Why would you ignore a 50 cent to one dollar premium per bushel for a crop? When it comes at too high a price of inputs, fuss and bother. And when it causes lots of extra headaches and juggling. That’s what a Manitoba soybean grower was telling me about why he’s phasing out of non-genetically […] Read more
Opinion — page 681
When a premium ain’t a premium
May 5, 2009
I’m going to London to see the Queen…we haven’t seen the Queen, but we did see Buckingham Palace, which was disappointingly normal close up. Like the guide book says, many of London’s important buildings are not very pompous from the outside. We know the Queen wasn’t home because the Union Jack was flying. The Queen […] Read more
May 1, 2009
This email will go from the Lusaka airport. Tonight is the last time I will really worry about mosquitos biting my bare legs at the restaurant. No more malaria fears for awhile! Vivienne is watering her vegetable garden as we drive away from our ‘home’ this morning. She is a lively picture in her bright […] Read more
Another day, another pork beatdown
The worldwide swine flu news keeps getting better, with its mildness and mellowness calming a lot of folks around the world from their previous state of near-panic. But things don’t get any better for the Canadian hog industry, with the weekend revelation of an Alberta pig herd becoming infected from a barn worker who had […] Read more
April 30, 2009
I’m packing again – clothes, shoes, books, my chai tea, and souvenirs as gifts for family and friends. I found some beautiful pottery at a local market – espresso cups and tiny smaller than doll-sized tea sets. Two elderly men often came by our doors bringing wooden and silver jewelry. Guess what I’ll give for […] Read more
A random walk of sentiment
So what moves the markets: information or sentiment? Data or mood? There are some who think it’s pretty much 100 percent new information, and some who think it’s 100 percent sentiment. With most analysts probably sitting somewhere along that very wide spectrum. The markets this week are an interesting case study of this basic question. […] Read more
Grain reserve plan rife with challenges – WP editorial
AGRICULTURE ministers of the leading economic powers want information on how a global grain stocks buffer would work to help humanitarian emergencies and limit price volatility. A modest global grain reserve might have a role in humanitarian emergencies, but a big stock building program should not be overemphasized as a solution to hunger and price […] Read more
Ill-informed debate continues on food inspection – Opinion
AT THE CORE of the sometimes-hysterical debate about the effectiveness of the Canadian food inspection system is a deep public misunderstanding about how the inspection system works. It is fanned by some of the players who know better but see an advantage in perpetrating a “good old days” myth. And it is a myth that […] Read more
Meat plant: a cautionary tale – Opinion
Skjerven was involved in Natural Valley Farms Inc. and is still listed as a member of its board of directors. Since September 2008, a court-appointed receiver has had all authority for the company. Skjerven has written this account of Natural Valley’s rise and fall as a cautionary tale for those who embark on future projects. […] Read more
Embracing the cow within you – Editorial Notebook
Ogden Nash had this to say about today’s topic: The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other, milk. But it’s quite a bit more complicated than that, as more than 300 researchers from 25 countries can attest, after spending an estimated $53 million on a six-year project. The bovine genome […] Read more
