Sometimes, people who understand agriculture – farmers, for example – are reluctant to enter into a public forum to talk about the profession they love. Other times, they’ll stand up and speak voluntarily, as leaders of their commodity organization or farm group. But on at least one occasion, others still will actually pay for the... Read More

Seed is one of the most important inputs that farmers use all year. The difference between a good crop and a bad crop can be the quality of seed put into the ground, yet seed is not often given much thought, if at all. Just like soil testing or tissue testing, a seed test can... Read More

I didn't know much about agriculture when I started farming, so there were questions I didn't ask, and things I didn't worry about. "Check-off dollars" made that list. I sort of sloughed it off as one of the necessities of the industry, ignoring the details and giving the organizations that benefited all the trust in... Read More

A guest editorial By Cam Dahl, General Manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers. Local. Organic. Hormone free. Gluten free. No pesticides. Nothing artificial. These are the buzzwords in food marketing today. Who can object to all of these wholesome sounding concepts? Food companies are trying to take us back to a time which many consumers... Read More

Seed that looks mature and healthy but won't sprout could be dormant. What does this mean for seed supplies, and is there anything special you should do before sending in seed samples for testing to try and break it? No, says Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs. Dormant seeds are still considered... Read More

Hot on the heels of Chipotle's "Scarecrow" scare tactics, comes the announcement from the fast-food chain A&W that it will now be serving "better beef" in both Canada and the U.S. What is better beef? Beef that was raised without the use of growth promotants, according to the company's press release. A&W has devoted an... Read More

In this edition of the Beef Market Update for late September, Anne Wasko, marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock Exchange, offers commentary on last week's on-feed cattle report out of the U.S. that added to the bullish outlook there. The hiccup is, she explains to RealAgriculture.com editor Lyndsey Smith, that the same bullish factors of tight... Read More