Reading Time: 6 minutes Farmers were practically guaranteed that we were entering a whole new era in agri-food production. Because of something called transgenics, we were going to have higher yields, lower costs, and all sorts of unimagineable farm efficiencies, not to mention that, thanks to this technology, we’d be able to feed the world. But 20 years later, […] Read more
After twenty years has biotechnology really lived up to its promise?
The benefits of biotechnology have been undeniable to farmers, in spite of challenges from resistance
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
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
We need to get our herbicide resistance response right
Dealing with what's become a global problem could end up being one of Canada's key competitive advantages as a grain-exporting nation
Reading Time: 7 minutes In Australia, the problem is so bad growers are catching chaff with mechanical seed destructors or burning it in windrows in order to destroy weed seeds. In the U.S. Cotton Belt, the unthinkable has happened and crews walk through fields, hand-roguing Palmer amaranth at $150 per acre. In Europe, they’re resorting to more and more […] 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
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
All that confusion on seed treatments
Some implications of Ontario’s new neonic regulations are stunning
Reading Time: 6 minutes As the calendar has turned to a new year, the news from seed and chemical companies is that there is considerable confusion about seed-applied treatments. Growers, they’re finding, have been left with a mixed bag of information about the options available to them, much of which is flat out wrong. Some growers believed they had […] Read more
Guide Health: Breathing easier with your inhaler
Many types are available, but many people don't use their inhaler correctly
Reading Time: 3 minutes Being unable to catch your breath is certainly scary, and unhealthy. While you may think of asthma as the most common cause of breathing problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD accounts for most shortness of breath among older people. It is estimated that 1.5 million Canadians have a COPD diagnosis, but an equal number […] Read more
Where water leaves the farm
Improve your productivity by starting where water leaves your farm, and then work backwards
Reading Time: 4 minutes In the chase for higher yields and improved production, farmers have tapped into everything from precision ag systems to a return to cover crops. Now comes a concept that might not only boost yields and enhance soil health, it might also alleviate some of the pressure on farmers that starts with surface run-off heading into […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
