Nettie Wiebe

WHEN driving into a storm, it seems like a good idea to pack a shovel. After all, one should have a shovel ready. But as of the beginning of April, I was rather hoping we could all forget about being shovel ready for a season or two. No such luck. In the face of the […] Read more

ALARM bells sounded across Canada when the U.S. government included a “buy American” clause in its multibillion-dollar financial bail-out package. Don’t they know that we are their largest single trading partner and their best neighbour? How could they do that to us when we’re already in an economic down-turn? President Barack Obama seems to have […] Read more

FOR MANY of us, summer is a great time for eating. Barbecues are hot, garden vegetables are plentiful and there is lots of sweet, delicious fruit to be had. But these are modest offerings compared to the eating extravaganza enjoyed by the leaders of the world’s richest countries who gathered earlier this month at the […] Read more

THE MOOD at farm auction sales this spring is upbeat. The prices for used equipment seem to be tracking upward in sync with rising grain prices. I experienced an altogether different mood at a recent international meeting where women leaders of the Via Campesina, a global peasant and family farmers’ movement, talked about rising grain […] Read more

PRAIRIE people take pride in our reputation as one of the world’s great wheat growing regions. And rightly so. The wheat stalk with a full head of plump kernels is one of our defining symbols. High quality hard red spring wheat and durum are signature products. They enhance breads, pastries and pastas around the world. […] Read more

THE DAILY news out of Kenya these days is pretty terrible. Headlines tell of violent clashes between political rivals, murder in the streets, “ethnic cleansing,” chaos and suffering. What, you ask, does that have to do with us here on the Canadian prairie? Our headlines, and our daily lives, are mostly focused on the extremely […] Read more

TALKING about the weather has become more urgent as the cold of November sets in. With snow and -20 C temperatures, it’s worth worrying about road conditions and starting vehicles. Judging from reports released this November, there’s a lot more than today’s temperature to worry about. The United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change presented […] Read more

THANKSGIVING Day gives us all a moment to appreciate the good things that come our way that are not entirely of our own making. It focuses our attention on what we are given and what we share. Most farming cultures have a long tradition of gathering to celebrate the harvest bounty. Farming people know how […] Read more

PSST! Ever heard of TILMA? No? Well, it’s not a new car or a far-out dance move. It’s yet another trade agreement, this time between provinces. Alberta and British Columbia have already signed it – without public discussion or legislative debate. Other provinces are considering it. We’re about to hear a lot more about it. […] Read more

A RECENT front-page article in my local newspaper described an initiative citizens are taking to set up a food bank in their town. Having identified a growing need in their community, they were consulting with a nearby town where a food bank has already been in operation for some years. These are practical, caring citizens […] Read more