A former NFU executive director says farmers find themselves caught between the progressive and populist movements
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — A wider urban-rural divide is squeezing farmers between progressive and populist movements, says a public policy expert, and that could result in a diminished farm voice at the political table. Kevin Wipf, a former National Farmers Union executive director who now works with Alberta’s justice department, told the recent Farming For […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Farmers favour sharing data with universities
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Farmers are most willing to share data with university researchers and least willing to share with government, according to a survey by a University of Saskatchewan agricultural economics graduate student. Madeline Turland presented results from a survey last fall of 571 Saskatchewan farmers at the recent Farming For Profit? conference. “Aggregating […] Read more
Advisory panel left out of farm program review
VANCOUVER — Canada’s agriculture ministers wrapped up their annual meeting here today with an agreement to continue looking at business risk management programs. However, officials will do that work, not the expert advisory panel struck last December that included farmers and industry players. Industry and the panel had asked for an extension after the one-year […] Read more
KAP president steps down to enter federal politics
The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers has stepped down to seek a federal Conservative nomination. Dan Mazier, a grains and oilseeds farmer near Justice, Man., resigned July 6 and is now aiming to replace Robert Sopuck in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa. Sopuck represented the riding since a 2010 byelection and announced in May that he would not […] Read more
Research finds need for car oversight
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Economic models show that the grain backlogs of 2013-14 and this past winter would not have been as bad if the Canadian Wheat Board car allocation process had been in place. University of Saskatchewan master’s student Devin Serfas said his research shows that the grain shipping system would benefit from some […] Read more
CN reaches out to farmers on grain movement needs
Canadian National Railway officials are consulting grain organizations to help draft a plan to move the 2018-19 crop and file a plan by July 31, as is now required by law. CN vice-president Sean Finn said the requirement under Bill C-49 formalizes a process the railway did itself in the past, although to a lesser […] Read more
Ag ministers kick off meeting in Vancouver
VANCOUVER — Canadian agriculture ministers began their annual meeting here today without Saskatchewan minister Lyle Stewart and most of the maritime ministers. Stewart was expected to attend but his office said Wednesday he had to cancel due to personal appointments. Officials from the province are here, however. Ministers are receiving updates on a number of […] Read more
Spray plane crash under investigation
Transportation Safety Board officials are investigating after a fatal plane crash involving a crop sprayer near Arborfield, Sask., July 12. RCMP said the accident happened about 3:30 p.m. near the community in northeastern Saskatchewan. The pilot and lone occupant was declared dead at the scene. That was the second crash in the province this week. […] Read more
No good alternative if supply management ended: report
Canada should not bow to American demands to eliminate Class 7 milk or the entire supply management system for dairy, said policy expert Al Mussell. The research lead at Agri-Food Economic Systems said there is no good alternative to the current system. But Mussell also said Canada should get ready for changes to the system, […] Read more
Tire handling device wins invention of the year
Alberta farmer recognized for his Tiregrabber entry at Canada’s Farm Progress Show competition in Regina
Necessity is the mother of invention, according to the proverb, and farmer-inventors prove that true all the time. Darcy Goossen of Ferintosh, Alta. took his Tiregrabber to Canada’s Farm Progress Show last month, where the public voted it the top farmyard invention. “It’s a machine for handling big tires and putting them on and off […] Read more
