Reading Time: 3 minutes Bottom line: you can’t expect others to willingly buy your goods and services if you impose restrictions on them selling to you. All sorts of well-meaning organizations like to extol the virtues of shopping locally and supporting the local business community. This is especially true during difficult economic times. There is a simple, natural tendency […] Read more
Shopping Locally Can Be Beneficial — But Not Always
U.S. Groups Outline Principles For National ID
Reading Time: 2 minutes Highlights from a Jan. 14 statement by eight U.S. cattle industry groups on 12 principles in development of cattle disease traceability ID system. The proposal to the USDA and Congress was signed by the Livestock Marketing Organization, the American Angus Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Dairy Farmers of America, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, R-CALF USA, […] Read more
Letters To The Editor – for Feb. 1, 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes We rural folk want our parcels Courier companies like UPS, Purolator and DHL do not deliver in rural areas. If they can get you by phone they will ask where they can leave the parcel for you to pick up, usually a relative in a town. Sometimes they might deliver to their agent/drop-off in a […] Read more
Leaseholders Dealing With Major Issues
Reading Time: 4 minutes “Many urbanites influencing policy do not have any clue as to the costs we must bear” The Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association (AGLA) has focused on a few key issues that we have been attempting to address. Some board members and leaseholders have been attending meetings that are defining the parameters for the Land-Use Framework set […] Read more
Looking Back, And Forward To The Coming Year
Reading Time: 3 minutes The only change has been in how quickly the latest new support program has become useless in providing timely help. One becomes somewhat pensive at this time of the year, reflecting on what happened during the past year and speculating on what might, or perhaps hope, will happen in the coming year. There is always […] Read more
Rancher Experience And Knowledge: An Untapped Resource
Reading Time: 2 minutes Land management and conservation agencies have traditionally performed rangeland management activities based predominately on technical information resulting from scientific research. However, rancher experience and knowledge is an untapped resource that could help broaden the scope of these activities and lead to more sustainable land management. The number of ranchers in the United States is steadily […] Read more
AgriRecovery Support Needed For Livestock Industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes The ABP, on behalf of the 25,000 cow-calf producers in Alberta, believes the drought and poor weather conditions during 2009 should become part of the AgriRecovery initiative. Alberta’s beef cow-calf sector was faced with a considerable level of difficulty during the summer and fall of 2009. Relatively low moisture levels and cool weather conditions compared […] Read more
Serving Agriculture, The Basic Industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes The days of the CBC radio “Farm Broadcast” have passed into history, but many still fondly remember the noon-hour market reports and general agriculture news. In Ontario, the host for 25 years was George Atkins, who passed away Nov. 30 at age 92. In 1975, George was in Zambia to help with a workshop for […] Read more
WTO A Boon To The Economy (For Airline And Hotel Owners)
Reading Time: 3 minutes Its been said that almost everything grown in Canada, outside of maple syrup, can be produced elsewhere cheaper. Whenever another round of trade discussions is announced by the World Trade Organization (WTO), travel agents across the country start smiling. They know from past history that dozens upon dozens of lobbyists, government officials and politicians from […] Read more
A Message From The Past For Pork Producers? – for Jan. 4, 2010
Reading Time: < 1 minute FROM THE NOR-WEST FARMER AND MANITOBA MILLER, SEPTEMBER 1886 In a paper published in the June issue of the Nor-West Farmer, I pointed out the superiority of our northern small grains, such as barley and oats, over Indian corn as feed for pigs. Mr. Sumner, the manager of extensive pork-curing works at Cork, Ireland, has […] Read more