While the percentage of grain buyers in heaven may only be slightly higher than that for railroaders, the stories that grandpa (or now great-grandpa) told about being shafted by the grain companies early in the last century may have been a trifle exaggerated. Then, as now, there was a bit of a “shoot the messenger”
Restless farmers and the Prairie grain business
What goes around…
Editorial: Customers, not competitors, come first
Is there anyone out there who thinks it’s a good thing for Canadian agricultural representatives to join with their competition from other countries to criticize their best customers? The answer is almost certainly no, but on the other hand we didn’t hear any objections when the Canadian Pork Council did exactly that earlier this month.
Telling the story of grass
Is the beef industry ready – and willing – to use extra forage if more producers add it to their rotation?
If you’re looking for proof that there is no such thing as bad publicity, beef may be a good example. For years it’s been painted as a public health and environmental villain, and recently there were more reports on how bovine frontal and rearward methane emissions are a major source of climate-altering greenhouse gas. All
No need to run for cover
Have we reached a "tipping point" on the issue of land drainage?
For farm writers who value their safety, there are usually two cardinal rules — don’t print anything bad about any breed of cattle, and don’t put good news on the front page (you get calls saying that we shouldn’t give the impression that farmers have lots of money). For Manitoba farm writers however, there is
Looking below the surface
Some of the world’s top soil scientists and conservation agriculture exponents convened for the sixth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Winnipeg last week. The message from speakers was on one hand sobering, if not frightening — massive soil erosion continues around the world, and in both developed and undeveloped countries. The good news is
A cause for dairy industry reflection
Milk is not just any food — as the first meal for humans and all fellow mammals, it is literally the giver of life, and as such has spiritual and even religious significance. We have special feelings about milk. One of the most successful advertising slogans in history was Carnation’s “From contented cows.” It connected
Different this time — again
This line in a Reuters story last week certainly put things in focus. “Ukraine is likely to be the world’s second-largest grain exporter in the 2013-14 season with the shipment of more than 30 million tonnes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” We’d seen the figures before, but considering that Ukraine and its former
Editorial: Losing more farmer ownership
One almost hesitates to say the words “wheat board” these days, as regardless of how you felt about the pros or cons of the single desk, you’re probably relieved that you don’t have to fight about it anymore. And regardless of how you felt about it, the old board is never coming back. But while
Editorial: Keeping the farm organizations in line
“Hardly a day goes by” may be an overused phrase, but not when it comes to the frequency of news releases from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — we received 13 for the month of November. There’s nothing wrong with governments communicating with citizens, and some of the releases are pure business, such as brief notices
Editorial: Cell companies bad, railways good
Just as there’s good stress and bad stress, there’s good excitement and bad excitement. There’s the good excitement you get when watching the Grey Cup, especially if you’re a Riders fan. Then there’s the other kind of excitement (as in riled up) you got watching this year’s Grey Cup commercials about how the Harper government
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
