I had the great pleasure of joining the Manitoba Canola Growers Association for its second Canola Leaders event held November 29 and 30, 2013, at Brandon, Manitoba. About 20 young farmers participated in two days of fun, networking and learning, with a heavy emphasis on the importance of food, understanding consumers, learning leadership skills and... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency released a notice of intent in September 2013 to change label requirements of neonictoinoid seed treatment products used on corn and soybean seed after it was determined that "...current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are not sustainable." The notice of intent... Read More
Public breeding (for plants, that is) is not something you’d imagine the public yelling into a telephone about, telling their elected officials support for public plant breeding must absolutely be part of the next federal or provincial budget, or else. But stranger things have happened. For example, who would have thought people would get so... Read More
For a year there has been a very interesting project in development called the Beef Straw Man which is trying to facilitate a Canadian beef industry strategy. The three straw men gathered 200 people into the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary on Tuesday to get more input, seek feedback and prepare for a final... Read More
At the Canfax Market Forum I was able to catch up with the Canadian Cattlemen Association President Martin Unrau to get an update on the recent activities of the CCA in the last year. Obviously mandatory country of origin labeling MCOOL and CETA have captured much of the time. If you cannot see the above... Read More
This morning at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture Annual General Meeting in Toronto, the Premier and Provincial Ag Minister, Kathleen Wynne, talked to the delegates about the state of agriculture in the province. Wynne talked about job growth, the opportunity for young people and more. When the meeting was handed off to the question and... Read More
The Lancet Infectious Diseases published an editorial entitled Antibiotic resistance—the need for global solutions to mark Antibiotic Awareness Week (which is this week, FYI). The article is as long as the situation is complicated. With twenty-six contributors and nearly 400 references, it looks to address the concerns around antibiotic resistance, factors that cause resistance, and... Read More
I feel for the good people of Leamington as they struggle to prepare for life without Heinz. The company, which has been a huge part of their lives and their community for more than a century, will close next June. Some say they could see the end coming when Heinz was sold to Americans a... Read More
If you asked me a year ago today what I was up to for the winter, I would have grinned and said, "feeding cows." A few months in, and I may not have been grinning much, save for one thing: podcasts. (sorry AM/FM radio stations, our rural tractors don't come with 30' antennas) Long, cold... Read More
The Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA) announced today that an agreement has been reached to allow commercially-grown Faller wheat into the U.S. via ADM and its approved affiliates. Farmers should note, however, that while there are now approved ports and terminals to take the wheat, beginning in 2014, all Faller wheat grown in Canada must... Read More