Hollywood tells some interesting tales. Some are based on true stories. Others, such as the soon-to-be-released move entitled Percy, appear to be based on untrue stories loosely connected to events. Based on the pre-release movie trailer, the narrative pits a prairie farmer and his collection of home-bred, saved seeds against an evil, multi-national genetics and […] Read more
Opinion
Must Reads
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New movie reopens old can of worms
Western Producer reporters and editors don’t usually spend a lot of time worrying about the movies — not at work,…
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Merging speed too high for country’s seed growers
Seed growers sent the rest of their trade a message last week — trust for farmers is earned. A multi-year…
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Time for Canada to improve conditions for foreign workers
Now is the time for the Canadian government to overhaul the country’s foreign worker program. It is the right thing…
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Farm safety moves beyond the usual
Stress is a major contributor to farm accidents, so we at AgSafe Alberta are worried. Not only has this been…
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Livestock sector vital part of big agriculture picture
Agricultural producers tend to have strong beliefs about their independence. However, commercial agriculture is really a team sport. No one…
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Battered markets are more resilient than they might seem
China knows how to stick it to Canadian farmers. The Europeans know how to keep out Canadian farm products, but…
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Stories from our other publications
CWB’s demise an economic tragedy
Aug. 1 marked the eighth anniversary of one of the great economic tragedies in Canadian history. This was the day the wrecking ball swung by then Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz finally destroyed one of the most important institutions working for economic justice for farmers — the Canadian Wheat Board. […] Read more
New movie reopens old can of worms
Western Producer reporters and editors don’t usually spend a lot of time worrying about the movies — not at work, anyway. After all, they’re not, as you might say, in our wheelhouse. But the email wires were burning up last week as we tried to figure out how to handle a movie that is expected […] Read more
Lentils show the best returns this year in Sask.
When you crunch the numbers for Saskatchewan using provincial average yields and current grain prices, lentils come out as the clear winner. The yields in the accompanying table are from Saskatchewan Agriculture’s latest crop report with the exception of canola and durum. On those crops, the provincial yield estimates are well below those of Statistics […] Read more
Leasing bins can provide farmers a quicker tax write-off
Needing additional bin space is generally a good problem to have. It is also a sign that likely you will be facing another “problem” soon — too much taxable income. One strategy to consider to mitigate your taxable income is to lease new bins instead of buying them. Generally, from a tax perspective, a lease […] Read more
Wait to see federal green economic restart before criticizing
It makes little sense to criticize a plan before details are available. What Canada’s new finance minister means when she speaks of a green restart to the economy will largely remain a mystery until the Sept. 23 throne speech. However, Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have signalled the post-pandemic economy will be heavily […] Read more
Time for Canada to improve conditions for foreign workers
Now is the time for the Canadian government to overhaul the country’s foreign worker program. It is the right thing to do and will benefit Canadian agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the shortcomings of the current program, which sees thousands of people come to Canada each year to work on farms. Foreign farm workers […] Read more
Farm safety moves beyond the usual
Stress is a major contributor to farm accidents, so we at AgSafe Alberta are worried. Not only has this been an unusually stressful year for farmers, we are also heading into one of the busiest and intense periods for grain farms — harvest. In 2019, there were 20,405 injuries on farms in Alberta alone. Considering […] Read more
Magical happenings in the garden
I suppose you’ve heard about the biblical miracle of the loaves and the fishes? And what about Jack’s magical beans? I’m sure you’ve heard something about that. But the stupendous multiplying garlic plants in my garden this summer? You probably haven’t heard that one. Garlic is a rather new arrival in our garden. I think […] Read more
New Conservative leader’s ag policy rather thin
If and when new Conservative leader Erin O’Toole becomes prime minister of Canada, what can we expect for agriculture policy? To answer that question, O’Toole’s agriculture policy platform is posted on his website and has been widely publicized. Unfortunately, it raises almost as many questions as it answers. His pledge to end the carbon tax […] Read more
