. And it’s coming fast, said speakers at the Livestock Care Conference hosted by Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) last month in Red Deer. “We’re in a completely […] Read moreMoving beyond supply management
Reading Time: 2 minutes Now that we have some clarity on the economic future of the Canadian Wheat Board, attention is slowly turning toward the issue of supply management, which has arguably served our agricultural economy well for decades. Economically speaking, these sectors have been unwavering, and consumers have long benefited from stable retail prices for these products. However, […] Read more
The party leaders speak on farm and rural issues
Close race The results in rural ridings can’t be taken for granted in this critical election
Reading Time: 3 minutes Until this time most elections in Alberta were foregone conclusions before they were even called. In the same light agricultural issues usually barely saw a mention. And rural and small-town voters usually did their duty and voted the ruling PC party back in for another term. But it’s different this time around. There is a […] Read more“Lean, finely textured beef,” or “pink slime?”
Trimmings They’re turned into added-value products for processors, but they’re giving meat a bad name
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Laws are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made.” This quote has been widely but wrongly attributed to Otto Von Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor” of Germany in the 19th century, which proves that misinformation was spreading long before the Internet. However, the Internet is certainly a much more efficient way […] Read moreBison: First of the refundable commissions bites the dust
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Bison Producers of Alberta (BPA) is the first of the refundable agriculture commissions to face the music and put itself out of business (see page 15). The obvious question is who will be next? The most likely candidates could be the elk or sheep commissions, both of which operate with few members and modest […] Read more
Funding new research greenhouse a wise decision
Reading Time: 3 minutes It cost a lot of tax dollars, but the Alberta government investment in a new research greenhouse facility in Brooks could prove to be a wise decision for the future survival of the industry in Alberta. This province has a couple of distinct advantages when it comes to greenhouse crop production — lots of sunshine […] Read more
Livestock competitor or livestock customer?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dermot Hayes, a respected livestock economist from Iowa State University, is admittedly flummoxed over the question of whether it will be grain producers or the livestock sector benefiting from the growing demand for protein in emerging economies. Hayes was in Winnipeg to deliver the annual Kraft Lecture, a memorial to the late University of Manitoba […] Read more
Magic-bullet solutions only last so long
Reading Time: 3 minutes We’ve all done it. Pushed our crop rotations, that is. You know that field had canola on it two years ago, but the seed you have already purchased, the fertilizer you applied last fall, or the delivery contract you already signed all make us do things that we know are not in our best agronomic […] Read more
CFIA makes a bold promise, but time will tell
Reading Time: 3 minutes You would be hard pressed to find anyone involved in almost any sector of agriculture regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) who has anything positive to say (that is officially or publicly) about that federal organization. Comments by stakeholders and organizations about the agency’s high-handedness, arrogance and self-righteousness are always made in hushed […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
