Farmers on both sides of the Canada-US border have chosen sustainability as a rallying cry. It’s a familiar term to the urban politicians and others they’re trying to influence. I think most people associate the term...
Read MoreI’m dedicating this edition of my Urban Cowboy column to the raw milk debate, which I believe is about safety, not choice. Despite years and reams of evidence that pasteurized milk is safer, states that should know...
Read MoreI was fortunate to participate last week in Farm Credit Canada’s Marketing Caravan stopover in Guelph, hosted by Ontario Farm Fresh Association and supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs....
Read MoreQuality, reliability and safety are traditionally the key selling points abroad for Canadian farm commodities and food products. The pristine, clean and green image resonates with buyers, and it’s helped boost Canada’s...
Read MoreNewspapers are having their share of readership challenges, but the Guelph Mercury is bucking the trend. It’s carrying a story today about readership being up more than nine per cent for its print edition, and 10 per cent...
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Owen Roberts is an agricultural journalist and communications instructor based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a trustee on the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and an associate editor (communications) for the Journal of Agromedicine. Previously, Owen was president of the International Forum for Agricultural Journalists, an agricultural communications faculty member at the University of Illinois, and research communications director at the University of Guelph. His programs and research papers have been recognized through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.