‘Canada’s self-image, accurate or not, is that it’s a nice country, full of nice folks. Shake that identity enough and, at some point, the results might not be pretty if you need to hire a foreign worker.’

Editor’s Take: The downside of TFW over-reliance

Typically, when one hears ‘Canada’ and ‘slavery’ in the same sentence, it’s because the country is fighting it internationally. For example, the country intends to implement the Modern Slavery Act in January, aimed at fighting forced labour and child labour in global supply chains. That’s why the recent words of a UN special rapporteur were

(Romaset/iStock/Getty Images)

When right to repair is not right to repair

I’ve had a hard time getting my morning coffee lately. The culprit is the multi-buttoned, digital-screened, expensive coffee maker taking up way too much space on the kitchen counter. Instead of pressing a button, walking away and coming back to a cup of joe, I’m instead greeted with the message “Fill H20,” despite the brimming


The problem with giants

The problem with giants

Saskatchewan’s Brandt Group of Companies is celebrating another addition. As reported in this issue, the equipment company recently announced its acquisition of Wairarapa Machinery Services Ltd., its 18th location in New Zealand. In a press release dated Aug. 31, CEO Shaun Semple says the deal is “uniting the entire North Island under one dealer brand”

Editorial: Count your garden blessings

Editorial: Count your garden blessings

A little under a year ago, I wrote that sticker shock at the grocery till was putting more emphasis on garden produce. From firsthand experience, I talked about dusting off my preserving skills. We in the Stockford house made gallons upon gallons of salsa, juice, cider, jelly and a variety of soups, all carefully canned


Opinion: Keep balance in research funding

Opinion: Keep balance in research funding

Many ingredients went into the mix that resulted in the extraordinary success of agriculture in feeding a growing population. There’s the ability of farmers to constantly learn and increase their management skills. There are also vast improvements in technology – mechanical, digital and biological – that have come from researchers in both private companies and

Editor’s Take: Emissions reduction needs a lifeline

Editor’s Take: Emissions reduction needs a lifeline

Nobody likes to change, especially not when they’re comfortable and things are going well. But that attitude can lead to complacency and inertia as the world passes by. This is the delicate balance that farmers are being asked to strike, with little evidence that it’s going to pay them dividends of any kind. The issue


Cow Close-Up

Editorial: Cattle at a tipping point

COVID-19 gave everyone a new archetype for the phrase, “may you live in interesting times.” Or, to sum up a few social media posts at the time, living through a historic event isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. That’s what it feels like when looking at the cattle sector. In Saskatchewan and Alberta, ranchers

Editorial: Time to plug the BRM leak

Editorial: Time to plug the BRM leak

As reporter Don Norman notes in the front-page story of our Aug. 3 issue of the Co-operator, business risk management came up a few times when Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ag ministers met in New Brunswick in July. That’s not unexpected. Farmers are being told to expect more volatile weather as a result of


Ford’s F-150 Lightning Lariat. (Ford.com)

Editor’s Take: The rural problem with EVs

Electric vehicles have a chicken-and-egg problem in rural Canada. Until there are enough charging sites that drivers feel no constraints on travel, electric vehicle purchase will be a hard sell. And until there are enough electric vehicles to create demand for those charging stations, there isn’t an urgent push to install them. When Western Canada’s

Editor’s Take: Reconciliation roadmap

I recently attended the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists annual conference. This year it was at Olds College in rural Alberta. As one might expect, agriculture in all its forms was front and centre. From autonomous sprayers to crop-scouting drones and everything in between, the future of agriculture on the Prairies was on full display.