Stepping into the column space last staked out by Keith Dryden is an honor, but a daunting task. Dryden showed his dedication to this newspaper by continuing his writing for years after his retirement. He showed his keen insight, wit, intellect, love of language, admirable journalism skills and devotion to agriculture and Western Canada. And […] Read more
Stories by Elaine Shein
Quebec flower business flourishes from passion
STE-DOROTHEE, Quebec – Describing the farm business he built with his brother, 25-year-old Louis Marineau calls it a labor of love. “It’s a love story. I believe in what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing … I’m so proud of what I’m doing.” Louis and Martin Marineau, 27, received a small field five years […] Read more
Brothers fight for sustainable future on farm
CARIEVALE, Sask. – Lee and Bryan Stanley believe they have done all they can to make their farm profitable. Along with their father, they farm 23 quarters of land growing eight different crops and own 100 head of cattle. Until recently, one of them worked two jobs off the farm and one of their spouses […] Read more
Flooded farmers face weed challenges
YELLOW GRASS, Sask. – They have little crop and face delays in harvesting what they have, but farmers are working hard in the areas of Manitoba and Saskatchewan that were flooded this spring. They are spraying, mowing, cultivating, swathing, raking, baling, plowing, combining and burning. And that’s just the fight against weeds. Most of the […] Read more
Politician preaches on journalists’ role
Speaking to an audience of primarily American agricultural journalists last week in Winnipeg, John Harvard preached about the role of journalists. But Harvard aimed beyond those gathered, sending his message to Canadian media. Harvard is chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and is a three-time Manitoba member of Parliament. […] Read more
Old versus new news
When is an event too old to report? This is a dilemma all media face. When deciding, news editors and directors go through a mental list of questions: When is the event? Will it be stale by the time it’s reported or already covered by the other media? Where is the event? What resources will […] Read more
Celebrating magazines
Less than a year old, and already an award winner. On June 24, at a gala affair in Vancouver, Farming magazine – a supplement of The Western Producer – was named Trade Magazine of the Year by Western Magazine Awards Foundation. Even more impressive was that it was the first three issues ever published of […] Read more
The other side
Shortly after 6 a.m. each day, a trickle of people begin to arrive at the Sir John Carling building in Ottawa, home of Agriculture Canada. Computers are already buzzing with activity. One computer screen shows four television stations at once, and scrolling transcripts are captured from closed-captioned programs. Workers begin to scan the internet for […] Read more
Grampa Fred
When Grampa Fred came to visit our paper recently with his grandson, it was as though a member of our extended family had come home. He asked about past columnists and writers as if they were familiar friends. As he watched a video about our paper’s history, he often nodded in recognition of images or […] Read more
Extra time needed to study report
THIRTY thousand words are a lot to digest. Imagine trying to get thousands of people to read that, and seek a consensus on what impact those words will have on their businesses. Add to the mix a 30-day deadline to consume, analyze and provide thoughtful, credible feedback to the report’s writer, Willard Estey. That’s what […] Read more
