Erica Renaud splits her time between the family farm near Smiths Falls, Ont., and urban southern Ontario. While she may not be farming full-time, Renaud uses her upbringing on the farm to inspire her art and creativity. Renaud works in graphic design, and she also has a self-published comic strip, called “Farm Girl Strips,” and… Read More
A documentary web series first launched to bridge the gap between urban families and farm families is back for a second season. “We created Real Farm Lives basically to…try to draw a connection between non-agricultural families – urban families – with farm families, to show them that they’re really not that different,” says CropLife Canada… Read More
October is Agriculture Month in Saskatchewan, and farmers are encouraged to “tell their story” as part of it. “Agriculture Month is a time to highlight our connection to food and the role agriculture plays in the lives of Saskatchewan people,” says Agriculture Minister David Marit. “From primary production and research, to processing and technology, there… Read More
There comes a time when you’re scrolling through the Internet and find someone saying something a little out of line. Who am I kidding, this happens probably every hour on Twitter alone. This past week I came across one of those posts, but instead of it being an internet troll that hides behind their computer… Read More
On Labour Day Monday a turkey farm in Southern Alberta had to deal with trespassing animal activists attempting to bring media attention to the way turkeys are raised. About 30 protesters descended on to Jumbo Valley Colony by camping out along the wall in the turkey barn. The protestors demanded for the media to be… Read More
As an industry, agriculture rarely makes it into mainstream media. When it does, many within agriculture lament that it’s a negative story, heavily biased, or poorly researched and too basic. Toban Dyck is someone who wears many hats. He serves as director of communications for the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, but he’s also a… Read More
The climate change and land use report released last week by the United Nations generated plenty of headlines and tremendous discussion. But the media coverage of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) really missed the mark, says Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California, Davis animal science professor and air quality extension specialist. This week… Read More
The 4th annual Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition has come and gone at the Calgary Stampede. The competition provides Albertan youth ages 11-24 with an opportunity to speak up for agriculture through a little healthy competition, with opportunity to further on into the national competition (Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture) held during the Royal… Read More
Behind the scenes, to front and centre, women have always played a critical role in farming and in the agriculture industry. In this episode of Mind Your Farm Business, host Shaun Haney speaks with three women from unique backgrounds and stages of their careers, to talk about their perspective on the challenges and opportunities that… Read More
Farming and ranching organizations across western Canada are collaborating with a University of Waterloo research project to better understand producers preferences when it comes to conservation programs. Research lead, Dr. Jeremy Pittman says a big question they’re hoping to answer is how they can make both agriculture and species at risk thrive on Canadian landscapes…. Read More
It seemed like a rare opportunity to bring agriculture to the fore when, in 2014, the United Nations’ General Assembly declared it to be the International Year of Family Farming. At the time, it said the declaration was to “raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger… Read More
Glenna Banda has been on the job for just one month, but she has a clear vision of agricultural education in Ontario’s classrooms. Banda is the new executive director of AgScape, Ontario’s ag in the classroom organization, which has worked with Ontario educators since 1991 to build awareness and understanding of the importance of our… Read More
Seventy-plus years ago there was no Take Your Pet to Work Day or National Milkshake Month, but there was a Farmer’s Day. First declared by the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. in 1945, the second Friday in June has been a day to celebrate and recognize all that farmers do and contribute to our… Read More
Public speaking. For you 4-H-ers out there, you’ve probably competed in an agricultural-based public speaking competition before, whether it was to your excitement, or you were doing it because it was mandatory in your district. Growing up outside of the 4-H sphere, and not living in a big centre, these were skills I didn’t really… Read More
Throughout her professional life, JoAnne Buth has seen change; forged relationships; and said ‘yes’ to opportunity. Born in Vernon, B.C. and later residing in Winnipeg, Man., Buth served as a senator for more than two years, representing Manitoba. Before becoming a senator, she spent roughly 13 years with the Canola Council of Canada, first as… Read More