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Opinion

Opinion: Price no reliable indicator

Without independent audits there’s no way to tell what grain sells for


By
Allan Dawson’s response to my article about grain movement (Putting a price tag on the grain backlog, Manitoba Co-operator, April 12) was provocative. In it he contends the price and basis doesn’t reflect the issue and trucking prevents farmers from being captive sellers. While I agree that price is important, and with Prof. Richard Gray’s
plants growing in a lab
Opinion

Opinion: Clarifying ‘What’s in a name?’

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Science has always led the way in agriculture, and continues to do so today. Yet advances in plant breeding are being met with skepticism, fear and vehement opposition by many consumers. Perhaps we aren’t listening closely enough to their concerns. Because we understand the science, we assumed they would too. We’ve failed in telling our
Manitoba Co-operator reporter Allan Dawson (r) placed first in the “news” category of the North American Agricultural Journalists’ (NAAJ) 2017 writing contest. He received the award from NAAJ president and 
Western Producer reporter/analyst Ed White April 9 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Opinion, Other

Opinion: Mr. Dawson goes to Washington

A free press, fake news, democracy and a kid-packed cafeteria

By
“The free press is a cornerstone of democracy.” Those words are literally carved in stone at the Newseum Institute, a 250,000-square-foot building dedicated to press freedom and reportage, warts and all. It’s fitting the institute is within sight of Washington’s iconic domed Capitol Building and a few blocks from the White House, home to President
Editorial, Opinion, Other

Editorial: Farmland goes ‘loonie’

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Farm Credit Canada’s most recent survey of farmland value in Canada landed this week, with a gentle thud. Thud because it showed surprisingly durable gains in farmland values, despite the lower crop values of the past several years, which economic theory at least initially suggests should not be the case. J.P. Gervais, FCC’s chief agricultural
Opinion, Other

Opinion: The long, sustainable view

High inputs (and high costs) have passed most of the value of farm production back to input companies

By
Who knew that the best view of 21st-century agriculture would be from Darrin Qualman’s farm office near Dundurn, Saskatchewan? And yet, there it is, charted by Qualman, a data bloodhound who thinks graphically but writes plainly. The longtime researcher for Canada’s National Farmers Union appeared on my radar in Feb. 2017 with a blog post
Opinion, Other

Opinion: What’s the future of farm groups?

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What is the future of farm organizations? How can they continue to make an impact? What do they need to change? Those were the weighty topics the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario asked guest speaker Rene Van Acker to tackle during its annual meeting and leadership summit in late March. Van Acker is dean of
Opinion, Other

Opinion: Plastic bag politics

Reducing single-use plastics is a worthy goal but not an easy one

By ,
An increasing number of people are voicing concerns about the use of plastics in our day-to-day lives. Single-use plastics of any kind are significant yet preventable sources of plastic pollution. In Canada, bans on plastics have so far been left up to municipalities, some of whom are taking action. Both Montreal and Victoria have recently
Opinion, Other

Editorial: Scorecard needed

By
As the Winnipeg Jets mount what promises to be an exciting playoff run, casual hockey fans find themselves at a disadvantage. No doubt more than a few tuned in to the first couple of games last week and were surprised to find a member of the famed Stastny clan had joined the ranks of the
Opinion, Other

Opinion: U.S. and China stumble into Thucydides Trap

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The United States and China have fired the opening shots in a trade war that may be hard to stop. The United States has appeared eager to impose tariffs to create leverage and force China into concessions on the bilateral trade deficit, intellectual property protection and forced technology transfer. For its part, China has appeared
Opinion: Putting a price tag on the grain backlog
Opinion

Opinion: Putting a price tag on the grain backlog

There’s demurrage and contract defaults, but the biggest cost is to Canada’s reputation

By
We’ll never know exactly how much this year’s grain backlog cost Western Canada’s grain industry, including farmers, but it will be in the millions of dollars. A bigger backlog in 2013-14 cost members of the Western Grain Elevator Association — Canada’s major grain companies — $90 million just in demurrage, contract extensions and defaults. That

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