Reading Time: 3 minutes The anti-competitive tentacles of this deal reach much deeper than a consolidation that makes two competitors into one. This is about who will shape the future of grain handling and oilseed processing in Western Canada.
Grain business consolidation and concentration
A recent study suggests farmer concerns over the Viterra-Bunge merger are well founded
The wild side of zoonotics
Did the U.S. practice of feeding chicken litter contribute to the bovine flu outbreak?
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
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
Schoepp: Telling the farm story
The tourism sector can offer agriculture some lessons on connections
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was thrilled to attend a premier tourism conference in January and I certainly felt at home because tourism loves Canadian agriculture; so much so that the conference theme of regeneration was based on the agricultural model. Regenerative tourism digs deep into the concept of leaving a community better than before you visited – not […] Read more
Bill C-282 is an awful idea
Bill risks holding other economic sectors hostage to safeguard the interests of a small, privileged group of farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bill C-282 sits in the Canadian Senate and stands on the precipice of becoming law in a matter of weeks. Essentially, this bill seeks to bestow immunity upon supply management from any potential future trade negotiations, without offering increased market access to potential trade partners. In simpler terms, it risks holding all other economic sectors […] Read more
How industry neglect fueled a US$2.2 billion verdict
The agriculture sector cannot afford to bobble the gene editing ball as it did with glyphosate
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bayer AG’s Monsanto has been ordered to pay a staggering US$2.2 billion to a former Roundup user who linked his cancer to the herbicide. This significant sum is the largest verdict in the ongoing five-year litigation involving the weed killer. However, the legal battles are far from over. There are still more than 50,000 cases […] Read more
Schoepp: Ruminants in the COP28 crosshairs
There’s been little meaningful engagement with agriculture on this issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes The United Nations Climate Conference, COP28, recently held in Rome, was for the first time focused on agriculture. The outcome seems to be a set of seriously flawed directives for farmers. In the 28-year history of the Conference of the Parties, agriculture has always taken a backseat. The 2023 meetings brought food production forward, not […] Read more
Loblaw’s gaffe and apology
The grocers code of conduct is needed to offset political grandstanding
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa recently witnessed a dramatic scene, especially during the proceedings of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, where a few witnesses chose to prioritize their agendas over assisting our elected officials in comprehending the complexities of food prices and the necessary actions to be taken. One particular individual, an economist seemingly more interested in grabbing headlines […] Read more
Opinion: Water for our world
Is this dry year going to seem like a wet one in our parched future?
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I flew over Alberta, the brown earth contrasted sharply with the blue sky. It’s an ideal picture in fall or even spring, but this was late November and not a snowflake or raindrop had quenched the open fields. I recalled past seasons, with both bitter cold and massive snow, as well as balmy days, […] Read more
Schoepp: From beyond meat to the return of meat
Climate-based policies frequently ignore consumer preference and economic reality
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I walk by a storefront that once housed the city’s largest ‘plant-based butcher’, the irony hits me. The new sign announces that this will soon open again – as a beef burger cafe. It brings to light the complexity of understanding Canadian consumers and their varying wants and needs. Protein in all sources is […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
