Ontario has introduced its draft legislation to increase security on farms — the Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019. The focus, certainly, is on the biosecurity and food risk associated with non-authorized people traipsing through farms and interfering with animals on their way to slaughter. The act, likely to be passed in… Read More
Collaboration is one thing that many agriculture groups already do, but can you imagine the work that could be done if everyone — yes, everyone — was working together to reach one goal? That’s the message astronaut, author, and public speaker Dr. Dave Williams gave while speaking at this year’s Public Trust Summit. “There’s always… Read More
If you’ve ever been approached by media to talk about food and farming, your first thought may have been, “Oh no, what if I screw up?” But Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, Saskatchewan farmer and active farm politics member, says that if she let every mistake she had made with an interview or with media stop her, she’d… Read More
AgScape, Ontario’s branch of Agriculture in the Classroom-Canada, is hoping other farmers will be like Jim McMillan and consider its organization when it comes to their next charitable donation. Launched this week is this Fill the Shoes of Tomorrow’s Agriculture Leaders campaign aimed to raise money for the development and delivery of hands-on programs to help kids… Read More
Six leaders in agriculture have been inducted to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame at a special ceremony in Quebec City. “The success and sustainability of our industry depends on the vision, dedication and drive of outstanding agricultural ambassadors like this year’s inductees,” says Trish Jordan, president of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association…. Read More
With the theme “From insights to actions,” the Public Trust Summit held recently at Saskatoon, Sask. was a success according to many in attendance. Clinton Monchuk, executive director for Saskatchewan Farm and Food Care, says he felt invigorated after the two-day summit. “Just even chatting with different people for how excited they were to use… Read More
Connecting with consumers is a massive challenge for agriculture. The industry has developed several programs and groups to close those gaps, such as the Canadian Center for Food Integrity and Ag More Than Ever. But as we saw in Monday’s federal election, there is an ideological separation between the urban and rural population. That divide… Read More
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