Facing a cliff of seeing 86 per cent of their farms’ total profit vanishing upon leaving the European Union, why exactly did U.K. farmers heavily favour Brexit?

Comment: Brexit, Boris, and boxing in U.K. farmers

When U.K. farmers voted heavily for Brexit it was an act of either faith or foolishness

Events, like stars, can at times align just enough for you to glimpse your destiny. If you’re lucky, that sneak peek is the critical break you need for success; if you’re unlucky, the starry view spins off into the universe unseen. Farmers in the United Kingdom got that peek after the June 2016 vote that

canada flag

Editor’s Take: Canada at a crossroads

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada remains either a leader or laggard in the realm of support for its agriculture sector, depending on how one approaches the problem. A free market idealist who favours letting the invisible hand sort it all out might think less support to producers is a


During times of war, a message of courage

During times of war, a message of courage

Our History: December 1943

The image on the front page of our December 15, 1943 issue carried a Christmas message to take courage during the bleak time of the Second World War. Among the news on the front page was that Manitoba’s total Victory Bond sales had reached $99,641,400, just short of the $100-million objective and that the Manitoba

Harvest goes hands free

Harvest goes hands free

British researchers have put automation to test in the farm field

A U.K. research project has planted, tended and harvested the first crop — of spring barley — that’s never seen direct human labour. Hands Free Hectare was aiming to test the concept in the field and consciously chose smaller machinery, said Jonathan Gill, a researcher at Harper University. “There’s been a focus in recent years





Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum 
are announced at the Royal Festival Hall, in London.

Brexit fallout extends to Prairie farms

Commodity markets are roiling and key trade deals are in jeopardy

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union threw key trade deals in jeopardy while sending shock waves through global financial and commodity markets last week. Most equities and commodities, including wheat, corn and soybeans, dropped sharply in trade the day after the June 23 referendum, while traditional safe-haven investments like gold and the U.S. dollar

Queen Victoria's statue at the Manitoba Legislature. As in North America, Britain's farmers are considered by many to be political and economic conservatives by birth and disposition.

Brexit: ‘Taking farmers for fools’

U.K. farmers find themselves torn between their innate conservatism and 
economic interests that may be best served by staying in the EU

With electronic ignition, fuel injection and more computing power than the space shuttle, today’s cars and trucks never backfire. Our politicians — with less horsepower and far less memory — often still do. The latest may be British Prime Minister David Cameron who, during his 2015 re-election campaign, promised British voters a referendum on whether


Editorial: A call for collaboration

A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh has taken an unusual step in their bid to get ahead of a deadly cereal fungus that has recently surfaced in Bangladesh. They have posted raw genetic data for the wheat blast pathogen on a new website — wheatblast.net. And they are inviting others to