It’s great to see farm groups take a public position. Their members want to hear from them, and increasingly, so does the public, especially when these groups are represented by real farmers. Even better yet is when a farm group’s concerns mesh with the public’s understanding of the status quo – such as border crossing… Read More

I’m all for peaceful protests. Say it loud, say it proud, whatever you need to get off your chest, please do. And it’s with this spirit that I propose we have a march to promote marching against real problems in our society — children living in poverty and suffering from hunger even as a growing… Read More

Controversy has surrounded the giant white wind turbines nearly since the first turbine farms cropped up across rural Ontario. Wind turbines are commonplace in much of Europe and are expanding in Western Canada and Ontario, but not without push back from some residents who list several health issues as fall out from these green-energy generators…. Read More

For many in the agriculture industry and especially the beef industry, the announcement that BSE had been found in the Canadian cattle herd was one of those moments where you’ll likely always remember where you were when you first heard it. I was at work, my first job in publishing, and the news came over… Read More

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder… A new, free app for Androids and iPhones has been launched. The app, christened “Buycott,” and developed by Buycott Inc. (an overwhelming amount of creativity, I know), allows users to join a number of campaigns of their choice and make purchase decisions based on the “campaign… Read More

Ontario ginseng is the class of its field. The species grown here, called American ginseng (versus Asian ginseng, the other popular variety) is the apple of ginseng exporters’ eye. It now generates $130 million in export sales annually, and it’s growing every year. That’s great news for farmers who work the unique sandy soils in… Read More

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

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… 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… Read More

 

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