Reading Time: 4 minutes Media reports that call a farm death a freak accident and offer scant insight into what actually happened are increasingly becoming the norm. It worries farm safety specialists. What sort of message does this send to farmers? Use of the term “freak accident” is always cringe-worthy, for starters. A freak accident, by definition, is one […] Read more
The awful, essential detail of farm accidents
Most media have stopped reporting the details when a farm fatality happens — which makes future fatalities all the more likely
What’s your emergency plan?
It’s more than COVID-19. Here’s why having an emergency plan ready for action is more important — and more achievable — than ever
Reading Time: 10 minutes You can look at it as one of the good sides of COVID-19. It’s reminding all of us that emergencies do happen, they can come when you least expect them, and they can upset practically every part of your operation. Even before COVID-19, it was easy to find experts eager to tell us why we […] Read more
Is your farm way of life under attack?
Personal online attacks against farmers are heating up, and a farm psychologist warns it’s only going to get worse
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not just weather woes, trade issues and government inaction that’s keeping farmers up at night these days. A sense of being scrutinized by the public is taking a toll too, especially when accompanied by the online jeering, baiting and vilification that are getting flamed at the farmers too. That won’t be news to anyone […] Read more
Farmers, take care of yourself
The truth is that farming is hard on your mental health. So take this advice, and protect yourself
Reading Time: 6 minutes When Stewart Skinner returned to the family farm near Listowel, Ont., after university, he was eager to put what he had learned into practice. Despite careful planning, however, adding a second sow herd in a rented barn did not go well. As hog prices fell and corn prices soared, the operation was losing money, and […] Read more
Detecting spoilage before it starts
An adaptation of cancer-screening technology offers a better and safer way to check for grain bin moisture, with a bonus of theft detection
Reading Time: 5 minutes An electromagnetic imaging technique originally designed to detect breast cancer tumours is now being adapted for a totally different use — locating spoiled grain in bins. The research project at the University of Manitoba uses electromagnetic imaging (EMI) to create a 3D profile of a bin, showing pockets of moisture which can overheat and spoil. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
