Until May 31, 1985 I really had no idea what a tornado was, or that wind could cause so much damage. Like most young children in Ontario, I was blissfully unaware – and untouched by – severe weather. Growing up in the Niagara Peninsula, until that point in my life I had only experienced bad
Editorial: Preparing for the unknown
Maedi visna: The hidden sheep disease
What you can’t see can still be hurting your flock
A fatal disease cost Manitoba sheep farmer Carleen Doerksen about half her flock, but she says few farmers even know the condition exists. Doerksen, who farms near Boissevain, Man., had noticed that some of her ewes couldn’t keep up when moving from pasture to pasture. They couldn’t get enough air, winding up exhausted by the
Editorial: Advancing the farm conversation on social media
When social media really began gaining traction about a decade or so ago, the agricultural industry was slow to get on board. This caused some problems early on, particularly for livestock producers because animal activist groups such as PETA, Mercy for Animals and The Human Society of the United States (HSUS) were quick to realize
(Guest) Editor’s Take: Prevention is better than the cure
Late last month, while taking my dog for a walk I heard the familiar, distinct sound of Tundra swans overhead. They are beautiful to watch, but a reminder that with their return comes the threat of disease to the poultry industry. Many areas of my home province of Ontario offer the perfect ‘stopover’ or spring
(Guest) Editor’s take: Marketing versus educating
It’s annual meeting season, and some of the highlights for me are the updates on marketing efforts and consumer outreach. I’ve attended numerous annual meetings, and I’m amazed at the exciting and creative approaches. Highlighting the farmer or farmers who produce agricultural products has been the focus of many campaigns in the last decade. Educating
Comment: Relief on drying costs needed to meet federal sustainability goals
With no alternative to fossil fuels for grain drying, farmers will be paying big bucks to the feds
In the past few years we’ve heard numerous times that the federal government wants agriculture to be an economic driver for Canada. It also wants agricultural production to be greener. Both can certainly be achieved. But changes to the federal carbon tax scheme, the Greenhouse Gas Polluting Act, need to be considered for this to
Tightening up the digital safety network on the farm
There are some simple things you can do to reduce the threat from hackers
The recent cyberattack on JBS, the world’s largest meat-processing company, sends a clear message that agriculture is not immune to cybercrime. The company paid US$11 million, reportedly to Russian-speaking gang REvil, in the ransomware attack after 13 of its American plants, along with its Brooks, Alta. facility and some in Australia, were forced to temporarily close. The
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
