WINNIPEG — Forcing every federally supported agricultural research project to involve climate change mitigation threatens farmers’ vital interests, leading agriculture industry stakeholders say. “That lens is always ‘how is this going to help reduce emissions,’” noted CropLife Canada president Pierre Petelle in an interview during a farm meeting this winter. Other stories in this Special […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
New focus called gov’t blind spot
Difficulties have been reported finding matching federal funding for research projects that address significant problems in crop production
OTTAWA — The federal government is like a cyclops with a giant blind spot when it comes to research funding, farm organizations, researchers and the agriculture industry have found. Agronomic crop research is a key way to improve agricultural sustainability and reduce carbon emissions but if such research isn’t related to climate change, the government […] Read more
More clarity urged for ag research requests
WINNIPEG — Concerns about tighter funding parameters in agricultural research should prompt farmers to get their requests together because incoherence is undermining research efforts, says the chair of the Agri-Food Innovation Council. “What do we want to get out of agricultural research?” asked Cam Dahl in an interview. “What are the public goods that are […] Read more
Delicious pork at odds with outdated cooking instructions
The pork was sweet and succulent. It made three teenagers and a spouse happy, was easy to cook, and provided lots of leftovers — all for $21. This particular product, which came in four-packs for $7 each of “pork loin centre-cut chops” prepared in a Montreal steak spice sauce, came from my local Wal Mart. […] Read more
VIDEO: Hog producers face challenges in the upcoming year
Changing diseases, new rules in export markets and relatively high feedgrain prices create headwinds for the industry
Hog producers are hunkered down for a tough year as reduced margins combine with trade chaos to create a cloudy outlook. Yet beneath those stormy skies, hog farms continue to invest in open housing systems. They are building new barns, successfully tackling tough disease issues and setting bold targets for further improvements. That was the message as the province’s […] Read more
Farm decisions: Some rational, some irrational, but all are important
Farmers don’t farm according to theory. Their decisions are based upon a multitude of factors that are hard for anybody to separate, let alone devise an easily applied formula or theory. Little goes “according to Hoyle,” as the saying goes. It’s wonderful that there are economists and analysts to provide theoretical tools, mathematical formulae and […] Read more
Fair offers urbanities a window into Ag.
BRANDON — An aggressively hungry ewe. Newborn chicks flopping and flipping a few minutes after cracking their eggs. Horses clopping down the alleys, hefty-muscled and throwing off that anxious-for-the-ring energy. Fur, straw, boots, company-branded gear, ropes, helmets, and that smell of animals, mini-doughnuts, manure and leather. The agricultural world was in fine display inside the […] Read more
Grain storage decisions are complicated
When it comes to farmers storing grain, there are the “market -responsive” people, the “store -and -ignore” types, the “cash-poor crowd” and the “tax-avoiding gang.” That’s according to a recent paper by a team of University of Illinois and University of Missouri economists, which makes it clear that not all farmers manage their stored grain […] Read more
Food researcher adds more to her resume
Research into “underutilized” prairie fruits and berries to help identify healthy components and to increase farm production
Some researchers hide in their laboratories and behind the printed words of academic papers. Chamali Kodikara isn’t suited for that sort of introverted life. “I really like to do the other stuff as well,” said Kodikara in an interview after she learned she had been elected vice-president of competitions for the Institution of the Chicago-based […] Read more
Consumers need to know that farm costs can hurt them
Dumping costs on somebody else is no big deal if it doesn’t cost the dumper anything. That attitude is a problem for farmers, the rest of agriculture and the food industry as the latest iteration of inflation-promoting measures makes life harder and profits thinner for everybody except the consumer. Or so the consumer thinks. Genetically […] Read more
