Glacier FarmMedia – Is genetically modified wheat finally ready for prime time? Researchers at Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge have planted their first greenhouse plots of wheat with genes edited to better receive and use sunlight. Wheat is particularly suited for gene editing because its hexaploid (six parent) genome contains genes from three ancestral grasses. It’s […] Read more
Opinion: Barriers continue to fall for genetically modified wheat production
Opinion: Keep political bitterness out of Canadian food
Examination of food price inflation offers opportunity for government to explain the components of food pricing
Glacier Farmmedia – Some things are more apparent than real. If the price of food jumps by 15 or 20 per cent due to rising global inflation, it is assumed the difference between today’s price and last year’s price is in someone’s pocket. But whose? Canadian politicians have an opportunity to explain the components of […] Read more
Opinion: Carbon tax exemptions needed
Bill C-234, a private member’s bill that would exempt more farm fuels from the carbon tax, promises to meet some of the federal government commitments made when the price on carbon was originally planned. It is superior to a government-initiated bill, C-8, now being considered in Parliament. In the initial plans to put a price […] Read more
Comment: Multiple factors at play for fertilizer price increase
High prices in Canada are in line with prices globally
Glacier FarmMedia – Pressures on commodity fertilizer prices are similar to those on grains and oilseeds. Supply isn’t meeting demand and costs are up. Some farm groups and many producers question the legitimacy of rising costs and they want answers. Prices in Canada for urea have more than tripled in the past two years and […] Read more
Opinion: Cattle production victim of widespread story telling
Glacier FarmMedia – Cows aren’t the new coal and they aren’t the new Tesla. Catchy as a recent Time Magazine headline, “Cows are the new coal”, may have been, it isn’t true. But it does fit nicely into a well-crafted and biased narrative that now plagues the cattle industry. Carbon is used by plants to […] Read more
Opinion: Glyphosate a tool for farmers, not a politician’s tactic
Glyphosate review aimed to bring Canada’s limits in line with international norms
Glacier FarmMedia – Ahead of a federal election call, three federal ministers called a halt to a process that would likely have yielded quick results on increasing the maximum residue limits for glyphosate applied to dry beans, lentils and peas. Regular reviews of the scientific data for safe levels of pesticides on food products and […] Read more
Consistent feed crucial in dry cows
Avoiding changes in diet before calving has been shown to keep cows in better condition
Glacier FarmMedia – It’s all about consistent feed intake and maintenance of rumen health for dairy cows in the transition period before calving. There was a time when producers believed a drop in feed intake in the high-straw diet was a natural process for cows in the days or weeks before calving, said Trevor DeVries, […] Read more
Rural strength lies in ability to make quick decisions on issues
Rural politicians point to municipalities being able to pivot to do what is needed for survival
Necessity is the mother of invention and rural Canada knows about both necessity and invention, a group of rural panelists agree. It has to be agile and innovative to get things done. Why it matters: Rural municipalities are often left to figure out what’s best, with fewer resources than cities. “Rural municipalities have this great […] Read more
Heterosis an overlooked way to improve less heritable cow traits
Elite animals can be best to use as crossbreds
Glacier FarmMedia – Many cow-calf operations don’t use heterosis to full advantage in their herds, according to two producers who recently discussed breeding goals. “I was always told that commercial breeders should have better cattle than any purebred breeder because they’ve been able to capitalize on heterosis,” said Lance Leachman, a cattle producer from Maidstone, […] Read more
Canada, U.S. agree on plan if African swine fever infects wild pigs
Zoning would keep other parts of the North American hog market functioning
Glacier FarmMedia – Wild pigs are a worry in Canada and the United States for reasons beyond the damage they do to farms, pasture land and ecosystems. They could be an uncontrollable factor if ever infected with African swine fever. Why it matters: African swine fever has devastating effects on swine herds, as shown in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
