Reading Time: 5 minutes Climate change is a divisive topic. People either believe man-based climate change is real and that action must be taken immediately to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or they reject the premise that mankind is responsible for climate change and they argue passionately that action is not only not warranted or needed, but that it also […] Read more
The farm voice in Paris
Maybe we really can have an effective voice in global climate-change talks, even if we can’t agree whether climate change is real
The national cost of Alberta’s Bill 6
Farm outrage at the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act may have already backfired
Reading Time: 5 minutes As 2015 came to a close, Canadians watched Alberta farmers hold massive rallies against legislation intended to improve farm safety. They listened to farmers raging against the costs Bill 6 would impose on their operations, with farmers saying the legislation will destroy family farms. They heard farmers complain they hadn’t been consulted in the drafting […] Read more
Getting rich from your farm data
Data protection isn’t just for geeks. If you farm, you’ve got a pile of real dollars at stake. Here’s how
Reading Time: 8 minutes Farmers do all they can to protect their crops and livestock from pests, diseases and weather. We insure our buildings and equipment. We adopt marketing strategies to protect against price declines. But if you ask what we do to protect our farm data, you’ll usually get met with a blank stare. That’s not good. Information […] Read more
The great debate of our lives
I plant GMO crops, but I’m alarmed at how little we listen to the concerns of the anti-GMO lobby. The risk is huge
Reading Time: 8 minutes The biggest threat to farming as we know it in North America isn’t low commodity prices, high input costs or the lack of skilled labour. It isn’t even climate change. Instead, our worst threat is the growing perception that the food we produce is not safe. This fall, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) released […] Read more
The great threat of 2015 facing farmers
Undeclared use of Clever and Manipulator could devastate our crop exports and bankrupt individual farms
Reading Time: 6 minutes It has been a trying year for many Prairie farmers. Late-spring frosts, drought, and then a wet fall created headaches for many growers. Unfortunately, an even bigger headache could overshadow these weather issues, resulting in economic losses for every Canadian producer. There is a very real possibility we will lose sales and maybe even important […] Read more
Farm election 2015
Guide Election: Country Guide puts questions to the main political parties for the federal election
Reading Time: 16 minutes Agriculture has been largely ignored in Election 2015. That is not to say there are not some very important issues facing farmers. However many producers are more concerned with bringing in their crops than worrying about the agricultural policies of the various parties. So I asked each of the political parties 9 questions about their […] Read more
Our toughest marketing challenge
Farmers are losing respect. Now is the time to win it back, before the costs get even worse
Reading Time: 4 minutes Rodney Dangerfield built a comic career on his signature line: “I don’t get no respect.” But for the agricultural industry, loss of respect is no laughing matter. The public perception of agriculture is steadily eroding. Last fall, Harris Interactive asked 2,537 Americans to name the most prestigious occupations. As you might guess, doctors topped the […] Read more
How Australia plans to beat Canadian farmers
A must read from Down Under for coming out on top
Reading Time: 6 minutes You have to admit that for an economic study, this one has a great title: “The Puck Stops Here!: Canada challenges Australia’s grain supply chains.” The new study is by the Australian Export Grains Innovation Center (AEGIC), and it looks into Western Canada’s export grain supply chain. In fact, it looks at our grain system […] Read more
Are Canada’s farm organizations actually listening to their members?
Amid the falling commodity prices and rising input costs, one question is getting louder. Who do our farm organizations really represent?
Reading Time: 7 minutes The last few years have been tumultuous for Canadian grain farmers, especially in the West. Not only have we seen the end of the single-desk CWB monopoly, but we also watched as Ottawa passed Bill C-18, the Agriculture Growth Act (which included the approving UPOV 91) and as major changes were made to AgriStability. Farmers […] Read more
The business of owning farmland
Farmers are land investors too, but are we any good at it?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Of course, farmers integrate their real estate into their production business, with land and buildings used for the growing of crops and production of livestock. Importantly, too, the asset value is used as collateral to secure financing. As well, farm real estate is often the main retirement fund. There is no question, too, that farmland […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
