Comment & Farming Articles - Manitoba Co-operator

A hog finishing barn in China. Pork production in the country fell five per cent in the first six months in 2015.

Chinese slowdown could affect grain demand

After several years of stratospheric growth, China's economy has hit a rough patch

By Agresource Company August 11, 2015

It’s an issue observers have talked about for years. But in recent weeks it seems to have reached a tipping point — at least according to general consensus from a cacophony of commentators. China is slowing down. Its stock market has fallen sharply since mid-June and the government is panicking, leaping into action with a

Photo taken on July 28, 2015 from NASA’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 showing algal blooms on Lake Erie.

Comment

Going against the flow on water quality issues

Strong leadership is needed to address problem of deteriorating water quality

By Alan Guebert August 5, 2015

As summer heats up so too will agriculture’s ongoing water quality problems. On July 10, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that Lake Erie’s algal bloom will be “more severe in 2015” due to “historic rains in June.” On a scale of 1 to 10, forecasts NOAA, this year’s bloom will be 8.7,

A sample of the proposed labels to show country of origin for food sold in Australia.  The label has a bar chart to indicate the percentage of each country.

Comment, Livestock

Australia to adopt mandatory COOL

Country has designed its own country-of-origin labels for consumers

By Government of Australia Press Release August 5, 2015

The Australian government has announced that it intends to introduce mandatory country-of-origin labelling for food. This is an excerpt from a press release announcing the program. Public concern over country-of-origin labelling has resulted in numerous inquiries, reports and proposals on the matter over many decades without any real change or improvement. For many years consumers

Comment, Crops, Opinion

Who should own land in Saskatchewan?

The answer lies in whether you consider it a financial investment or social capital

By Johnson-shoyama Graduate School Of Public Policy July 27, 2015

The following is an abbreviated version of a discussion paper prepared by Annette A. Desmarais, Darrin Qualman, André Magnan, and Nettie Wiebe: In December 2013, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) purchased approximately 115,000 acres of farmland from an investment company, Assiniboia Capital LP., for $128 million. This was the single largest sale of

To help prevent obesity, the dietary committee recommends shifting the focus from total fat intake to adoption of a healthier food-based dietary pattern.

Comment, Opinion

Dietary guidelines shouldn’t place limits on total fat intake

Limits have no basis in science and contribute to bad consumer choices

By Tufts University July 15, 2015

In a Viewpoint published June 24 in the Journal of the Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Boston Children’s Hospital call on the federal government to drop restrictions on total fat consumption in the forthcoming 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Co-authors Dariush Mozaffarian, MD,

Comment, Opinion

Brace for more commodity volatility due to China

China’s real estate bubble is deflating as the economy slows

By Hendrik Brakel July 14, 2015

When someone asks where commodity prices are headed, they’re really asking: what’s the outlook for China? Last year, China consumed more coal than the rest of the world combined and imported 70 per cent of the world’s seaborne iron ore. In 2012, China accounted for half of the global growth in oil demand. It’s a

Comment, Dairy cattle

Canada needs a different tact in international trade

Instead of defending supply management it needs to attack competitors’ subsidies

July 7, 2015

Supply management polarizes opinions: defend the status quo or dismantle the system. Unfortunately, this masks important strategic choices with implications for the dairy industry and, by extension, Canada’s agri-food sector as a whole. Canada’s internal debate keeps the country on a defensive footing. It is time to get offensive by focusing on other countries’ agricultural

Cereals, Comment

NFU misses mark on the cause of 2013-14 grain backlog

Wheat board co-ordination can’t overcome insufficient system capacity

By Allan Dawson June 29, 2015

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has a well-deserved reputation for doing sound analytical work. That’s why I was disappointed in its opinion piece published in the Manitoba Co-operator June 17. The NFU contends G3, the company taking over CWB — the remnants of the old wheat board — is planning to build a grain terminal

Cereals, Comment, Opinion

Desire for grain price control drives G3 port plans

More port capacity will allow grain companies to widen their margins

By Jan Slomp June 24, 2015

G3 has announced it may build a new grain terminal at the West Lynn terminal on the North Shore of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet. G3 is the joint venture of U.S.-based multinational grain company, Bunge Ltd., and the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC), owned by the Saudi government. It was given the assets of

Comment, Crops, Opinion

Plants may run out of time to grow under climate change

Canada is among the few regions that could see increased production under global warming

By University Of Hawaii At Manoa June 23, 2015

A key potential ‘benefit’ of global warming — namely, that plants at northern latitudes will thrive in a warmer world — is challenged by a new study released by University of Hawaii’s scientists. The prevailing assumption ignores the fact that plants in the North will remain limited by solar radiation, curbing positive effects of warming

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: Chicago cattle futures mixed ahead of Thanksgiving holiday

Pulse Weekly: Looking for trade deal to benefit Canadian growers

U.S. grains: CBOT soybeans firm as traders hope for more Chinese buying