Bill Campbell says he’s ready for spring — his combine just got back from its annual winter check-up. The Minto-area farmer and president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers says he’s ready to finish last year’s harvest as soon as his fields are passable this spring. That’s adding to what’s already going to be a short and stressful spring
Ready or not, spring seeding is upon us
Spring is in the air and farmers say they’ll deal with what comes their way
Editor’s Take: Winds of change
The question that landed with a gentle thud on the virtual meeting table during a conference call of Glacier FarmMedia editors this week was a good one: “Isn’t the real question not ‘What’s going to change?’ but rather ‘What should change?’” The topic at hand had been how our publications group will cover the myriad
Editor’s Take: Who’d have thought?
It’s been another week of surprises. Who’d have thought we’d see gasoline prices below 60 cents a litre again? Who’d have thought we’d see the federal government backstopping 75 per cent of the wage bill for the entire country? Who’d have guessed the concept of a universal basic income would suddenly be on the minds
Editorial: Coronavirus situation offers strange times
I’m sure most of us are feeling a sense of other-worldliness these days. It’s like we’re suddenly at war, but against an unseen enemy. The prime minister holds daily briefings outside his residence, while observing his own self-quarantine. The U.S. border has slammed shut for weeks and possibly months to anything but essential traffic. Domestic
Editor’s Take: We’re all in this together
As the March 19 issue went to press, Manitoba has confirmed its first three cases of COVID-19 infections (now expanded to seven). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had entered a 14-day isolation period after his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, tested positive for the virus after returning from a speaking engagement in the U.K. Parliamentarians had suspended
Editor’s Take: One year later, still no traction on canola issue
At times Canada’s trade situation brings to mind the one-hit-wonder of the 1970s, Stealers Wheel, and their song “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Instead of clowns to the left and jokers to the right, however, it’s more like canola bans to the east and indifference to the south. As the international geopolitical ground shifts
Editor’s Take: Government support efforts are small change
It’s been an interesting week, from the editor’s chair, watching the stories related to agriculture policy come in. One of the most interesting was from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture AGM, where that organization issued a clear call for greater understanding. As Ottawa correspondent D.C. Fraser reports, CFA vice-president Chris van den Heuvel suggested that
Editor’s Take: Leadership needed on rail blockades
Where do the rights of protesters end and the responsibility of government begin? In the Canada of 2020, that’s no longer a rhetorical question or a philosophical exercise. It’s a reality that governments and citizens find themselves grappling with. The recent rail blockades are disrupting lives and the national economy with serious repercussions. For a
Derailed: Protests cause grain shipping turmoil
The many moving parts of Canada’s rail network mean it will be weeks or months before normalcy returns
The head of Canada’s grain transportation monitor didn’t mince words during a recent conversation following a spate of protests that have disrupted rail service on the national level. “I’m really glad I don’t work for a railway this week,” Mark Hemmes of Quorum Corp. said by telephone Feb. 19 from his Edmonton office. “This has
Bibeau announces funding, but offers little on standing issues
The federal agriculture minister spoke briefly last week in Winnipeg
The federal agriculture minister told CropConnect attendees about two new programs last week, but had little new to say on long-standing producer concerns. Marie-Claude Bibeau was at the annual event to meet with Manitoba farmers and while there announced a total of $1.2 million in funding for the grain industry. Most of the money is
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
