Glacier FarmMedia – From cheap plastic pails to aftermarket tech, sprayer operators find a variety of ways to improve how they and their machines accomplish application jobs. The 2025 Southwest Agriculture Conference in Ridgetown, Ont., featured a panel discussion with farmer and sprayer operators Paul Delanghe, Tyler McBlain and Dan Petker. Moderated by Jason Deveau, […] Read more
Stories by Matt McIntosh
Canada prepares for new era of trade policy
Canadian agriculture industry is warned that a second Trump presidency will open the door for a tumultuous future
Glacier FarmMedia – Election of Donald Trump as president of the United States for a second time signals a tumultuous and possibly perilous period in Canada-U.S. trade relations. Canada’s agriculture sector will have to work much harder at persuading Americans that tariff-free trade with its northern neighbour is in their best interests. That was the […] Read more
Sustainability claims harder to make
Glacier FarmMedia – Companies that make environmental sustainability claims in Canada will have to put up or shut up. Under amendments to Canada’s Competition Act, enacted earlier this year, they will be held more accountable for greenwashing claims that are false or misleading about the environmental impact of a product or entity. The practice has […] Read more
Public trust in food system sees sharp decline
Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian public has become more divided and skeptical of Canada’s food system over the last year, according to the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity’s latest Public Trust Research Report. While it continues a trend observed in several prior years, report authors say the most recent results indicate that more concerted, joint […] Read more
Cost of access to plant gene banks may increase
Proposed changes to international plant gene sharing treaty could could bring additional costs to researchers, farmers
Glacier FarmMedia – Plant breeders around the globe can freely access plant gene banks for development of new crop varieties under the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Proposed changes at the international level could make access — and future crop research — more costly. Who would pay that cost is not […] Read more
Nutrient and soil testing myths confronted
Glacier FarmMedia – Is your soil fertility program working? Even if it is, common myths about nutrient management and soil sampling can hamper your efforts, according to a soil specialist. Colin Elgie, soil fertility specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, detailed a number of myths farmers should be aware of while […] Read more
China’s food market presents both opportunity and risk
University of Guelph academic takes a look at what history says about managing China’s market potential and politics
China provides risk and reward for Canadian agriculture exporters. With rhetoric escalating around the world, the risk could become a greater challenge. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Houthis taking potshots at shipping vessels in the Red Sea, and China increasingly aggressive in the Indo-Pacific, war and near-kinetic levels of conflict have thrown several […] Read more
New report highlights optimism, resignation in ag sector
Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and Global Institute for Food Security find a lack of confidence in government
Glacier FarmMedia – Concerns about a troublesome policy and regulatory environment, extreme weather and trade barriers keep Canadian agriculture professionals awake at night. That’s according to a joint report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security on risks in Canada’s agrifood system. The report provides […] Read more
Activists target Ont. hog farm with ransomware
Cyber experts warn an attack that threatened to expose non-existent livestock abuse is likely to become more common
A ransomware attack on a small Ontario hog business is something the agriculture industry must pay more attention to, said a cybersecurity expert. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, said Ali Dehghantanha, Canada Research Chair […] Read more
Irish cattle producers return to the mountain
Farmers in the Burren employ a system called winterage, where cattle graze the windswept, rain-soaked mountains of west County Clare from autumn until spring. The cattle are brought back to the valleys and farmsteads for the rest of the year, before once again moving to their mountain winter pastures (called winterages by locals) as the days shorten and temperatures cool.
