Our heavy reliance on glyphosate is going to change. Exactly how this is going to play out is anyone’s guess, but with the tidal wave of lawsuits alleging cancer from Roundup herbicide the status quo is not sustainable. When the first lawsuits were launched in the United States, many observers expected them to be defeated. […] Read more
Tag Archives Hursh on Ag
Farm-saved seed royalties not unreasonable
“If this goes through, I’ll be out of business,” said a producer attending the Dec. 4 consultation in Saskatoon on options for farm-saved seed royalties. The comment is indicative of the level of concern — concern out of proportion to the actual proposals. Under the rules imposed on media, comments made during the meeting are […] Read more
This important ag group keeps a low profile
Working quietly behind the scenes on difficult and complicated issues, the Canada Grains Council has become the country’s most important agriculture lobby organization. You may never have heard about it. The council is rarely in the news and most farmers across the country have only a vague notion or perhaps no notion at all about […] Read more
Profitability lacking in many crops this year
As the accompanying table illustrates, returns in the grain industry are tightening. These are Saskatchewan numbers, but Alberta and Manitoba will show similar trends. While some producers will harvest 140 bushel per acre oat crops and 60 bu. per acre canola crops, provincial average yields are much lower and can serve as an indicator of […] Read more
It’s time to curtail pre-harvest glyphosate
Glyphosate is under siege nationally and internationally. Stopping its pre-harvest use might be a logical step to quell the uprising and preserve the world’s most popular herbicide for other applications. This wouldn’t stop activists from railing against what they view as an evil cancer-causing poison, but it would go a long way to addressing the […] Read more
Healthy skepticism on new technology is good
If you attended Canada’s Farm Progress Show back in Regina in June or the recent Ag in Motion outdoor farm show near Saskatoon, you heard lots of sales pitches for new technologies. As farmers, we’re bombarded by sales pitches all the time. Whether it’s a new seeder, a new seed treatment or a new variety […] Read more
Statistic Canada’s credibility is on the line
It appears to be a pivotal juncture for Statistics Canada and its field crop reporting. When the highly anticipated seeding intentions report was released on April 27, most of the grain trade dismissed the numbers as completely wrong. It’s not unusual for the trade to second guess information from StatsCan surveys. Often, it’s a timing […] Read more
How prairie farmers can learn from Quebec
Farmers on the Prairies could learn a thing or two from producers in Quebec. After attending a farm writers’ conference in Quebec City, touring a number of Quebec farms and hearing a presentation from Daniel-Mercier Gouin, chair for the analysis of ag policies, at the University of Laval, some of the differences in Quebec agriculture […] Read more
Gaining trust difficult when public lacks information
Consumers are always right, even when their views make no sense at all. Among farmers, there’s a growing tendency to despise the nonsensical opinions that are gaining strength among consumers, but maybe we should just pity them for all the conflicting information they receive. A couple years ago, this issue was called social licence. Agriculture […] Read more
Adjust rail revenue cap to encourage investment
Most farmers and farm groups want the maximum revenue entitlement maintained on grain movement by the major railways. The feds are promising to address the future of the MRE in upcoming legislation but haven’t tipped their hand on exactly what they’re planning to do. Without the protection of the MRE, which is also known as […] Read more
