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
Opinion — page 682
Ill-informed debate continues on food inspection – Opinion
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
Letters to the editor
New spin; Second payment; In my business; Grain act New spin I am calling on the Alberta government to act responsibly and immediately by withdrawing Bill 19, the Land Assembly Project Act. Bill 19 is undemocratic and morally wrong. Sections 7 and 12 state that the minister no longer needs to apply to the court […] Read more
Good calls
Gotta hand it to John Duvenaud and the Wild Oats markets newsletter: They called the prairies’ apparently reduced canola acreage this spring reasonably correctly. On March 10, when Agriculture Canada and a number of analyst/advisors were predicting level or increased canola acres, a casual survey of the Wild Oats readership brought these two main conclusions: […] Read more
April 27, 2009
We spent the weekend in Mpongwe, staying overnight with Pastor Jessy and his wife Loveness. There is no better way to get to know people than to live with them. This couple has been so helpful to us in learning to understand African culture. Pastor Jessy was a manager on the second biggest farm in […] Read more
Scapepigging
You’ve got to expect it when the disease itself carries your livestock’s name, but the Swine Flu is already hurting hog producers, and giving critics the excuse to gang-up again on the hurting hog industry. This morning Chicago lean hogs opened limit down and are now floating just a smidgen above that level. The grains […] Read more
April 24, 2009
Zhita asked me to buy seeds for him because a nearby lodge wants to buy vegetables from him. He would like to expand his garden but doesn’t have money for seed. I told him the story of Eva and her friend. An elderly woman asked Eva Sanderson for help. She was destitute and had six […] Read more
Inflate, deflate, reflate, debate
The inflation vs. deflation debate just keeps going on, with no resolution in sight. I was hearing lots about it on Bloomberg TV in the past two days and it’s the debate that just keeps on giving. The recent market crash and economic slump hasn’t made the deflation camp the clear winner, even though there […] Read more
Slaughter bans are not the answer – WP editorial
CLOSURE of the horse slaughter plant at Neudorf, Sask., has raised more questions about the role and ethics of such plants. The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition has now called for an audit of all remaining horse slaughter facilities in Canada. The Natural Valley plant in Neudorf made news last year when video surfaced that animal […] Read more
