United States president Barack Obama issued an executive order last week designed to combat the problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria that threaten human health. The beam of this spotlight will extend to agricultural use of antibiotics, which is a suspected contributor to development of the enemy bacteria. In a nutshell, antibiotic resistant bacteria could render […] Read more
Stories by Western Producer staff
Is proposal for farmer-owned CWB a viable option?
Farmers of North America is presenting a new option in CWB’s journey to be relevant and have impact in its post-single desk life. FNA has started a campaign to gauge the interest of its membership in a plan to buy a majority interest in the CWB. FNA already has a plan called ProjectN to build […] Read more
Farmers must change practices before control options run out
Humans are creatures of habit. We find comfort in familiarity. We are also creatures who don’t always pay enough attention to the consequences of our decisions, preferring immediate gratification over what is in our best interests over the longer term. Who hasn’t stopped for fatty fast food on the way home from work, despite repeated […] Read more
Labour regulations important, but so too are exemptions
Family farms have a long tradition of children helping out around the farm. But when do farm chores become something more than chores, and what limits should we place on child labour? The answer to that depends on what we believe qualifies as normal farm work. The regulations vary greatly across the country, but a […] Read more
Prairie crop tour information a valuable drop in the bucket
Congratulations to CWB for organizing the recent prairie tour that provided a snapshot of crop conditions and a forecast of yield potential. We hope it will become an annual event with more participation to cover a wider area. The tour provided welcome information, bridging the gap between Statistics Canada’s June acreage survey and its first […] Read more
Canadian pork might be caught in Russia food bans
Russia will impose “quite substantial” bans on the U.S., Canadian and EU food imports and has already decided to suspend U.S. poultry imports as part of president Vladimir Putin’s order to prepare a list of food import bans, its veterinary service said. Putin signed a decree on Wednesday banning or limiting imports of agricultural products […] Read more
Environmental policy must favour common sense, not fear
The beautiful and endangered sage grouse are going about their business these days in southeastern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan and several midwestern states, eating sagebrush and hiding within it. They are unaware that they have become the most powerful birds on the Prairies and arguably all of North America. Sage grouse are subjects of the first […] Read more
Expanding Canadian co-op Agropur to buy big U.S. dairy processor
Canadian dairy cooperative Agropur said on Tuesday it would acquire the dairy processing assets of Davisco Foods International Inc. Agropur said in a statement the acquisition was targeted for an Aug. 1 close. It said the deal would double Agropur’s U.S. processing operations and increase its global milk intake by 50 percent. The acquisition includes, […] Read more
CP Rail beats expectations as profit, revenue rise
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd on Thursday reported second-quarter results that were slightly ahead of expectations as the rail operator worked to recover from massive backlogs and an unusually harsh winter. Canada’s second-largest rail operator said its net income soared 48 percent to $371 million, or $2.11 a share, up from $252 million, or $1.43 a […] Read more
Wheat futures up on political fears after plane crash in Ukraine-trade
Wheat futures on the three big U.S. exchanges jumped higher Thursday moroning on fears of rising geopolitical tension after a Malaysian passenger plane crashed in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, traders said. CBOT wheat rallied this spring on worries that rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, both major global wheat suppliers, could inhibit grain […] Read more
