Reading Time: 9 minutes Trenia Arana speaks of the knot she feels in the back of her neck, caused by the tension of trying to figure out what to do about her family’s situation in the midst of a drought dragging through its second year in western Nicaragua. For the past decade, Arana has been farming full time, but […] Read more
Growing concerns for a world in flux
In Central America, where so many Canadian farmers vacation in winter, a changing climate means its farmers need more than tourist dollars
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
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
No fertilizer panic – for now
Supplies for 2016 seem healthy, but there’s no time like today to lock in your needs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Six years ago, the International Plant Nutrient Institute calculated a timeline for the world’s known reserves of key nutrients. It suggested we’ve got lots of breathing room, including 55 years for N-based fertilizers, 235 years for potash, 696 for phosphate, and a virtually inexhaustible supply of sulphur. Of course, as we use up some of […] 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
German bioenergy generates quandary
German biogas producers produce as much electricity as two nuclear power stations. If that sounds like a great success, try talking to the farmers who grow the crops
Reading Time: 7 minutes It’s a perfect picture on a perfect day. A Claas chopper sends a steady stream of green rye into a tractor trailer while overhead, the main overland power line hangs in the blue sky. It’s perfect too as a representation of the Mayer Energy Farm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where Norbert Mayer grows all his crops […] Read more
Win the right battle – for the sake of food
Not only is the food we eat bad for us, but the practices that produced it are unsound too. Or so goes the message that too many consumers get too often from our mainstream media
Reading Time: 5 minutes The science is clear. “If you look at Western Canada and you look at a four-year crop rotation that starts anchored by a pulse crop at the front end, I believe that’s one of the most sustainable farming systems in the world,” says John Oliver, president of Maple Leaf Bio-Concepts. Many of the loudest, harshest […] Read more
Is momentum being lost for sustainable agriculture?
Farmers have made great strides toward sustainability, but there are fears that we’re starting to slip back
Reading Time: 5 minutes Have we become more sustainable?” asks Martin Entz, professor of natural systems agriculture at the University of Manitoba. “In some ways we’ve moved forward a long way, but there’s also some things we’ve moved backwards on.” Farmers have scored big wins in erosion control, the rate of organic matter loss, water use efficiency, weed management, […] Read more
Guide Health: Drugs and pregnancy: To take or not to take?
List any medications you are taking and discuss with your doctor prior to conception
Reading Time: 2 minutes For pregnant women, taking drugs can be a real concern. They may need the drug to control or treat a condition, but there can be a balancing act between their health and their baby’s safety. It is estimated that two to three per cent of babies are born with birth defects which can range from […] Read more
Beneficial insects can fight in your corner, if you let them
A new field guide will be available both electronically and in print in time for you to use through the upcoming crop year
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farmers are only hurting themselves if they aren’t giving a helping hand to the natural allies in the fields that can assist them in controlling pests. Nature not only provides, as the old proverb says. Research proves that it also pays. In fact, new research even tells us how much it pays. Natural pest suppression […] Read more
Canada meets climate change
It’s time to stop unscientific denials, and to get on with the job of preparing our farms for the real changes that are coming
Reading Time: 6 minutes How will climate change affect Prairie agriculture in the future? This was the question the Alberta Institute of Agrologists presented to a trio of University of Manitoba (U of M) researchers last year, including Brian Amiro, a soil scientist specializing in agricultural meteorology and climatology; Christine Rawluk, research development co-ordinator with the National Centre for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
