The entire industry and government must work harder than ever to ensure market access
The world has entered a new age of nationalism, resulting in growing trade protectionism and increasing barriers for Canadian farmers and exporters who depend on international markets. The idea that trade is about winning or losing is dangerous and misleading. This idea ignores the world’s growth over the last 75 years and the disastrous outcomes […] Read more
By working together, the agriculture sector can continue to accomplish great things
There is a common adage in agriculture “wheat is 14 per cent protein and 86 per cent politics.” This was often applied in the era of debates over marketing, but it can still be fit today on many issues in agriculture. This is unfortunate and it comes at a cost. When governments in Canada receive […] Read more
Before spraying your in-crop application, ‘keep it clean’ with these best practices
Farmers have a lot on their plates as they head into the spraying season. The Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada and Pulse Canada are reminding growers of best practices that can have a major impact on marketing grain. Proper pesticide use is a critical factor in growing export-quality grain. As a world leader in […] Read more
Risk assessment, not blind fear of hazards, lets us all live our lives
Should GM be labelled? Is organic healthier? Does glyphosate cause cancer? Do you put your kids at risk if you feed them meat or is the caveman diet the way to go? Your good friend and neighbour thinks Gwyneth Paltrow is right about all this stuff, is she correct? All of these questions, and a […] Read more
A few days ago a friend told me snacks had been banned from their six-year-old’s soccer games. The team was forced to, because some parents had taken to social media to shame other families, because their snacks did not measure up to the shamers’ idea of social acceptability. Food shaming impacts almost all consumers. What […] Read more
Incredibly low tolerance levels and better testing make pesticide label adherence more important than ever
Warren Buffet, once quipped, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” This is something worth thinking about as we start to prepare for harvest. Canada has a strong reputation for consistently delivering safe, high-quality grain to our customers both […] Read more
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. […] Read more
Investment in research is critical to the future of the industry
Saskatoon recently saw a meeting of some of the most important minds in Canadian wheat research. The workshop included public and private researchers from across Canada, farmers from coast to coast, and Canadian exporters. The goal was to move forward on the development of key priorities for Canadian wheat research. Why is this important? Federal […] Read more
Industry and government must adjust to new findings, but policies should not be based on the latest Internet trend
What does “science based” mean? For both government policy and industry best practice, science based should mean that practices are based on rigorous scientific studies. Policies and regulations that veer off the science-based path put at risk the tools that make modern agriculture possible. So do production practices that do not rigorously follow scientifically developed […] Read more
We need a combination of private, public and producer investment in order to remain competitive
One of the oldest clichés in agriculture might be that “research and innovation are the keys to our future.” But just because it is a cliché does not mean it is not true. The federal election is over and Canada has a new government. Members of the new parliament will soon be headed to Ottawa […] Read more
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