P.T. Barnum, the quintessential American showman, might have found today’s food carnival more interesting and far more profitable than his namesake circus of yore. For example, slow food is taking note of the fast rise of meatless, or plant-based, burgers this year. Veggie burgers, their previous incarnation, are not new; the lovely Catherine has been […] Read more
Opinion
Must Reads
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BLOG: China dispute much bigger than canola sales
In 2015, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis released a report about intellectual property in China. Normally, reports on intellectually…
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Consumers’ fickle wishes mean farmers must adapt
Surveys on consumer attitudes about farmers are often perplexing, and Cargill’s recent survey on expectations of farmers is no less…
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We need a partner, not a blank cheque
For other industries, it may be difficult to understand why a Canadian grain farmer’s livelihood depends on markets that are…
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Do U.S. farmers still support Trump? Perdue says yes
DECATUR, Illinois — American Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said reports that farmers have lost patience with President Donald Trump are…
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Partial budgets provide quick help in decision-making
Some decisions are easier to make than others. Some decisions take more time than others. Not sure why but people…
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Dairy aid was reasonable, but grain sector needs help
Grain farmers looking at the $1.75 billion compensation package for Canada’s dairy farmers can understandably be dismayed. After all, grain…
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Stories from our other publications
Federal election must address agricultural issues
Anyone who checks out Maclean’s magazine’s policy platform tracker for the federal election campaign would be disappointed when they click on the tab for agriculture. Under every party’s name, it reads only, “No specific proposals yet.” This despite a 2017 report by the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth identifying agriculture as one of […] Read more
Farm group proposes plan to mitigate trade losses for grain
All Canadian grain farmers have been hurt by the U.S.-China trade war. China has targeted Canadian canola and soybean exports, but trade action is affecting other commodities as well. Pulses have been impacted by the actions of India, durum by the actions of Italy and barley by the actions of Saudi Arabia. No one anticipated […] Read more
How to be a situationally aware farmer
Are you a situationally aware farmer? Surviving in Canadian agriculture has required this. Or, some might postulate that being completely unaware might be what allows farmers to remain in the business. Most people, economists included, would suggest that the barrier to entry for most agriculture is so high that only existing farm families can remain […] Read more
Market analysts will never run out of work
How often do you pull into the field with your combine and end up being surprised, either positively or negatively, by the yield? For me it happens all the time. I’d like to believe that I can estimate crop yield by plus or minus 10 percent, but the variance is often larger than that. Part […] Read more
Failing to act in trespass cases is irresponsible
Freedom of speech and freedom to protest does not equal the freedom to illegally enter farms, to take animals, to threaten or incite violence or to wreak emotional havoc on farmers. But that is happening, and farmers have seen repeatedly that they cannot depend on legal authorities to prosecute law-breakers when protesters invade their properties. […] Read more
Opportunities abound for improving food exports to EU
There are opportunities in Europe for Canadian agriculture and food products, but we have to learn to play their game. I recently spent a couple weeks in Europe visiting relatives and travelling with family. In Great Britain, the cradle of the local food movement I noticed that the need to label everything as British is […] Read more
Barley growers want royalty analysis
Canada’s barley breeding programs could look a lot different in the future than they do today. Proposed changes to these programs are a great concern to us at the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission because the viability of our industry depends on strong breeding programs. We are also concerned that western Canadian farmers seemingly remain largely […] Read more
Creative director’s work recognized
For the past 26 years, I have had the pleasure of working with a skilled graphic journalist. And for many of those she has been garnering not only the appreciation of you for her visual storytelling, but also her peers in the industry. The editorial staff at The Western Producer belong to several professional associations. […] Read more
Farmers face dismal prices and dismal returns
At the average yields being projected by Statistics Canada and with prevailing price levels, none of the typical crops in Saskatchewan cover total expenses. Some crops don’t even cover all their variable expenses. Crop prices used in this analysis come from numerous sources and I try to use an f.o.b. farm price on everything for […] Read more
