The Canola Council of Canada is taking heat over participating in a research project where Ducks Unlimited Canada is also a supporter. While I adore social media for all its advantages, at times it can be an absolute cesspool of nastiness, knee-jerk reactions, and blowing something way out of proportion before getting even a few… Read More
Category: Advocacy
If 2019 was the year of plant-based protein, perhaps 2020 can be the year of celebrating choice. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, with Dalhousie University, recently spoke at the CropSphere conference at Saskatoon, Sask., about food choices, plant-based protein, and consumer trends. Overall, he says, plant protein made a huge splash in 2019 as evidenced by several… Read More
How is agriculture and food production impacting the planet? Many naysayers believe our farming and food system is taking its toll, linking agriculture to 10 to 15 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, while painting it as a resource hog that gobbles up 40 percent of the earth’s land base and 70 percent of its… Read More
When you are the executive director of an organization that emphasizes the importance of having a conversation, presentations are inevitable. Adelle Stewart, executive director of the Do More Ag Foundation, says that whether she speaks in front of an audience of five or 500, she’s just happy to have people to have the conversation with…. Read More
An Alberta rancher has been chosen as McDonald’s Canada first-ever Canadian representative of its global breeders and model farmers program. Stephen Hughes of Chinook Ranch, will join 33 other producers, breeders, farmers, and growers from 17 different countries as part of the company’s global program. According to a news release, the members represent eight different… Read More
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
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