Food Prices — For Now

briefs milan/reuters World food prices are likely to remain on a downward trend for some time, after falling in September again, due to increased cereals output and weaker demand, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. But global economic uncertainty and still tight cereal reserves would add volatility to prices, said the agency

Farmers And Public Co-Operating On Animal Welfare Concerns

Canadian farmers have avoided conflicts with animal rights activists seen in other countries by co-operating with humane societies and scientists in adopting proper treatment for their livestock and poultry, says a representative of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. Geoff Urton, animal welfare manager for the B.C. SPCA, says the agriculture community has fully supported


Great Lakes Face Stresses From Run-Off, Invaders

chica go/re uters Great Lakes shorelines are becoming clogged by algae blooms fed by agricultural run-off, while invasive mussels decimate the food chain in deeper waters, according to the National Wildlife Federation. The five lakes, which contain one-fifth of the world s fresh water and supply tens of millions of people, may be veering close

Slow Food:

Taking cows to pastures high in the Italian Alps and then making cheese by hand in a nearby tent while the milk is still warm may all seem a bit too much like unnecessary drudgery in an age of high-tech agriculture. But for a group of 14 makers of the rich Italian cheese Bitto Storico,


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Hunger is exclusion. Exclusion from the land, from jobs, wages, income, life and citizenship. When a person gets to the point of having nothing to eat, it is because all the rest has been denied. I keep Josue de Castro s words pinned near my desk, lest I be tempted to believe I m really

4-H: Embracing The Future

For nearly 100 years, youth in the southern Manitoba community of Roland have been getting together to learn to do by doing through 4-H. Roland s role as the birthplace of the program in Canada will be showcased in 2013 when 4-H celebrates its centennial.PHOTO: LORRAINESTEVENSON By Lorraine Stevenson Co-operator staff When Clayton Robins joined


Lower Grain Price And Fuel Prices Needed

Sharp declines in prices for grains and gasoline will be the most effective stimulus for renewed growth, by easing the squeeze on household finances across North America and Western Europe, but only if price cuts can be sustained. Relative declines in prices for food, clothing and fuel have been one of the big drivers of

China’s Corn Rush To Redraw Global Food Landscape

When China abandoned its soybean self-sufficiency quest almost 20 years ago and started importing the oilseed feeding its hunger for livestock, it almost single- handedly transformed the industry. Today, it s poised to do the same for corn. The world s most populous nation is expected to triple corn purchases next crop year and, by


North Koreans Suffering Chronic Malnutrition

In a pediatric hospital in North Korea s most productive farming province, children lay two to a bed. All showed signs of severe malnutrition: skin infections, patchy hair, listless apathy. Their mothers have to bring them here on bicycles, said duty doctor Jang Kum Son in the Yellow Sea port city of Haeju. We used

Bees Make A Buzz At The Forks Market

Jim Campbell of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association (centre) sets up a display at the ManitobaHoneyShowatTheForksMarketinWinnipeg.P hoto: ShannonVanRaes By Shannon VanRaes Co-operator staff Kids and adults alike swarmed the Manitoba Honey Show early this fall, as apiarists took the opportunity to share their honey and insights. The bees are important to Manitoba, said Ray Hourd, owner