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
Farmers need reasonable goals for reducing emissions
So far nobody’s willing to pay the bill for transforming our economy
Teasing out the social angle of sustainable ag research
Recently funded network to bring together social scientists, agriculture and community groups
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Research resulting from a recent $1.9-million federal funding announcement will take a more philosophical approach to the future of sustainable agriculture. The research aims to discover the social barriers to sustainable farming and how the burden and benefits of transition can be equitably shared. The federal government pledged the cash March 19 […] Read more
European farmers have not embraced green policies
International trade observer points out complex relationship between the EU and its national governments and producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The push for more sustainable agriculture policies in Europe is accentuating the complex relationship between member states and the European Commission, said a trade expert based in Brussels. Christina Kaul from Trade-Up, a network of international trade experts, said North Americans might view the EU as one big block but there is […] Read more
Intergovernmental collaboration key to Canada’s agricultural sustainability
Differing regional priorities often complicate collaborative climate efforts in agriculture sector
Reading Time: 4 minutes Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) government collaboration is vital to the future of Canada’s agriculture sector, said panelists at a May 31 webinar. Organized by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, the webinar focused on a report by University of Toronto professor Grace Skogstad entitled Towards a Collaborative Sustainable Agriculture Strategy for Canada. Skogstad opened the […] Read more
To be truly sustainable, local food must work on many levels
Reading Time: 4 minutes Austin Noirot, 13, of Caroline, is the junior winner of this year’s Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition. In his speech, he addressed the question: Is local food sustainable? The topic of food sustainability has become increasingly popular lately, with many people putting their opinions out on social media and newspapers. There seems to be […] Read more
New ag policy framework gets mostly thumbs-up
Change in the AgriStability reference margin from 70 to 80 per cent may encourage more participation
Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: Aug. 26, 2022] The new national business risk management plan is getting a generally positive reception from farm organization leaders. The new framework, titled the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, was announced by federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers following their annual meeting at the end of July. Grain Growers of Canada chair Andre Harpe […] Read more
Sustainability means a lot of things on this Alberta farm
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sustainable ag has been a popular term for many years but on Blue Ridge Farms, it goes beyond just farming practices. “We have four kids who will hopefully take it over, or whoever takes it over next, we want to pass it over in really good condition,” said Jillian Byers who farms with husband Brett […] Read more
STRONG STEWARDS: Women ‘a driving force’ in conservation efforts
Stewardship isn’t gender specific but female farmers are often champions of sustainable practices
Reading Time: 5 minutes Elaine Bellamy has known from the time she was a small girl — there’s something special about the land at Will Farms. “When I was a five-year-old girl, I decided to take a spoon outside and have a taste of the dirt,” the Rosebud-area farmer recalled with a laugh. “Apparently, I thought it was pretty good, […] Read more
Grain code: After push-back comes a reset
Group behind sustainability initiative is taking a different approach
Reading Time: 4 minutes The pause button has been pushed on a code of practice for grain producers after push-back from farmers across the Prairies. And the group behind the Responsible Grain Code of Practice is pledging to do a better job of consulting farmers before taking any further steps. “We considered all of the feedback we got out […] Read more
Everyone is talking about sustainable agriculture
While grain farmers wonder why a code of practice is needed, there’s a wave of sustainability initiatives
Reading Time: 4 minutes You may think that all the talk about sustainability is just people and businesses jumping on a fashionable trend. But if so, that bandwagon is getting very crowded. In a 10-day period last month, three new sustainability initiatives were announced by major players in the Canadian ag sector. First up was the Egg Farmers of […] Read more
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