Of all things that could go wrong with farming, weather is still the most troubling. Likely this is due to the complete lack of control that farmers have over it. Farmers can get insurance for it, but that never makes up for the losses if it is catastrophic. Once in a great, long while a […] Read more
Tag Archives editorial notebook — page 4
Not ready to give up on my newspaper
For all the advice that is available from public health authorities about how to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, it still seems like we’re on our own out here in the real world. Do you wear a mask or not? All the time or only indoors around other people? If so, how many people? […] Read more
WP writers recognized for their work
Western Producer reporters don’t do what they do for the awards. Their motivation is based largely on a natural curiosity and a desire to provide western Canadian farmers with the information they need to successfully produce food and feed the world. However, everyone likes to be recognized for their achievements, and it’s no different for […] Read more
Made in the laboratory you say? Pity
Meat without animals. Coffee without beans. Milk without cows. OK, the last one we have had for a while. Farmers have been ranching almonds, oats, soybeans, rice, hemp, peas, cashews and coconuts for years. Those little milking machines are so cute. There are farmers making base products for those milk-like substances, just like milk, most-times […] Read more
This column is labelled GM-free
You’re walking through your local co-op grocery store in that browsing mode you sometimes fall into when you are waiting for the soil temperature to rise enough to go seeding. A smart-looking, brightly coloured label catches your eye on a bottle of orange juice. “This product does not contain strychnine,” it says, below a stylized […] Read more
Canada toes the official line on China
China’s pain has been inflicted mainly upon the plain, or the Plains to be specific. The official story behind the ban of Canadian canola, and one cannot blame Canadian officials for sticking to their talking points, is that China claims to have found some potentially dangerous elements in Canadian canola exports and they are working […] Read more
Canada: constitutional confusion
Where you live in the country and where your personal politics reside has a lot to do with how supportive one might be of our current federal government. But, it would be very difficult to take issue with the success of the economy or the levels of support, both fiscally and spiritually, the Liberals have […] Read more
‘Fake news’ term not to be used lightly
I have, in recent weeks, come across the term “fake news” when people want to express their concern with an element in a story or column. This term has caught on and is being used as a tool to denigrate other people’s communication. It is often used inappropriately. The term was popularized by U.S. President […] Read more
Gov’t tries controlling the message
Agriculture Canada tried to impose media talking points on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for the public release of a study that examined glyphosate levels in Canadian food. Before the study’s release, CFIA provided the Grains Roundtable an overview of the study’s findings on April 10, 2017, according to an Agriculture Canada internal report obtained […] Read more
Your Producer journalists served you well
Most of you might not be aware that in this craft of agricultural journalism, a subset of the larger media industry, we have professional associations. One of the highlights of being a member of these groups is the annual competitions that allow us to see what the current standards in our business look like. As […] Read more
