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Farmer Walking Through Field Checking Wheat Crop
Cereals, Comment/Feedback

COMMENT: The power of co-operation — and the cost of disunity

By working together, the agriculture sector can continue to accomplish great things

By
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
Two simple spray tips can make or break Canadian crops
Comment, Crops

Two simple spray tips can make or break Canadian crops

Before spraying your in-crop application, ‘keep it clean’ with these best practices

By , ,
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
Woman reading food labelling
Comment, Comment/Feedback

Comment: Are you at risk?

Risk assessment, not blind fear of hazards, lets us all live our lives

By
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
Young soccer player enjoying halftime snack
Opinion

Opinion: The disgrace of food shaming

By
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
combine harvesting
Comment, Crops

Keep an eye on the customer while on the combine

Incredibly low tolerance levels and better testing make pesticide label adherence more important than ever

By
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
Taking a picture of a grocery item
Comment

Social licence – where do I buy one?

More consumers are becoming concerned about the origins of their stuff

By
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.
Cam Dahl
Cereals, Comment

Getting our research priorities right

Investment in research is critical to the future of the industry

By
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
bee on canola flower
Comment, Crops

What does ‘science based’ mean?

Industry and government must adjust to new findings, but policies should not 
be based on the latest Internet trend

By
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
Bags Of Money On A Farm Field
Comment, Crops

Don’t throw money at public research

We need a combination of private, public and 
producer investment in order to remain competitive

By
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
What do customers of Canadian wheat want? (and why it matters to you)
Cereals, Opinion

What do customers of Canadian wheat want? (and why it matters to you)

Canada must compete with more than price in international markets

By
What do customers want when they buy Canadian wheat? Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) recently commissioned an internationally renowned market research firm, LMC International, to answer this question. Why should you care about the answer? Because it will impact your future bottom line. And because your checkoff dollars may be going

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