Author: Owen Roberts

Another fight is full-on between agricultural technology and the public, this time involving pesticide-treated seeds.

Earlier this month, New York became the first US state to put forward legislation to ban seeds coated with neonicotinoid (popularly called “neonics”) ingredients.
Photo credit: Purdue University

The media “ and in fact, society overall ” often gets blamed for ignoring farming. The only time the media cares about agriculture is when there’s a crisis, according to this line of thinking. And it goes on: On those rare occasions when the media does try to cover farming, it either sensationalizes the story or gets it wrong.
Photo credit: Ontario Pork

Wildfire danger hit home in a big way this week.

Smoke from wildfires many hundreds of kilometres away, in Quebec and northeastern Ontario, descended on us like a blanket on Tuesday. Outdoor air quality was reported to be among the worst in the world. The situation made outdoor activities challenging, if not downright dangerous.
Photo credit: Genevieve Poirier/The Canadian Press

The nation took notice recently when an alarming new report said that by 2033, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire. That, it says, places agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history.
Photo credit: Chris Helgren/Reuters

Raising and marketing livestock in America is not going to get any easier.

In the US, a battle is being waged by animal activists against confined pork production. The main battlefield is California, but it’s going to affect the entire nation, and probably Canada, because of the anticipated ripple effect.

Photo credit: Getty Images