So, the Green Party’s Elizabeth May has stepped down as leader. She will continue on as a member of Parliament – she even plans to run again – but her tenure as leader, which met with mixed success, is over. While May is much admired in Canada, it’s to be hoped that her successor will […] Read more
Brian MacLeod
Stories by Brian MacLeod
Liberals’ ag policy won’t change
Any patience the Prairies had for the Liberals all but ended on Monday night. With the exception of a handful of seats in Winnipeg, Prairie voters wiped out the pollical party (at press time Monday night) across the three provinces. Yes, Prairie voters tried to throw them out, but they’re back as the government, and […] Read more
Spoiled ballots not advised when voting
By this point in the federal election campaign, you may have been advised how to lodge a protest vote, or how to spoil or decline your ballot. The thinking is that if voters show politicians they are unhappy with “the system,” they might change. It doesn’t work. The goal of any election campaign is to […] Read more
Feds’ climate program may be too costly
I recently received a call from a Saskatchewan farmer who said he’d dried grain only twice in 45 years — both times in recent years — so he was now looking to convert from propane to cheaper natural gas. He had read our Sept. 26 article in which Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale advised farmers to […] Read more
Greens miss science in ag
The Green Party’s platform mentions agriculture 18 times. Bottom line: There is good, bad and ugly. The “good”: The Greens would address “climate risk with the focus on disaster assistance” in Canada’s business risk management programs. (They should address market risk too.) They would encourage urban agriculture on rooftops and in school gardens. (OK, great.) […] Read more
Increased food complexity requires a little clarity
The deep-fried Twizzlers at this year’s Calgary Stampede were all that one could expect. That’s more than can be said for many foods entering the gastronomic realm. They are simultaneously more — and less — than many would expect. Case in point, the “Marrot.” A creation of fast-food chain Arby’s, it looks and tastes like […] Read more
What readers are reading online
A couple of times a year, we publish our top-10 list of stories that are popular with readers online. It’s always interesting to see the medley of information that readers seek, and it helps us at The Western Producer ensure we’re on target with our editorial content. For the first half of 2019, here are […] Read more
Timing is good for UN’s International Year of Plant Health
Next year is the International Year of Plant Health — so says the United Nations, which is fond of dedicating years to causes. Previous “year-of” declarations have included Year of the Family (1994), Year of the Ocean (1998), Year for Culture and Peace (2000), Year of Freshwater (2003) and Year of Natural Fibres (2009). Remember […] Read more
Mental health worth the investment
There is reason for optimism in the latest report by the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food on rural mental health. After hearing from 58 witnesses and receiving five briefs over eight months, the committee made 10 recommendations. The conclusions pretty much have it right, but much of it was already known. […] Read more
Ag policy remains vital coverage area
For the last five years, since the retirement of our Ottawa bureau’s Barry Wilson, Kelsey Johnson’s column has graced the bottom of page 10, offering her weekly analysis of what’s going on in ag on Parliament Hill. Kelsey has covered many issues related to agriculture – she’s an Albertan, and an Edmonton Eskimos fan – […] Read more
