Men standing in field

Canadian farmers can’t ignore public engagement

More than 93 per cent of Canadians admit to knowing little or nothing about how their food is produced

Have you heard the new buzzwords for farming and food? One is “social licence,” followed very closely by another, “sustainability.” These are not new to other sectors, but seemed to have taken those who farm or produce food in this country by surprise. Are Canadian farmers really in danger of losing their social licence to

American Country farm

Families are the core of corporate farming

Corporate farming is an alarming term to some, but the truth is 
almost all ‘corporate’ farms are still family-owned

North Dakota voters recently reaffirmed the state’s ban on corporate ownership of farms, something that farmers there say limits their ability to structure their businesses. What do you notice when you look at an apple? Perhaps it’s the colour or variety. How do you choose which to buy at the market? Pink Lady? Gala? Granny


The Union Jack flag next to Big Ben against a clear blue sky.

CETA has one foot in the grave

The Brexit vote may have derailed Canada’s best chance to embrace its status as a trading nation

CETA is not dead, but it’s close. Since the Brexit vote, Europe is a mess. The pound is dropping, markets are scrambling, and most are wondering how the political establishment will address what appears to be a constitutional vacuum related to exiting member-states. It just speaks to how ill prepared the union was to such

Bags Of Money On A Farm Field

Farm cash receipts should be stable for 2016-17

Here’s some encouraging news. Farm cash receipts should be relatively stable across all provinces in 2016-17. Each province combines a different mix of crops and livestock products that result in varied provincial receipts, but the overall trends appear steady. There are a number of reasons this is likely to be the case. Commodity prices show


Queen Victoria's statue at the Manitoba Legislature. As in North America, Britain's farmers are considered by many to be political and economic conservatives by birth and disposition.

Brexit: ‘Taking farmers for fools’

U.K. farmers find themselves torn between their innate conservatism and 
economic interests that may be best served by staying in the EU

With electronic ignition, fuel injection and more computing power than the space shuttle, today’s cars and trucks never backfire. Our politicians — with less horsepower and far less memory — often still do. The latest may be British Prime Minister David Cameron who, during his 2015 re-election campaign, promised British voters a referendum on whether

Labelling is intended to make things simpler for consumers but sometimes it just adds to the confusion.

Labelling helps consumers make healthy choices… or does it?

Sometimes labels actually cause consumers to make false assumptions about the foods they’re consuming

Food labelling can give helpful information to consumers looking to make healthy choices. But as more food labels pop up, consumers can too easily associate a specific label with certain health outcomes, overestimating the value and risk a label implies. Many of today’s food labels create either a “halo effect,” implying the food is more


farmer standing in a field with bales

The changing face of Canadian farms

A close look at the current census will give us a chance to examine the evolution of Canadian agriculture

Every five years, Canada’s federal government asks us to provide details on who lives in our household. The demographic information is used to guide decisions ranging from school planning to transportation infrastructure to government transfers. Among the census questions is one that asks if you intend to sell agricultural produce. This may strike most as

ground beef

An appetizing case for irradiation

Canada is at least a decade behind other countries in adopting this proven and safe technology

When it comes to food, irradiation just does not sound all that appetizing. Visions of X-ray machines and the atomic bomb quickly come to mind and associating these images with food may not be compelling. Now that Health Canada is considering the use of food irradiation for beef products, the debate rages and most wonder


Think food prices are high? Get ready for higher

Think food prices are high? Get ready for higher

Growing demand for 'organic' or 'natural' products will only increase the cost of food further, and reduce farm productivity

Food prices are up four per cent over last year in Canada — mainly because of the cheap loonie and more expensive imports. This has come as a shock to Canadians used to spending an ever-declining share of income on food. Worse yet, further increases likely await — and for a very different, more permanent

Taking a picture of a grocery item

Social licence – where do I buy one?

More consumers are becoming concerned about the origins of their stuff

I saw a cartoon recently that showed an oil company executive at the Department of Motor Vehicles asking if this was the place to buy a social licence. If only it actually worked that way. What is “social licence” anyways? Generally speaking, it is the acceptance by society of a particular industry or industry practice.