Ordinarily at this time of year my colleagues and I would be headed west to Brandon, for the annual Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre. The first time I ever attended — being a transplanted Saskatchewanian — was more than 20 years ago, as a young reporter under the tutelage of my editors and
Editor’s Take: The winter of our discontent
Editorial: Labels and legalities
It’s often said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But does the same apply to honey cut with high-fructose corn syrup? If would seem so, according to the front-page story of our Farmit Manitoba section, where Alexis Stockford digs into the sticky issue of honey adulteration. The problem for regulators
Editor’s Take: Agricultural support funding a political football
When one ponders the recent round of AgriStability negotiations, it’s hard not to think of a group of college friends out to dinner for the first time at a fancy restaurant. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau can fill the role of trust-fund baby, mindlessly ordering seafood appetizers, with the intention of splitting the bill at
Editor’s Take: Riding the tide
Will the farm of tomorrow be larger than the farm of today? Most farmers and people familiar with the industry would likely answer that question with a resounding ‘yes.’ After all, it’s been the pattern we’ve all observed for decades. Since the end of the Second World War, we’ve seen farm size grow, farm numbers
Canada’s mink farms brace for COVID
Producers have had time to increase biosecurity efforts at the farm level
Canada’s 40 mink farms are operating under heightened biosecurity requirements after reports of COVID-19 jumping from humans to mink in Europe. Alan Herscovici, an industry spokesperson who operates the website Truthaboutfur.com, said early reports out of Denmark and other European countries gave Canadian producers some time to prepare. “These farms have always had a certain
Editor’s Take: Un-plandemic
It’s an old axiom: if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Nowhere, it would appear, is this truer than when it comes to battling the COVID-19 pandemic. As our Geralyn Wichers reports for the front-page story in our Nov. 26 issue of the Co-operator, Manitoba processors who had plans in place to
Manitoba farm leaders watching U.S. closely
POLITICS | Trade, international relations and the tone of the conversation all of interest
POLITICS | Trade, international relations and the tone of the conversation all of interest
Manitoba’s agriculture sector is taking a wait-and-see approach to the prospect of a Biden presidency in the U.S. Bill Campbell, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the key thing he’ll be looking for is clarity on trade, when speaking to the Co-operator the week after the vote. “Trade will be the primary interest of
Editor’s Take: Keep the baby
For decades now, Canada’s supply management system has been under attack from both outside the country and within. Internationally it’s a perennial target in trade negotiations, and particularly the dairy industry. That sector, over the years, has endured the ‘death of a thousand cuts’ as every time Canada has inked a trade deal, it’s seen
Editor’s Take: Electoral train wrecks
I was texting with a retired farmer acquaintance this week about the U.S. election while he was deer hunting in the sandhills of western Saskatchewan. Like a lot of Canadians, he wanted to follow the unfolding events, even though he wasn’t in a reliable cellphone service area. So I’d agreed to keep him filled in
Editor’s Take: As an organization, KAP offers farmers their best value
We all know a ‘good deal’ when we see one. It’s the reason the fast-food industry always asks us if we’d like to upsize our fries and drinks. It knows a few pennies more in costs, offset by a few nickels more in payments from us, makes us think we’ve got a great deal —
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
