The U.S. anti-GMO activist organization that has targeted several dozen scientists and academics who have published research on the benefits of genetic engineering has set its sights on another researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. On May 18th, the school received a legal request from U.S. Right to Know (USRTK) to review emails sent by... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Pulse crops tend to not be as competitive as other crops, such as cereals, which is why we refer to it as the critical weed free period early in the growing season. By definition, these are growth stages in the crop that must be kept weed free to prevent yield loss. In this Pulse School... Read More
With the United States' exit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the new administration says it's focusing on bilateral agreements instead of multilateral deals in its attempted execution of an "America first" ideology on all things, including trade. Now that President Trump has formally notified Congress of his desire to renegotiate NAFTA, the countdown has started... Read More
There's been a change in the top public servant role within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. As of Monday (May 29, 2017), Chris Forbes is the new Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Forbes replaces Andrea Lyon, who has moved on to become the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet.... Read More
Consumers need to know where their food comes from. Why don’t we have more agriculture in the classroom? Those are recurring conversation themes and questions AgScape executive director Colleen Smith encounters every day. They’re challenges the Ontario agriculture industry has been grappling with since the Ag In The Classroom program was launched 25 years ago.... Read More
After years of discussion about the idea, the federal government has launched consultations on creating a national food policy. “Developing this food policy is an exciting opportunity for Canadians to have their say about how government can help address those opportunities and challenges that exist in our food system," said Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, announcing... Read More
Many dairy and poultry farmers across Canada breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday night as Andrew Scheer defeated front-runner Maxime Bernier to become the leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada. One of Bernier's main promises during the campaign was to dismantle supply management (SM) — the quota system that... Read More
Last week, the Alberta government introduced Bill 17, the Fair and Family-Friendly Workplaces Act, which updates Alberta’s Labour Code and Employment Standards Code. Since the bill covers all workers in Alberta, it requires some further digging to parse out what applies to agriculture and farms. On Friday, Shaun Haney spoke with Oneil Carlier, Minister of... Read More
As peas and fababeans emerge, at least one potentially devastating pest already has made an appearance — the pea leaf weevil. In this Pulse School episode, we talk about how to deal with the weevils if you are seeing them now, economic thresholds for control, and how to avoid them in the future. Pulse research…Read More
Conservative Party of Canada members from across the country are in Toronto this weekend for the conclusion of a leadership race that dates back to October 19, 2015, when Stephen Harper stepped down after losing the federal election to Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party. The winner will become the leader of the Official Opposition... Read More