Last August, the CBC published an opinion piece by Aaron Wherry that was headlined, “The hope for an elected Senate is dead, or at least fast asleep.” Just as well. If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll remember the term triple-E Senate. It stood for equal, elected and effective. It sounded good. Felt good. […] Read more
Brian MacLeod
Stories by Brian MacLeod
Trust vs. facts in debate over agriculture
We have often championed the virtue of good communications about agriculture to consumers, but Kevin Folta, a professor in the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida, has outlined a process to ensure the targets and the messages are effective. Folta, who spoke at the Global Institute for Food Security conference in Saskatoon last week, urged those […] Read more
Will supply management survive?
In April 2017, shortly after Canada closed the loophole on imports of ultra-filtered milk, Wisconsin dairy farmer Shane Sauer, told the CBC: “We don’t blame you (Canada)” for what was then a glut of product on the market. Sauer explained the explosion in production of ultra-filtered milk, used in milk byproducts such as cheese, came […] Read more
Bigger grain bins mean bigger management issues for farmers
Farmers can increase storage capacity by moving to bigger grain bins, but those who do need to know more about bin management because bigger bins mean a greater risk of costly damage to the grain, says Joy Agnew, agricultural research services project manager at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute. “We’re getting a few hints and […] Read more
Dairy sector seems to have public support
At first glance, it looks pretty solid: an online Ipsos poll found 75 percent of Canadians “believe the Canadian dairy sector should be defended and that the federal government should make more effort to do so at the NAFTA negotiating table.” The poll, conducted on behalf of the Dairy Farmers of Canada, surveyed 1,000 Canadians […] Read more
PM to be tested on ag
When Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government was elected in 2015, agriculture wasn’t a hot issue. However, in the coming months the Liberals will be called upon to make decisions on a confluence of issues that will have important impacts on agriculture. One is the NAFTA talks, which are coming to a head. The future of supply […] Read more
WP journalists recognized with awards
The Western Producer’s journalists were recognized in six of the eight awards categories presented by the North American Agricultural Journalists last week in Washington D.C. The NAAJ is a continent-wide organization that aims to “promote the highest ideals of journalism and agriculture.” Judges of the 2018 awards are seasoned veterans in agricultural writing. Reporter Ed […] Read more
Is the Producer on the side of farmers?
It’s a question that arises from time to time when The Western Producer publishes a story or opinion that many farmers disagree with. Of course we are, but not because we act as a spokesperson for the industry. Rather, it’s because we place a lens on the industry to try to get a clearer take […] Read more
Legacy stories popular reads
It’s interesting to see how many Western Producer readers are turning to producer.com to find information published years ago. Many older stories are also among our perennial top-read items. Indeed, the readership numbers for some older stories rival some stories published recently. By far the most popular legacy story in the Producer over the last […] Read more
Top stories of 2017
At the end of each year, we like to share with readers the most popular online stories from the previous 12 months. This gives us an indication of what people like to see, and readers can take the measure of what fellow farmers like to read. So here are 2017’s top stories: 10. Grain bag […] Read more
