Reading Time: 6 minutes As farmers, we have a question to ask ourselves. Are we getting played? Are we getting taken in, just like an audience at a magic show that gets fooled into watching the distraction instead of what’s really happening? Is agriculture reacting to the GMO debate when we should be focusing on protecting glyphosate? These are […] Read more
The target is glyphosate
It’s time to worry. The real goal of today’s anti-GMO movement is to kill the weed killer at the core of modern agriculture
Out-competed by Ukraine
Massive Ukrainian farms are producing grain and getting it into export position for $100/t less than in Canada
Reading Time: 6 minutes In the last issue of Country Guide, I wrote of my travels in China, and of how that trip made me question the true competitiveness of Canadian agriculture. Unfortunately, a new Australian study validates many of my concerns. “Ukraine: An emerging challenge for Australian wheat exports” is the third study from the Australian Export Grains […] Read more
Hopes grow for gene editing
This safe new technology promises to take us far beyond GMOs. But will consumers let us use it?
Reading Time: 5 minutes A new technology called gene editing promises to pick up where GMOs have fallen short. In other words, with gene editing, farmers and consumers may benefit as much as chemical and seed companies. But for that to happen, farmers must become familiar with this new technology, they must understand what it can offer agriculture and […] Read more
Selling our consumers
While farmers strive to educate consumers, marketers bend the rules
Reading Time: 5 minutes On January 7, the New York Times covered the news that Campbell Soup would become the first major U.S. food company to come out in support of mandatory GMO labelling. It was the same day that Campbell’s CEO Denise Morrison sent a letter to her employees, saying the policy change came from the company’s focus […] 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
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
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
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
