There’s been a lot of noise generated around a trucker convoy to Ottawa protesting vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. As our Alexis Stockford reports in our Feb. 3 issue, some of the supporters included Manitoba farmers. And some of the province’s farm groups expressed some muted support for the goals, especially when framed as keeping
Editor’s Take: Eastbound and down
Editor’s Take: The technology tipping point
“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.” That snippet of dialogue from Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises is a handy summation of the nature of change. Things go along for a while — often a good long while — in a certain mould, and
Editor’s Take: The sick man of the Prairies
In the mid-19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in trouble. It had controlled much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa from the 14th century onward, but had now entered a period of decline and contraction. Emperor Nicholas I of the Russian Empire coined the phrase ‘the sick man of Europe’ to describe the
Editor’s Take: Getting with the times
I have many memories, when I was a kid, of trips to the elevator. We’d roll up the driveway and earthen ramp, into the building and over the pit. The man on duty that day — and back then it was always a man — would greet my father as we stepped off the scale.
Editor’s Take: Poverty wages
Much has been made of the agriculture labour shortage throughout the country. Committees have been struck, task forces created, reports authored and strategies presented. But it has been to no avail. The gap between open jobs and available workers just keeps growing. Lately, amidst the so-called ‘Great Resignation,’ this trend has appeared widely throughout the
Manitoba sees fall drought relief
Manitoba led the Prairies into drought. Could it lead the way out too?
Trevor Hadwen says there’s a sliver of hope for Manitoba producers after a drought-stricken 2021 growing season. As the region settles into the winter, rainfall in the southern corridor of the province has improved the outlook significantly. It’s still dry, but nowhere near the levels seen this summer. “The drought assessment in Manitoba has pulled back a lot
Editor’s Take: Why so high?
When the goal is creating nitrogen fertilizer, the first thing you need to start with is a lot of natural gas. Everyone understands natural gas is one of the largest inputs — most estimates say about 70 per cent of the price you pay for nitrogen can be traced back to natural gas prices. But
Editor’s Take: New towns and old farms
With so many living in cities it seems there’s plenty of appetite for urban living. But it’s not for everyone. There’s also a solid subset that’s willing to swap a reasonable commute to jobs in the city for the pastoral countryside. As our Alexis Stockford documented, there’s been substantial demand for new housing here in
Editor’s Take: Clogged trade arteries danger to economic health
The trials and travails of the MV Zim Kingston at times devolved into life-or-death slapstick. The cargo ship, while off the coast of British Columbia, first suffered problems Oct. 22, when it’s said to have lost 40 of the sea cans stacked on its decks to rough waters. Then, two days later a fire broke
Editor’s Take: A slight depression
It might be time to consider the business case for the humble slough, pothole and other low-lying areas on your land. Typically they’re viewed as an annoyance at best, and a waste at worst. Larger equipment has made draining them more tempting over the years and there’s always the understandable desire to maximize acreage by
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
