If you are aggravated by puns or organisms belonging to the family Apidae, a warning: this article may bug you. But honey, I’ll try not to drone, if you promise to bee open-minded. There has been a lot of media coverage on the recent and very controversial propesed two-year suspension of neonicotinoids in the European… Read More
By Cami RyanYou may have run across this article “10 Reasons We Don’t Need GM Foods” on the FoodConsumer website. It’s been making its rounds on social media (Facebook and Twitter). I would like to address some of the inaccuracies in this article – point by point:1. GM foods won’t solve the food crisisWell, surprisingly enough,… Read More
The agriculture industry has historically taken the tact of “Science is on our side” in many debates over food production. But, as Charlie Arnot, with the Centre for Food Integrity, explains, perception trumps science when it comes to how consumers shape their opinions about food and their food choices. “Science tells us if we can… Read More
The new Barley Council of Canada gets it: research and innovation, that’s what makes a difference to farmers.The Calgary-based council, formally incorporated last month, lists research and innovation at the front of its top five priorities. Others include best crop production practices, market development, market access and (I especially like this one) communication within the… Read More
Just because an animal does not overtly display discomfort, doesn’t mean they don’t feel any. This is true of prey animals — like cattle — where displaying pain may make them an easy target for predators. Because of this, it can be difficult to gauge how painful some procedures may be on animals. That said,… Read More
I saw a placard earlier this year around the University of Guelph declaring food is a right. Well, if that’s the case, then those who produce food better have rights too, rights that are shared with the public, clearly understood and widely accepted.A step in that direction takes place May 14, 2013, at the Delta… Read More
When the news broke that JBS was going to buy the XL Foods Lakeside plant after the fall 2012 ecoli crisis, many were relieved that a buyer had stepped up. The plant going dark was a much worse scenario for local cattle feeders. Now that the plant deal has closed we thought it would actually… Read More
How do you view milk in your household? Do you lump it together with other beverages like juice, soda, coffee, tea? When do you drink it? Why do you drink it? What informs those decisions in your home? That’s a relatively small set of questions, but important ones as the dairy industry looks at how… Read More
Land prices seem to have endless upward momentum. Farm Credit Canada’s latest land value estimates suggest some very impressive gains in values when taken on their own, but put those numbers over a three to five year span, and the bull run on prices seems unstoppable and nearly unbelievable in some cases. But it would… Read More
The first Earth Day I remember was in 1989, even though the movement started many years before that. What, you say? How could I remember a non-holiday so specifically? I remember it because it’s the day my barn cat turned house cat decided to bless us with three kittens — right in the middle of… Read More
You may have heard once or twice the terms “C3” or “C4” plants. Generally speaking, most of our crops and plants in Western Canada are C3. C3 plants are usually what you see growing in our fields, including wheat, canola, lentils, peas and barley. These plants are known as cool season crops and will yield… Read More
Responsible, appropriate use of antimicrobial products is a cornerstone of managing resistance to these products in both humans and livestock. For many outside the livestock industry, a lack of understanding about the use of these products, their administration and withdrawal times has created misconceptions and undue concern over the risk of antimicrobial resistance in beef… Read More
China’s decision to open another of its crushers to Canadian canola seed improves market access, according to the Canola Council of Canada. The authorization of three new crushers in the last few months means China now has the capacity to import an additional 1 million tonnes of canola seed from Canada, Canola Council of Canada… Read More
The number one way to manage herbicide resistant weeds is to avoid them in the first place, says Mike Saxton with Syngenta US. That said, we’d be completely remiss to say that Canada or the U.S. was in a position to avoid herbicide resistant weeds. Several species are already resistant, some of those to more… Read More
Developing a full understanding of antimicrobial resistance is imperative to managing its occurrence. Canada’s beef industry has been studying the incidence of antimicrobial resistance in cattle for some time, but there is more work to be done. Building off this introduction on antimicrobial resistance by Dr. Reynold Bergen, this episode of the Beef Research School… Read More
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