Letters – for Mar. 11, 2010

Unaffordable efficiencies Twelve years ago, I was told that having fewer and bigger elevators would be more efficient and better for me. Today, the tariff at these new, efficient, inland grain terminals is at least 50 per cent higher than it was 12 years ago. I was also told 12 years ago, that if the

Producers, Markets And Better Returns

I read with some interest an analysis of the potential for supply management in the cattle industry from John Masswohl, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association director of government and international relations. He is certainly correct in his assessment of the impact on the cattle industry and undoubtedly the impact would be similar to any agricultural sector


Wildlife Are Livestock Too

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a reputation for focusing on the symptom, ignoring the source and accomplishing nothing. The reason why farmers in Riding Mountain National Park have suffered stress, financial loss, and had their livestock exposed to reportable diseases is because governments have covered up the reportable diseases in the park. A cull

Producers Need To Participate In Their Organizations

A National Food Strategy is required to ensure that we have a vibrant contributing agriculture sector in Canada. As the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) celebrates its 75th anniversary, the future of Canadian agriculture is at a crossroads and the future of food in this country is uncharted. Currently, Canada has no comprehensive strategy for


Your Sewer System Could Cost You Big Dollars

Many rural Manitoba residents are in for a big surprise, a costly surprise if they have a sewage injector system and plan to sell or transfer their farm in the future. In case you haven’t heard, our present elected government has, in their wisdom, passed legislation condemning above-ground sewage ejectors as ground and water polluters.

One More Race To The Bottom

If you have been watching the Winter Olympics coverage, you are no doubt aware that there are many ways to cross a finish line, and that some are somewhat more painful than others. Podiums and medals await the winners, but there is no cheering reception at the bottom of the hill for those who stumble


Peak On Shaky Ground

JOHN MORRISS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Apologies to anyone in the group who may think otherwise, but it’s probably fair to say that most of the people attending the recent Growing Local conference in Winnipeg would be favourable to the idea of collective marketing. They would tend to support measures to counterbalance the influence of large food-processing

“Voluntary CWB” code words for open market

As the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association continues to agitate for a voluntary CWB (“Volunteer CWB would be democratic,” Feb. 18), they need to ask themselves one question. If such a thing was workable for farmers, why would it not be in place today? The CWB is a single-desk marketing organization. Without a single desk,


Are You Rational?

Ever wonder why those herbicide ads portray weeds as the silent killer of your yields? Or why farmers cling to the bin keys while markets are rising, only to sweep them clean and race for town after the peak has passed? Or why some farmers will do just about anything to avoid paying taxes –

Potential Benefits From Livestock ID

Here in Canada, we’re enhancing our livestock identification programs. Individual cattle ID with radio frequency eartags (RFID), age verification, premise ID, animal movement records – about the only thing that isn’t planned is a GPS locator attached to each individual animal. Incredibly, American efforts for a National Animal Identification System are back to Square 1.