Agriculture is often viewed, especially by outsiders, as a staid and conservative place where things are done by tradition. To be fair, it’s often true. After all, you’re practising a craft that’s 12,000 years old and the foundation of human civilization. Without farming we’d all be hunting and gathering our next meal with no time […] Read more
It’s that point of the summer when the crops are really getting their legs. They’re growing, stretching and filling and now success or failure is largely between themselves and Mother Nature. As a farmer, you’ve done what you can to set them up for success, and that’s no doubt made for some hard work, long […] Read more
The federal government has suddenly taken an interest in food. It is about much more than growing agriculture and food exports, although that’s certainly one of the stated goals. It is beginning discussions toward a national food policy for the country. As Glacier FarmMedia staff writer John Greig outlined in a recent article (“Farm and […] Read more
It’s long been a national pastime, fretting over “Canadian identity.” Does it exist? What is it? How do we define it? What does it say about us? With Canada Day set for this weekend, and a milestone 150th birthday party celebration for the nation set to run all summer, we’re no exception here at the […] Read more
I’m a farmer who likes to scroll through Twitter. Not long ago, a tweet popped up from a Manitoba farmer criticizing a local cheese maker for pasting Non-GMO Project Verified labels on some products. It started a conversation that I’ve seen a hundred times online: Should companies be able to market whatever and however they […] Read more
The recent images from poultry operations in B.C.’s Fraser Valley are fresh in the minds of many Canadians. That’s not good news for the livestock sector. What they’ve revealed is unflattering, shocking and immoral. Contract ‘chicken catchers’ were caught on video stomping on birds, simulating sex acts on them and ripping limbs from living animals. […] Read more
In a White House Rose Garden ceremony June 1, President Donald J. Trump announced he would pull the U.S. from the Paris treaty on global climate change. As he colourfully noted, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” True, but he was elected to represent Paris, IL; Paris, KY; Paris, ID; […] Read more
A cold, wet spring is giving way to what looks like a hot and dry summer
Corn futures prices have remained stubbornly low for the past three months despite heavy rain and cold weather complicating planting and early crop development. But the tide may be shifting as the summer is beginning under a warmer and drier regime. Driven partially by mounting U.S. weather concerns, July corn on June 7 broke above […] Read more
There’s an old truism from the world of marketing that goes, “the customer is always right.” Too often these days it’s used by bad customers to justify their even worse behaviour. They seem to feel it excuses all sort of boorishness, from yelling at the wait staff to making insulting low-ball offers. But its original […] Read more
The federal effort will spark conversations on the importance of food and agriculture
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is pleased to see a clear commitment by the federal government toward developing a food policy for Canada, as this addresses a long-standing priority for farm groups. Consultations on creating a national policy for food will spark important conversations among Canadians. These conversations will help inform an overarching vision and […] Read more
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