Would you rather put up $800 to make $200 (and get a property tax bill), or put up $60 to make $200? It’s a simple question. But the answer is riddled with complexity. Nevertheless, it’s being dangled in front of farmers these days by Brad Farquhar, manager of Assiniboia Farmland, a limited partnership that has
The Dirt On Farmland Ownership
A Farmer’s Friend Is Lost
Many will mourn the passing of John Harapiak, who succumbed last week to cancer. The highly respected agronomist spent more than 40 years of his life serving western Canadian farmers through his work in soil fertility research and extension. Dubbed an “agricultural icon” by his colleagues, he was best known for his steadfast commitment to
Make Hay When The Sun Shines — Or Not
Why make hay? At first blush, the answer to the question U.S. grazing consultant put to producers attending the recent Manitoba Grazing School was so obvious a teenager could answer it. Well duh – we make hay to feed livestock through the winter (stupid.) Nobody really thinks about it, other than to manage the mechanics
Eu Cap Secure — For Now
The European Union’s financial crisis is big news these days, which made a seminar for North American journalists about EU monetary policy particularly timely. Naturally, a Canadian farm journalist had to ask about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, which we are often told is unsustainable and about to break the EU bank. The
Wasting Away
It’s long been known that Canadians are among the world’s most wasteful of water. We are just as bad, if not worse, with food. Researchers with the George Morris Centre at the University of Guelph recently came out with numbers that by any definition are shocking. A whopping $27 billion in food – more than
Invest In A Kennel Carrier
Our recent story about Manitoba’s Animal Care Act, which noted transporting unrestrained dogs in the back of pickups gives law enforcement officials cause to stop a vehicle and ticket the operator, has prompted a few calls and letters from readers. The complaints fall under three categories: Use of the word “hillbilly” by a provincial government
Animal Industry Comes Of Age
An animal-abuse court case based on the discovery of hundreds of dead, starving, dehydrated and injured hogs in a Notre Dame de Lourdes-area barn earlier this year could be precedent setting on two fronts. The horrific conditions animal-welfare officers found when they were called to the scene and the number of charges laid against the
Moving On
It’s been seven long years since Canada’s beef industry was brought to its knees by the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Alberta. A lot of cattle have passed through the ring since, with most fetching prices that make it hard to be excited about this industry’s future. With their equity decimated by the lost
“Everything” Is Not On The Table
Hunger that emerged as a side-effect of war left a lasting mark on European culture – one that we would do well to remember in the context of the much-heralded negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. Canadian and European negotiators have been working towards a bilateral
High Fertilizer Prices — Good. High Grain Prices — Bad
Farmers could be forgiven for tuning out the twists and turns in the ongoing battle over the future of Canada’s PotashCorp to focus on more top-of-mind issues such as finishing off this year’s field work. But whether you’re tuned in or not, how this deal shakes down could have an impact on your bottom line.