I once wrote a column on how farm groups sternly preached the value of what they reverently called “sound science” but, in fact, usually endorsed only “science that sounds good” to the groups. I noted most of that good-sounding science was “science” tied to research bought-and-paid-for by the groups themselves. This tactic continues to confuse, […] Read more
Opinion — page 2
Listening is best medicine in tough times
There is no need to list the curveballs this crop year has thrown at Canadian producers. Farmers know how hard it’s been. Each of the weather and market hurdles have kept thousands of you up at night as you run through scenarios of what might happen next and what you can do to pull through. […] Read more
This year’s late harvest has domino effect
The immature crops, rain and snow that have delayed harvest will have wide-ranging ramifications: some are obvious and some are not. The financial hit is at the top of the obvious list. A lot of malting barley has been reduced to feed and a great deal of wheat and durum will now fall into the […] Read more
Procrastination is a major roadblock for farm planning
Start by starting. When you think about it, that’s logical, isn’t it? So much so, that when I googled “start by starting,” I found a bunch of references to it and numerous people applying it to what they do. Meryl Streep uses it as part of what she has used to advance her career development […] Read more
Letters to the editor – October 3, 2019
Issues more important than Trudeau’s past Enough. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was part of a school production. It was 20 years ago. I don’t care what happened 20 years ago. I care about today. The political rhetoric that has happened over the last several weeks should not overshadow the issues that should be addressed in […] Read more
U.S. farm aid covers up policy failure
You know you’re deep in the rabbit hole when bad news — say, a government report that shows steep cuts in anticipated 2019 crop yields — is good news because it will hopefully boost prices. Conversely, when good news arrives, like an unexpected week of perfect September weather, it’s actually bad news because it just […] Read more
Many non-farmers remain connected to agriculture
How do you run a big farmer event without farmers? That’s what I was pondering — a compelling rural mystery — as I headed out to meet the volunteers getting ready for the Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede. After 65 years, the reunion is operating in a prairie landscape that contains only about one-tenth of […] Read more
Climate action takes on religious undertones
A new religion is sweeping the world — the religion of climate change. Like many of the ancient religious dogmas, it relies more on faith than evidence and also like traditional religions, it runs the risk of becoming fanatical. For the firm believers, evidence of climate change devastation is everywhere. Every weather anomaly is now […] Read more
Canada must find a way to remake its strategy on China
For more than 25 years, Liberal and Conservative governments have approached China based on an implied quid pro quo. The underlying assumption has been that if Canada showed “friendship” to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by acceding to its demands, allowing China to further its economic and geostrategic interests in Canada, then China would […] Read more
Greens miss science in ag
The Green Party’s platform mentions agriculture 18 times. Bottom line: There is good, bad and ugly. The “good”: The Greens would address “climate risk with the focus on disaster assistance” in Canada’s business risk management programs. (They should address market risk too.) They would encourage urban agriculture on rooftops and in school gardens. (OK, great.) […] Read more
