Comment Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Manitoba Co-operator

Students at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines perform calculations of postharvest loss of rice grains in October 2012.

A less glamorous — but more effective — approach to feeding the world

By Digvir S. Jayas November 27, 2013

Annually over 2.6 billion tonnes of grains — cereals, oilseeds and pulses — are grown and then stored along the chain from producers to consumers. Most countries do not systematically report how much grain becomes unfit for human consumption during storage, but anecdotal reports suggest it’s worryingly high. In poorly managed storage systems, such as

Opinion

The Manitoba harvest: ‘To every thing there is a season’

In his sixth instalment from Northern Blossom Farm, Gary Martens reflects on the length and variety of the Manitoba harvest

By Gary Martins September 6, 2013

The crops in my Kleefeld area look very good. We have actually had less-than-average rainfall with no gigantic rain events to damage the crops. On my little “nano” farm, the peas are in swath but it has rained a small amount most days since, the wheat is almost ready to harvest and the oats will

News & Opinion, Opinion

Comment: An outright ban on neonicotinoids would be reckless and costly

By Lorne Hepworth August 30, 2013

Regions that use no neonicotinoids are experiencing major bee losses while others that  make widespread use of the treatment have healthy, thriving bee populations

Bee health has been the subject of much media attention over the last year — and rightly so. Bees are a critical part of the agricultural system and largely responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat. There are few who are more concerned about this issue than the manufacturers of pest

News & Opinion, Opinion

Comment: Neonicotinoid ban not the best option

By Rod Scarlett August 30, 2013

Recent articles in the Co-operator seem to suggest all beekeepers are calling for a ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments and that is far from the truth. While two of our member associations (the Ontario Beekeeper Association and the Federation des Apicultuers du Quebec) have publicly asked their respective governments to ban neonicotinoid seed treatments, this

News & Opinion, Opinion

Putting some meat on the bones of the beef industry ‘straw man’

By David Andrews, John Kolk, Kim McConnell August 23, 2013

Last year, a report analyzing the Canadian beef industry stimulated a discussion involving all sectors of the Canadian beef value chain at a summit last November. The outcome was that three of us with a solid knowledge of, but not a vested position in, the beef industry agreed to develop a draft industry strategy and

News & Opinion, Opinion

C’mon in! Australia’s farmland is up for sale

By Roger Crook August 23, 2013

Hard to believe isn’t it? Australia really is for sale! This advertisement appeared in Queensland Country Life, an Australian farmer’s magazine, earlier this month. A few months ago I wrote about the high level of rural debt in Australia. Now it looks like the banks and the farmers, or the farmers and the banks, have

Opinion

An ode to the Prairie garden

Letter Five from Northern Blossom Farms: In his fifth instalment from Northern Blossom Farms, Gary Martens  reflects on the value a garden brings to a farmer’s life

By Gary Martens August 8, 2013

In previous letters I have discussed three major components of a complete farm; crops, livestock, trees and the whole that results from these components. I propose that there is a fourth component that is already present on many farms and that is the garden. Gardening is an activity that is common to many people in

Opinion

Can’t cut the mustard — it’s everywhere

By Ronald Doering July 25, 2013

Since Canada’s new food allergen labelling regulations came into force on Aug. 4, 2012, the most common category of recalls has been undeclared mustard. There have been eight national voluntary Class 1 product recalls on a broad range of products, including kosher frankfurters, macaroni and potato salad, pizzas, barbecue kabobs, various wiener products and, just

Opinion

Do food aid and economic self-interest mix?

June 13, 2013

The recent decision to merge the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) into the new Department of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development isn’t the first time Canada’s aid program has been profoundly changed. Five years ago, another major change occurred when Ottawa fully untied Canadian food aid. Then, as now, it was a matter of

Hogs, Opinion

Guebert: Reasons to smile over the Smithfield purchase

By Alan Guebert June 12, 2013

Here are 10 reasons for American farmers and ranchers to be thrilled by Shuanghui International Holding Inc.’s proposed $4.7-billion purchase of Smithfield Foods, Inc. No. 10: The U.S. gets back some of the dollars held by China. While $4.7 billion is chicken feed compared to the $1.2 trillion of U.S. debt (about 7.5 per cent

Daily Network News

Women who fed a nation

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on China demand hopes; corn and wheat rebound

U.S. livestock: Hogs rebound, cattle hit upward limits

Tag Archives Comment

A less glamorous — but more effective — approach to feeding the world

The Manitoba harvest: ‘To every thing there is a season’

Comment: An outright ban on neonicotinoids would be reckless and costly

Comment: Neonicotinoid ban not the best option

Putting some meat on the bones of the beef industry ‘straw man’

C’mon in! Australia’s farmland is up for sale

An ode to the Prairie garden

Can’t cut the mustard — it’s everywhere

Do food aid and economic self-interest mix?

Guebert: Reasons to smile over the Smithfield purchase

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