If you were trying to find someone to promote your cause to the general public, it’s not likely that you’d choose someone with the nickname “Dr. Evil” and had a reputation as a high-priced lobbyist fighting in favour of smoking, junk food consumption and drinking and driving. But that’s who the Manitoba Pork Council hired
Time for a change
The need for speed
When the Harper government gutted Canada’s environmental review legislation as part of the 2012 omnibus budget, the public was told it was because the process was inefficient, slow and standing in the way of economic development. But as researchers at the University of Toronto noted, federal officials “provided no evidence apart from the testimony of
Spring and reality floods
There’s lots of speculation these days over when the viewing public will grow tired of the so-called “reality TV” phenomenon, when ordinary people open up their lives for the world to watch while they choose a life partner, sing in a glorified karaoke contest, vote someone off the island or eat weird stuff for cash.
Commodifying the farm voice
For some reason during this day and age, it seems that the things that make the most common sense are the most unlikely to happen. Take for example, Danny Penner’s pitch for farm commodity groups to unify under one research, market promotion and policy umbrella (page 5 of last week’s issue). It makes perfect sense,
Clubroot found in Manitoba
Testing has confirmed levels of clubroot capable of producing disease in two soil samples collected from Manitoba canola fields last year, provincial officials say. “It is significant in that we can no longer consider ourselves free of clubroot in Manitoba,“ said Holly Derksen, a plant pathologist with the Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Soils
Truth and trust hit the dirt
The ongoing horsemeat scandal crippling the European food industry brings several rather awkward questions to mind. First of all, what’s wrong with horsemeat? On the surface, nothing, except many of us, if given the choice, would prefer not to eat it. The problem is that people weren’t given the choice. In fact, they were lied
Clubroot found in Manitoba soils
Testing has confirmed levels of clubroot capable of producing disease in two soil samples collected from Manitoba canola fields last year, provincial officials say. "It is significant in that we can no longer consider ourselves free of clubroot in Manitoba," said Holly Derksen, a plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives’ soils and
Investing in the future
Pedro Medrano Rojas, acting assistant executive director, partnership and governance services of the World Food Program (WFP), offers a sobering observation on the Millennium Goal commitment to reduce by half the number of malnourished people in the world by 2015. “We’re not going to make it,” he says as he begins an interview. In fact,
Sequence and intervals
Ask a room full of agronomists what’s significant about the year 1993 and the word “fusarium” ripples through the crowd. It was a memorable year. Much of the wheat in Manitoba, particularly in the Red River Valley, was contaminated with fusarium head blight disease, which affects yields but also creates toxins that can affect human
Canada wins high praise for its contribution to food security
Canada has won high praise from a senior official with the UN’s World Food Program for becoming one of the first countries to make its minimum nine-figure annual pledge up front as it formally adopts a new international treaty. “Canada is one of the strongest supporters of the World Food Program,” said Pedro Medrano Rojas,