In the 1974 movie The Conversation, Gene Hackman plays a paranoid surveillance expert who specializes in wiretapping. A case goes wrong, and Hackman’s character ends up being the eavesdropped instead of the eavesdropper. The movie ends with him tearing his apartment to pieces as he desperately searches for listening devices. I thought of this movie […] Read more
Opinion
2024: the year that could have been
The 2024 crop year is the gift that keeps on giving. For many producers in Western Canada, there was a distinct optimism coming out of the seeding window and into the summer months. In fact, right up until mid to late July, even the markets were reacting to what most thought would be a “bumper” […] Read more
Over-emphasis on ag skews temporary foreign worker debate
Earlier last month, the federal government announced it was making changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, saying that the program was being “misused.” In a release, Randy Boissonnault, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages, said “bad actors are taking advantage of people and compromising the program for legitimate businesses. We are putting […] Read more
Reconciliation can happen,one relationship at a time
Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a day for sombre reflection on a painful chapter in Canada’s history, that of residential schools and their lasting impact on Indigenous peoples. While these reflections cannot change the past, they can inform how we build our shared future. For rural Canada, some of the […] Read more
Letters to the editor – September 26, 2024
Licensed and bonded does not always help In his column about grain companies on page 11 of the Sept. 5 issue, Kevin Hursh wrote: “Make sure they are licensed and bonded.” Previously we had lost money with a company who was bankrupt but the bond was so low anyone could see the result would not […] Read more
Telling lenders a good farm story can help access capital
In an era in which agricultural markets can turn on a dime, securing reliable and affordable financing has become a critical challenge that can determine the success or failure of a farming operation. Access to capital is the cornerstone of a thriving farm, whether producers are looking to maintain cash flow, upgrade equipment or plan […] Read more
Producer profitability wanes in the grain sector
Each year, every farm has successes and failures and grain prices always fluctuate, but the good times appear to be waning. We each play the hand we’re dealt and spend most of our time looking forward rather than back, but in most cases, profitability has eroded quite dramatically over the past several years. Perhaps some […] Read more
When Mother Nature stops in her tracks
A bee died in front of my very eyes this summer — or at least I think it did. I was sitting on our deck one evening and noticed a fat bumblebee flitting from flower to flower. It would stick what I’ll call its nose in one flower, dig around in there for a couple […] Read more
Ottawa’s EV move abandons canola
Canada’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles was a predictable move. Ottawa fully anticipated retaliation, which came swiftly as China announced an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola exports. While there is no evidence of dumping, the facts are largely irrelevant in this case. China will proceed with sanctions regardless of the explanations provided […] Read more
Proposed merger of grain giants betrays firm’s Prairie origins
As American grocery buyers await a Federal Trade Commission verdict on Kroger’s two-year-old, US$24.6 billion bid to buy competitor Albertsons, the European Commission took just 35 days to give its blessing to the merger between two of the world’s largest grain merchandisers, Bunge and Viterra. The mega-deal, valued at about $34 billion at the time […] Read more
