Quick, what one thing is essential to any farming operation? If you had to think for a minute to come up with soil, it’s understandable. Land, or more specifically soil, is much like water for a fish or air for land animals. We are oblivious to its presence until it is gone or degraded. This […] Read more
Tag Archives WP editorial
Pest control equation becomes more complex
Simple solutions are wonderful, and for decades, pesticides offered simple control of weeds, diseases and insects. Farmers learned to pair biology with chemistry to produce crops resistant to broad spectrum herbicides, allowing cleaner fields with fewer passes of the sprayer. Crops with built-in protection against insects lessened the need for insecticides and spared non-target insects. […] Read more
It’s prudent to prepare for another flu outbreak
As Canadians warily eye the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the U.S. dairy herd, one thing should be certain: watching and waiting isn’t enough. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has taken steps to keep the virus out of the country. It has required negative HPAI test results for lactating dairy cattle imported from […] Read more
Barriers continue to fall for GM wheat production
Is genetically modified wheat finally ready for prime time? Researchers at Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge have planted their first greenhouse plots of wheat with genes edited to better receive and use sunlight. “I think it’s fantastic. It’s good for our industry and it is exactly what’s needed going forward,” Gunther Jochum, president of the Wheat […] Read more
Bunge-Viterra combination warrants careful scrutiny
Bunge’s proposed acquisition of Viterra has caused quite a stir in farm circles, and rightly so. This is not your run-of-the-mill business deal. It could potentially reshape the future of grain handling and processing in Western Canada. The acquisition or merger or whatever else it may be called, deserves careful attention by regulators, politicians and […] Read more
Ag’s environmental record shines on the world stage
The World Bank recently released a report called Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the AgriFood System. It concluded with this: “The food system must be fixed because it is making the planet ill and is a big slice of the climate change pie.” Unfortunately, that was likely to be the […] Read more
A little bit of rain, and new hope descends on Prairies
The agriculture industry is a busy place these days, providing this space with plenty on which to editorialize. A recent report out of the federal auditor-general’s office and another from Deloitte Canada are questioning the federal government’s efforts to help the agriculture sector do its part to mitigate climate change. The auditor’s office says Agriculture […] Read more
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
Images of soil blowing off southern Alberta fields, shared on social media last week, are not a good look for the industry. The blackened skies with near-zero visibility resembled Western Canada’s ecological dark age when farming practices caused irreparable damage to Prairie soils, including through the Dirty Thirties. Soil degradation at this scale threatens the […] Read more
Federal budget disappoints,as it always seems to do
As sure as spring follows winter, last week’s federal budget was met with a chorus of raspberries from the nation’s producers. Disappointment seems to be the inevitable response from farming country after Ottawa outlines its annual spending plan. Last week was no exception. “Budget 2024 falls short of providing critical investments for grain farmers,” was […] Read more
Public-driven pork policy brings related headaches
Direct democracy may be a great idea but it can create unintended headaches. Consider California’s Proposition 12, which establishes minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and veal calves. Its effects extend far beyond the state’s borders and therein lies one of the problems. Under the new regime, pork sold in the state must […] Read more
