Canadians and Italians like each other. Italian culture has formed a deep part of the Canadian fabric, and Canadians buy hundreds of millions of dollars of goods from Italy every year. However, there have been some hiccups recently in the trade relationship between Canada and Italy, highlighted by the protectionist measures being used to block […] Read more
Stories by Cam Dahl
Ag must celebrate modern farming
Most farmers are reluctant to talk about modern agriculture. Our own industry advertisements promote the image of a farm with a faded red barn and a few chickens running about in a pastoral setting. That is not modern agriculture and we need to stop letting agriculture be portrayed this way. It is not hard to […] Read more
Harnessing the power of co-operation
There is a common adage in agriculture: “wheat is 14 percent protein and 86 percent politics.” This was often applied in the era of debates over marketing, but it still fits today on many issues in agriculture. This is unfortunate and it comes at a cost. When governments in Canada receive different and conflicting policy […] Read more
What Canadian agriculture stands for
It has been said that organizations are best defined by what they oppose versus what they support. That seems too cynical a view of the world. I want to talk about what we stand for. Canadian agriculture stands for science-based regulations and rules of trade. Farmers across this country depend on access to international markets […] Read more
Real science willing to correct mistakes
I likely can’t count the number of times I have spoken or written the words science-based. It is a mantra of sorts. And for good reason. Technology is the most important competitive advantage for Canadian agriculture. This is how we are going to compete with emerging exporters and key international competitors. The alternative to science-based […] Read more
Hazard, risk study helps combat food fear
Should genetically modified products be labelled? Is organic healthier? Does glyphosate cause cancer? Do you put your kids at risk if you feed them meat or is the cave-man diet the way to go? All of these questions, and a few conspiracy theories, flood Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools. Celebrities are using “food […] Read more
Agriculture should be seen as positive
There are some organizations that don’t like modern agriculture. I really don’t understand why. My personal hero is Dr. Norman Borlaug, who led the green revolution, which lifted millions of people out of poverty and provided food for millions more who would have otherwise starved. The green revolution and the many innovations that have followed […] Read more
The new reality: Trump and anti-trade
There have been a lot of questions about trade since the U.S. election. Donald Trump, the new president, promised to take the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and he did just that with his first executive order. Recently, Trump has promised to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement, causing exporters in Canada […] Read more
Canadian ag missions provide value
The Canadian cereals industry is united in reaching out to international customers. The 2016 Canadian Wheat New Crop Missions ran for seven weeks from the beginning of November to mid-December. The sessions kicked off Nov. 10 with a seminar for Canadian millers, the largest buyer of Canadian wheat. The missions are expected to reach customers […] Read more
Keep customer in mind when combining
Warren Buffet once quipped, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” This is something worth thinking about as we start to prepare for harvest. Canada has a strong reputation for consistently delivering safe, high-quality grain to our customers both […] Read more
