Editor’s note: International trade issues with China, directly with Canada or with the United States, are having an effect on agricultural markets. While we hear a lot about the United States’ position through the Trump administration, we hear about China’s argument largely through snippets of information. We thought it would be of interest to readers […] Read more
Opinion
Must Reads
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Ag is finally at the immigration table
Farmers and farm workers feel we finally have a seat at the Canadian immigration table with the recent Agri-Food Immigration…
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Integrate AgriStability with private insurance
There was an important development at the meeting of Canada’s ministers of agriculture in Quebec City that didn’t receive a…
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Increased food complexity requires a little clarity
The deep-fried Twizzlers at this year’s Calgary Stampede were all that one could expect. That’s more than can be said…
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Improved trade with Europe takes on new urgency
The commodity boom of the late 2000s and early 2010s has been over for about five years. It’s been replaced…
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Trade talks – not just for negotiators
Trade, it’s more in the news than the things we normally think of as news. That said, we have been…
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Agriculture needs solution to its worker shortage
One has to wonder if the federal government knew about all the arms and legs needed — quite literally —…
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Stories from our other publications
CBC interviewee’s suggestions would set agriculture back 50 years
On July 30, CBC radio’s Saskatoon Morning program interviewed Saskatchewan farmer and former National Farmers Union executive Nettie Wiebe, in part, about modern farming practices in Saskatchewan (along with Carla Fehr, both representing La Via Campesina, an international peasant movement). The interview appeared to lack balance by who it decided to invite to speak on […] Read more
Producers must take note of consumer trends
Cargill’s launch of its BeefUp Sustainability program aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of beef production across the supply chain is a welcome initiative. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gases associated with livestock by 30 percent per pound of product by 2030. Conversion of its successful pilot program to a full-scale standing program is […] Read more
Sino-American fight hurts
The American government has offered its farmers about the same amount in commodities grain assistance, due to trade issues with China, as is the size of Canada’s grains and oilseeds sector. So far the United States federal administration has put in place US$28 billion, and paid out $8.6 to compensate its farmers. The American business […] Read more
Scenes from the field reveal the nature of farmers
A large, powerful jackrabbit is bounding through the pea crop in front of the combine. His hiding place has been disturbed by the harvest operation, but he’s afraid to leave the cover provided by the thick peas. Outside of the crop, he’d be nimble and fast. Within the peas he struggles, the vines slowing his […] Read more
Letters to the editor – August 15, 2019
Trusted voices in Canada’s food system We read with great interest, Mike Raine’s piece in a recent edition of The Western Producer where he asked, “Who are the credible sources in agriculture?” What Raine highlighted, articulates the challenges Canada’s food system faces in the media when “minority-position, generally anti-science speakers” make themselves available to speak […] Read more
Case made against marketing boards
Sometimes political parties forget that they exist to improve and enhance the lives of the Canadians who vote for them. So it made me happy to see the federal Conservatives pressuring the Liberal government to let us know what a carbon tax would cost the average Canadian household. But Conservative concern over the cost of […] Read more
Regional crop tour — global attention
Whether in the newspaper or on producer.com, it would have been hard to miss our coverage of the crop tour held by FarmLink Solutions this past week. At The Western Producer, we believe strongly in the value of knowing. Just as we are big believers in remote sensing, ground truthing proves what we believe to […] Read more
USDA under fire for new attack on domestic food aid program
You know it’s going to be a long, hot summer if, on the day before you assume the political leadership of the United Kingdom — as Boris Johnson did on July 23 — one of the world’s most authoritative newspapers, the New York Times, prints a column that begins with the phrase, “Boris Johnson, to […] Read more
Senate lays groundwork for value-added efforts
Observers of Canada’s Senate have noted in the past that while the politics can be awkward, there is a lot of good work done at the committee level. And so it is with the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, which has produced a useful report on the future of Canada’s agriculture. The report […] Read more
