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
Editorial: Coronavirus situation offers strange times
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
Editor’s Take: Farm labour in short supply
Ordinarily, when there’s a shortage of something in the marketplace, classic economic theory tells us prices will rise along with demand, until producers create more of whatever is in short supply. It works for manufacturing, mining and even farming, where the old saying is that “nothing solves high prices like high prices,” alluding to the
Working it out: Manitoba needs a farm labour plan
The province sees the highest cost for unfilled positions
The farm labour shortage is expected to hit Manitoba harder than any other province because of its diversity of agricultural products. That’s according to Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council, who spoke last week at the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting in Winnipeg. “Because of the product mix that you
Editor’s Take: Beyond ‘Beyond Meat’
How do you separate a food trend from a food fad? It’s a valid, and pressing, question for the agriculture sector, because these fads can have a huge impact. Recall the gluten-free craze of a few years ago, when many fretted over the cumulative impact on wheat prices. Or the fad diets that are basically
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
