DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — Waste is a dirty word to Ohio farmer Tom Price. Owner of the family-operated Price Farms Organics near Columbus, he has become a receiver of every kind of food byproduct, manure and yard trimming. Those products are turned into compost and sold back to community retailers, wholesalers, gardeners and landscapers. “We […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Scientists look to grazing to aid carbon retention in soil
The symbiotic relationship of plants, soil and animals has long been understood among those living off the land. Soil with high carbon content has increased fertility, water retention and productivity. Now scientists are assessing the value of grazing on grasslands and that system’s ability to sequester more carbon in the soil and stave off greenhouse […] Read more
Former U.S. NAFTA negotiator worries about ag trade future
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An uncertain trade environment could have considerable ramifications for agriculture in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S. has already abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership. NAFTA has been very positive for U.S. agriculture. Movement of agricultural goods between the […] Read more
Public fails to see climate change as threat to fresh water access
Canadians rank the value of fresh water higher than any of the country’s natural resources, but a recent survey shows they don’t know much about this necessity of life. The Royal Bank of Canada’s annual water attitudes survey of about 2,000 people wants to learn more about public attitudes toward water. Conducted since 2009, this […] Read more
Meat purchases linked to views on animal care
LEDUC, Alta. — Most people have set ideas about how animals should be treated, and that influences their decisions to eat meat. Wide ranging surveys of thousands of Canadians since 2012 show that people do not change their basic beliefs, said agricultural economist Ellen Goddard of the University of Alberta. Researchers often use an animal […] Read more
Use caution when grazing cattle on winter-damaged crops
Feeding winter-damaged crops to cattle may be risky business. About a million acres in Alberta were left unharvested over the winter due to a wet fall. There is a risk of wildlife damage, moulds and fungi that make the crops unpalatable or fail to provide enough nutrition, said forage specialist Barry Yaremcio of Alberta Agriculture. […] Read more
China inspires economic envy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The ex-traordinary transformation of the Chinese economy has the world agog. For companies like Alltech, which manufactures feed ingredients and additives, the agriculture revolution is equally exciting. The company has been in China for 25 years and observed the growth of a youthful urban middle class as well as changes on farms. […] Read more
Antibiotic resistance a problem but economics dictate use
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue affecting public, animal and plant health. Before the 1960s, antibiotics were expensive and were not widely used in livestock production, said Wondwossen Gebreyes, executive director of Global One Health Initiative at Ohio State University. However, there are economic benefits to using antibiotics in livestock production. A […] Read more
U.S. program outlines animal handling rules
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Livestock auctions are public places, so those working with animals must ensure their behaviour is beyond reproach. In the United States, members of the Livestock Marketing Association must follow codes of practice in animal handling. “We are public businesses, and day in and day out,strangers can walk through, so our programs have […] Read more
Non-refundable checkoffs may return to Alberta
At least two agricultural commissions in Alberta plan to ask their members for permission to return to a non-refundable checkoff now that the provincial government has announced it will give them the right to do so. The Marketing of Agricultural Products Amendment Act 2017, or Bill 9, which was tabled in the Alberta legislature April […] Read more
