La Nina was officially declared dead May 24 by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. A warm pool of water that formed recently in the Pacific Ocean finally sent the little brat packing. The 2010-11 La Nina weather phenomenon, characterized by a cool ocean, was one of the strongest on record. She was likely responsible for […] Read more
Stories by Joanne Paulson
It’s easy to predict Judgment Day predictions
May 21 has come and gone, and generally speaking, we on planet Earth are still here, despite dire warnings that Saturday was going to be Judgment Day. So much for the predictive power of one Harold Camping, who used an impenetrable formula to come up with his conclusion. I write this with great confidence despite […] Read more
Please, Ottawa, let’s see a little more harmony
I knew I was going to regret that election prediction column. No matter how certain something appears from a month-away vantage point, your fellow human creatures will always come up with a way to surprise you. In the case of the 2011 election, the fellow humans who served up the biggest surprise were the people […] Read more
High oil prices hurt economy, farmers’ bottom line
I just about choked when I saw the new gas price on the way to work recently. I thought $1.29 was quite sufficient for a litre of gas, thank you. Friday morning, there was more sticker shock – gas had risen to $1.32 (prices rounded to nearest cent.) At the time, West Texas Intermediate was […] Read more
Agribusiness leader offers food for thought
When you attend a conference, there is always a significant risk of being bored to death. Joyfully, then, I was fairly blown away at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) conference in Kansas City the week of April 11, and not by the frightening winds. Several of the speakers at NAMA were quite inspirational, and none […] Read more
WP wins awards at ag journalism conference
Most of us in Canada may not have heard of the late Audrey Mackiewicz, but she is a towering figure in the world of agricultural journalism. Mackiewicz was an Ohio newswoman, the first female president of the North American Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ) and its long-time executive secretary treasurer. In her honour, the NAAJ established an […] Read more
Young people are picking up the newspaper
They say young people just don’t read – unless it’s online or on phones, and then only in 50 word snippets. They also say young people just aren’t interested in becoming the next generation of farmers. I say horse feathers. Recently heard anecdotal evidence and recently read letters to the editor indicate otherwise. For example, […] Read more
Canadians deserve reliable weather service
I know this will never make it onto the election radar screen, but it should. I refer to the shocking underfunding of Environment Canada, which has been slashing costs, relying on automated stations, and generally limping along for more than a decade. Environment Canada is, in fact, the country’s very own weather service. Does no […] Read more
A busy year for voters in Sask., Manitoba
In two days, Saskatchewan people had to absorb two budgets (although one of them is moot). Essentially, what we have here are two election platforms. Later, we will have two elections. Manitobans will soon be in the same boat. Their budget comes down in April, followed by an October provincial election. It’s going to be […] Read more
Computer glitch no match for Western Producer staff
I found myself wondering out loud last week how long humankind has been reliant on tools. My ever-resourceful husband grabbed the computer and started looking it up. Bless him for doing so, because I was too tired to move. Scientists thought until recently that the use of tools by humans dated back about 2.5 million […] Read more
