Sow Stall Issue Won’t Go Away Until Sow Stalls Do

In reference to Ron Friesen’s article: I attended the debate at the University of Manitoba referred to in Ron Friesen’s Oct. 22 article “Debate Reflects Deep Divide Over Sow Stall Ban.” I was shocked that the activists, the Office of the Chief Vet represented by Dr. Wayne Lees and the proponents of sow stalls represented

Quantifying risk through science

I found Mr Doering’s article somewhat difficult to follow, as the term science was never explained. Science is knowledge reduced to a system, (New Webster Dictionary). The system almost always used is numbers. Science approaches a problem from the point of view that there is a cause-and-effect scenario at work. Things happen for a reason.



Answering The Acres Question

How much land do you farm? For some reason, it’s socially acceptable to ask a farmer this question. Asking a business person a comparable question about financial capacity or asking a person on a salary or wage about their income level might seem like prying into a personal matter. But, as farmers we tend to


Looking Beyond The Bars

One of the perks of writing a column about agriculture in a major city daily is the feedback one gets from urban folks about farming issues. The level and intensity of interest is surprising at times. For instance, a column last summer outlining the gist and possible implications of the proposed federal support package for

The Precautionary Principle Is Not The Answer – for Oct. 8, 2009

Food safety regulators cope every day with applying science-based standards to complex fact situations. The task is tough enough when the science is relatively certain but when the science is not so clear – and this is far more common than is generally recognized – then the regulator faces a truly daunting challenge. In recent


The Wheat Board — Or Not

JOHN MORRISS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR The standard explanation in news reports is that AWB Ltd., formerly the Australian Wheat Board, last year lost its export monopoly due to fallout from AWB officials paying nearly $300 million in bribes to Saddam Hussein’s government as part of the “Oil-for-Food Scandal.” If so, it seems ironic that one of

Barley And Hornets – for Oct. 8, 2009

…to say that the ethanol industry has driven barley to unacceptable levels is hardly appropriate if the crop is barely meeting the cost of production. When you stir up a hornet’s nest, you get stung. It’s a simple lesson most rural youth learn at an early age, but one I was reminded of recently. A


Earning A Living From The Marketplace – for Oct. 8, 2009

What we have heard them say over and over again is they would rather earn their livelihood from the marketplace than the mailbox. Agricultural economists have long known that the price elasticity of food on both the demand side and the supply side is very low. Translated from economist-speak, what that means is that when

Provincial programs offer value for carbon

We welcome readers’comments on issues that have been covered in the Manitoba Co-operator. In most cases we cannot accept “open” letters or copies of letters which have been sent to several publications. Letters are subject to editing for length or taste. We suggest a maximum of about 300 words. I am responding to Brian Sterling’s