Stories from our other publications
“Life, uh… finds a way.” Those words, uttered by actor Jeff Goldblum in the 1993 science fiction blockbuster “Jurassic Park,” leapt to mind last week with word that a genetically modified wheat had been found along a field access road in southern Alberta. Goldblum’s character was blue-skying about exactly how a cohort of all-female dinosaurs […] Read more
We’re apparently no smarter than the ancient critics of what we now accept as established science
In May 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, a book that used mathematics and astronomy to postulate how the earth and the then-known planets rotated on their own axis as they orbited a stationary sun. Within days of its printing, however, Copernicus died. His theory of “heliocentrism,” the first scientific […] Read more
Requests to update railway grain shipping costs face the same fate
[UPDATED: June 20, 2018] The North American Grain Grading Group’s (NAGGG) call to axe the maximum revenue entitlement (MRE) appears to be getting the cold shoulder from Western Canada’s grain sector. The MRE is a federal regulation that sets the annual limit the railways can earn in total hauling western grain to Thunder Bay and […] Read more
Ottawa appears to have a not-so-hidden agenda with its targeted retaliatory tariffs
We are now officially at war with the United States – in a trade war that is. In response to U.S.-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, Canada intends to do the same on our side. Like any trade war, it could unfortunately escalate. Read more: As U.S., Canada spar, farm hopes ride on two men in […] Read more
Sometimes deciding what to feed the family after a long, arduous day juggling daycare, jobs and traffic seems overwhelmingly complicated. If the May 31 press release from the U.S.-based Tyson Innovation Lab is any indication, deciding what we’re going to put into our mouths next is about to get more cluttered with new products, new […] Read more
Chicago-traded soybean futures reached three-week highs May 21 as China appears to be coming back to the U.S. market after a state-wide boycott, but speculative investors seem to be taking a cautious approach. The trade tension between the United States and China, the world’s leading buyer of soybeans, has weighed heavily on agriculture markets ever […] Read more
It was enough to spoil my breakfast. As I opened a package of bacon to cook while camping on the holiday weekend, I learned from the label that it was “gluten free.” Gluten-free bacon? I was confused. Since when does bacon, which comes from animals, contain gluten, which is one of the components of the […] Read more
Ingredient prices are rising but Canadians stubbornly won’t pay more at the till
Most consumers are always concerned about the cost of food. We constantly look for bargains and the food industry knows it. According to a recent survey, almost 60 per cent of all Canadian consumers consider price as one of the top three decision criteria when grocery shopping. Price is key, no matter what. Pricing in […] Read more
Community pastures will suffer under recent changes to agricultural Crown land leasing in Manitoba
In February, a provincial news release about changes to agricultural Crown land advised that “The Manitoba government has launched a consultation focused on agricultural Crown lands, to ensure upcoming policy changes reflect the views of the livestock industry while improving fairness and transparency in the system (. . .).” How will these changes affect the […] Read more
Probably the single word that best expresses the fundamental nature of the agriculture sector when it comes to policy is ‘fractious.’ Looking at the synonyms for this word is a revealing exercise: stubborn, irritable, testy, unruly, disorderly, ornery, scrappy, touchy, and my personal favourite, indomitable. It’s a sector that loves a good fight and, by […] Read more
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