It’s safe to say that most farmers in Canada don’t really know the history of farm policy developments in this country and they don’t really care. What they do care about is whether supports will be there for them in their times of need, whether that’s when dealing with this year’s drought, last year’s pandemic […] Read more
Opinion: Farm policy for the future
Opinion: Farmers and food prices an uneasy fit
Blaming the price of grain for rising food costs raises the ire of farmers
The quickest way to get farmers riled is to suggest that the price of food is going up because grain prices are higher. Say it once, and watch the rosy burn creeping up their cheeks. Say it twice and look out. Within days after the 2021 version of Canada’s Food Price Report forecasted a three- […] Read more
Comment: How well are farmers handling their pandemic fame?
Some efforts to reach out to consumers are proving controversial
Farmers often lament that as each generation becomes further removed from the farm, the ability of urbanites to understand and appreciate what it takes to grow food has declined. Even though agriculture is fundamental to the health, wealth and security of any nation, Canadian producers now make up less than two per cent of the […] Read more
Opinion: The changing conversation around food
Stating that food security is critical during the COVID-19 crisis means farm issues won’t be sidelined
On one hand, the federal government stated the obvious when it identified the food system as one of the 10 critical infrastructures supporting Canadians during the pandemic crisis. After all, who can survive without food? Nevertheless, the guidance document issued by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair sent an important signal, one that […] Read more
Opinion: Telling them like it is on the farm
Minnesota’s Millennial Farmer doesn’t worry about telling his side of the story. He just tells people what he does
Farmer Zach Johnson is smart, funny and just as comfortable posing for photos with his many fans as a sports star. But he’s not famous because he makes millions of dollars scoring points through the goal posts. His claim to fame is being an ordinary farmer — just a regular guy who makes his living […] Read more
Opinion: Corporate interest makes sustainability in agriculture tangible
Marketplace initiatives will sink or swim by virtue of consumer support
It didn’t take long for a young cattle rancher from Saskatchewan to capture the audience’s attention at the Canada 2020 National Forum on Agri-Food in Ottawa in the fall. “For me, the word ‘sustainability’ is synonymous with McDonald’s,” said Adrienne Ivey, who is part of a family corporation managing 3,000 beef cattle on a 10,000-acre […] Read more
Comment: Farmers as price makers instead of price takers
When their buyer said their produce was too expensive, this farm business changed the conversation
Farmers are conditioned to see themselves as price-takers. They take the price that is charged for their fertilizer and seed and they take the price that’s offered for their production. But as one of the speakers at the recent Summit on Climate Action in Food Systems in Kelowna illustrated, it’s possible to overcome the “lowest […] Read more
Opinion: Farm angst is about more than a challenging harvest
There is a palpable sense of angst in the agricultural community these days as farmers struggle with the immediate challenge of harvesting fields in weather the seems to keep turning against them. But it’s more than an exhausting harvest. All that talk they’ve been hearing in recent years about unlimited market opportunities has turned out […] Read more
Comment: Agriculture needs more people and investment
Technology has always been a driving force behind productivity growth in Canadian agriculture, and the trends of mechanization and increasing farm scale have typically been associated with a need for fewer people. The threshing crews making the rounds a century ago harvesting the annual crop were replaced by tractors and threshing machines. Herbicides reduced the […] Read more
Opinion: Growing Canada’s domestic market a vital strategy
Focusing less on exports and more on people could help Canada become a global super power
A street scene photographed back in Britain’s horse-and-buggy days is symbolic of how the world has traditionally looked upon Canada as a food exporter. “Canada: Britain’s granary” is boldly splayed across a decorative archway on a busy avenue. And it was a granary of sorts, just as it is today. As much as Canadians see […] Read more
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