There’s nothing much worse than drought when it comes to agricultural afflictions. Floods, insects, disease and low market prices aren’t fun either but when the rain stops falling and the mercury soars, nothing grows. And when nothing grows, there’s not much that can be done. “Hopelessness” is how a Manitoba cattle producer recently described the […] Read more
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![The author argues that it’s time to retire the 20-year-old Cartagena Protocol Biosafety agreement because it was designed to allow countries to reject genetically modified crop imports, even though 25 years of safe, GM crop production have refuted claims made by environmental activist organizations. | File photo]()
GM crop opposition called outdated
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) is an international agreement developed by governments and environmental organizations opposed to the commercialization…
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![The Producer isn’t about to turn off our comments section like the CBC recently did, but man, it would be great if people would be a bit nicer to each other.
| Screencap via Facebook/The Western Producer]()
Engagement is great, but be nice about it
The Western Producer’s letters to the editor section was once a bustling place. Pages 12 and 13 were always blocked…
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![At least 60 governments are now seriously considering issuing their own cryptocurrency, including Canada, which is studying thelaunch of a digital loonie. | Getty Images]()
Pandemic changes how we pay for goods and services
When we first wrote about bitcoin as a cryptocurrency three and a half years ago it was running at $20,000…
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![Sound science, ethics make a valuable combination]()
Sound science, ethics make a valuable combination
Norway has one of the most restrictive genetics-use rules in the world, which makes most new plant breeding tools off-limits.…
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Stop selling false hope of credit for historical carbon efforts
Farmers holding out hope that historical efforts to sequester carbon will earn them credit on a carbon trading market should…
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Bill C-208’s impact will be significant
Until recently, it was more tax efficient for Canadian farmers to sell their business to a stranger than a member…
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Stories from our other publications
Saskatchewan, Ottawa never on the same page over climate
Brad Wall was talking like he was going to the moon. It was Oct. 18, 2016, and I was sardined into a small conference room with the rest of the Regina legislative press corps. Wall, then premier of Saskatchewan, had just released an outline of his climate strategy. He was passionate and clearly believed his […] Read more
Salvaged crop is cattle producers’ best hope
Various programs have been implemented in drought years going back to the early 1980s in an attempt to make feed available for cattle producers. The drought response announced recently by Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit is the most logical and impactful I can remember. In the past, support programs to transport hay have been implemented. […] Read more
GM crop opposition called outdated
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) is an international agreement developed by governments and environmental organizations opposed to the commercialization of genetically modified crops and agricultural biotechnology. Drafted in 2000, the CPB is a sub-agreement of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. To date, 90 countries have ratified the CPB, but the major GM […] Read more
Engagement is great, but be nice about it
The Western Producer’s letters to the editor section was once a bustling place. Pages 12 and 13 were always blocked off for letters with lots left over every week. Sometimes the surplus became so large that we had to find a couple of extra pages in the middle of the paper to ease the overflow. […] Read more
Farmers need to make the drought matter – to urbanites
With his voice cracking with emotion, Tyler Fulton described a farm family forced to sell-off their cow herd, a herd produced by years of family effort. For thousands of farmers, this summer’s drought is destroying not only their family’s hopes and dreams, but also their ability to survive on the farm. Without a cow herd […] Read more
Pandemic changes how we pay for goods and services
When we first wrote about bitcoin as a cryptocurrency three and a half years ago it was running at $20,000 per unit. That was substantially higher than the initial trading values of $1,000-$10,000 but still a volatile commodity. Approximately half of the 21 million cap on bitcoins to be issued had then been released but […] Read more
Sound science, ethics make a valuable combination
Norway has one of the most restrictive genetics-use rules in the world, which makes most new plant breeding tools off-limits. Many countries look to its well-debated positions for influence, and anti-GM advocates tout the nation as having taken the right path. Could the rules be shifting for that northern nation? Norway is now in the […] Read more
Stop selling false hope of credit for historical carbon efforts
Farmers holding out hope that historical efforts to sequester carbon will earn them credit on a carbon trading market should accept a hard truth. It isn’t happening. They should have accepted disappointment long ago, but are continuously sold false hopes. Saskatchewan is developing its own protocols for a carbon market. The feds are doing the […] Read more
Bill C-208’s impact will be significant
Until recently, it was more tax efficient for Canadian farmers to sell their business to a stranger than a member of their own family. Ninety-eight per cent of Canadian farms are family owned, with assets increasing significantly in value over the years. The average Canadian farmer is 55 years old and may be looking to […] Read more
