“Farmers today can produce two times as much with the same level of inputs,” says a new FCC report.

Editorial: Production, productivity and climate change

A tantalizing report from Farm Credit Canada recently estimated the riches that would flow if the productivity growth of the decades leading into the 21st century were to return. “Assuming the Canadian agriculture industry returns productivity growth to the plateau we recorded two decades ago, this would add as much as $30 billion in net

The notion of compelling competitors to divulge sensitive pricing data is baffling. Such an approach contradicts the very essence of a competitive marketplace.

Opinion: Let’s give the grocery theatrics a rest in 2024

Grocers made convenient punching bags, but that’s not how solutions are found

In an era when food inflation has become a contentious political issue, it’s tempting for politicians to target the grocery industry. Sadly, that’s exactly what transpired in our country this year, and it was both absurd and embarrassing. The government and Parliament relentlessly hounded grocers, drowning out the opportunity for Canadians to truly comprehend the


Editorial: The proxy war of Bill C-234

Editorial: The proxy war of Bill C-234

Good governance is often boring to watch from the outside. If things ever become entertaining, something has usually gone off the rails. Boring is not the word I’d use to describe Bill C-234’s push to clear Parliament in the last few weeks. On Dec. 7 and 8, drama around the bill had spilled back into

'Think of a down jacket: it’s the air between the feathers that helps keep the wearer warm. Honeybee clusters are similar to the action of compressing a down jacket, whereby the thermal conductivity eventually increases to that of a dense solid of feathers...'

Comment: Bee clustering knowledge based on faulty guidance

Honeybees cluster together when it’s cold but we’ve been completely wrong about why

Honeybees in human-made hives may have suffered the cold unnecessarily for over a century because commercial hive designs are based on erroneous science. For 119 years, a belief that the way honeybees cluster together provides a kind of evolutionary insulation has been fundamental for beekeeping practice, hive design and honeybee study. In the modern day,


Canada can produce its own sugar. But it doesn’t.

Editor’s Note: Sugar shortage makes for sticky business

How can a strike involving 138 workers at a single refining operation in Vancouver affect the availability of sugar for 11 million Canadians in the four western provinces — and what does this situation tell us about our national food system as a whole? It certainly suggests that our sweet tooth has become too dependent

Massive investment firms are pushing the cost of land out of reach. The cost of farmland is skewed by the interests of investment firms who are purchasing land far above market rate.

Time to protect Canadian-owned farmland

Young farmers and farmworker leaders call for ban on investor ownership of farmland

Canada is hemorrhaging farmers. Recent reporting shows that 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators plan to retire over the next decade. The majority don’t have a succession plan. The number one barrier facing new farmers is access to farmland. By 2033, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge. Young farmers


Some ag sectors will probably be less than kind toward a new film that looks at modern agricultural practices.

Editor’s Take: Finding ‘Common Ground’

This year’s Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association Regenerative Ag Conference had something different on the schedule — a movie night. The association was granted Manitoba’s first screening of the documentary “Common Ground,” a follow up to “Kiss the Ground,” which debuted on Netflix in 2020. Like that one, “Common Ground” marketed itself as a hopeful

Opinion: Gassing up plants

Opinion: Gassing up plants

Research shows exposing seedlings to ethylene gas can boost growth and protect plants from stresses

Just like any other organism, plants can get stressed — think heat or drought. When they’re stressed, plants might not grow as large or produce as much, so many scientists have tried genetically modifying plants to be more resilient. But increasing stress tolerance often results in plants that produce less. It’s a difficult conundrum. I


transport ship on the ocean

Comment: For want of fresh water

Fresh water is a hidden challenge and opportunity for global supply chains

Reports of lengthy shipping delays for vessels traveling through the Panama Canal this year have highlighted the critical but often overlooked role that fresh water plays across global supply chains. Abnormally dry conditions in Panama, brought on by El Niño, left the region drought-stricken and sent water levels in the locks that feed the canal

The effectiveness of vaccines in chickens is limited because the bird flu virus rapidly evolves.

Comment: Eliminating bird flu in chicken barns

Bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens and one study shows how

Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially help create disease-resistant animals. In a recent study, my colleagues and I showcased the potential of gene editing to protect chickens from the threat of avian influenza. This disease is caused by an ever-evolving virus that gets around numerous biosecurity measures such as good hygiene, restricted bird