Category: Eastern Canada
When University of Guelph agricultural economist Alfons Weersink told me he was tackling the question “Who is a farmer?”, I immediately thought of the late Paul Harvey. He’s the broadcaster whose 1978 Americana classic, “So God Made A Farmer,” was brilliantly revived in a 2013 Super Bowl ad for Dodge trucks. In it, Harvey praised... Read More
Wearing blue t-shirts that read "Canadian milk matters," dairy farmers from across Ontario and Quebec rallied on Parliament Hill on Thursday. The event was organized to show support for supply management and to bring attention to a basket of import-related concerns, explains Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) president Wally Smith, in the interview below. "We... Read More
On Wednesday, McDonald's announced the completion of its Verified Sustainable Beef (VSB) Pilot, and handed the results — and recommendations — to the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). "It's a really exciting day to talk about the accomplishment over the last year and a half that McDonald's has been doing the pilot project here... Read More
Soybeans. Who cares about anything else? The oilseed has taken the majority of the grains complex with it to heights that most analysts didn't think were possible a few months ago. Sure, you lose a couple million tonnes in Argentina, but with bigger crops in Brazil and North America, and demand climbing a bit, there’s... Read More
"We did it! We did it," exclaimed Francesca Debiase, chief supply chain and sustainability officer for McDonald's, pumping her hands through the air, at yesterday's celebration of the conclusion of McDonald's Verified Sustainable Beef (VSB) Pilot in Calgary. “Several years ago, McDonald’s supply chain made a really interesting discovery," Debiase explained, "and that discovery was... Read More
Canadians' views on farming are improving, according to new survey results shared this week. There are some problem areas though, as we hear from the head of Farm and Food Care Canada on this week's podcast. Health Canada is considering allowing irradiation of beef to kill bad bacteria, dairy farmers are back rallying on Parliament... Read More
Update — June 6, 2016 — After failing twice to approve a new license for glyphosate, EU member states did not support a limited 12-18 month extension of the herbicide's current license on Monday. The inability of European Union member countries to come to an agreement over glyphosate could have implications for agriculture on this... Read More
Crops are moving along quickly thanks to the recent heat in much of Ontario. RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson discusses what the hot, dry weather means for wheat, nitrogen considerations in light of the dry conditions, keys to reducing leaf burn from in-season N on wheat and much more on this week's Word. Have a question... Read More