Today I can't help but think of the thousands of people who have been forced from their homes because of the rising flood waters and the thousands of people who are giving of their time and energy to help in the flood fight. As a Winnipegger it's easy to not give a thought to what's... Continue Reading →
Celebrating a farm wife and mom
Beside, not behind, every good farmer (or as I stated last week - real farmer) is a good farm wife. And my mom is just that. Besides being a farm wife, she's also a farm mom. And since there's no "Farmer's Wife Day" (but we all know there should be), I've decided to write a tribute... Continue Reading →
Cultivating relationships
Yesterday I attended a Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association (MFWBA) luncheon. The MFWBA is one of a few professional organizations I belong to. I'm also a member of the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association (CAMA) and the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). I strongly believe in professional organization participation. Belonging to these kind of organizations allows you... Continue Reading →
Celebrating a real farmer
Anyone can call themselves a farmer but that doesn't always mean they're a real farmer. To use an ag analogy, it's kind of like separating the wheat from the chaff - separating the real farmers from the hasbeens or the wannabes. This blog post is dedicated to a real farmer - my dad - who turns... Continue Reading →
The who’s who of the ag industry
After returning to the office from a recent agriculture event, my boss asked me who was in attendance. I replied, "Basically the who's who of the ag industry." Later that day I started thinking more about that. I attend a lot of ag events, meetings, seminars etc. and it's always the usual suspects in attendance.... Continue Reading →
Engaging the ag industry in social media
Yesterday I participated in the CAMA (Canadian Agri-Marketing Association) Ontario Webinar on Engaging Farmers in the New Media Platform. The webinar was led by Shaun Haney (www.realagriculture.com). Haney is an early adopter of social media technology in the ag industry. I want to pick up on a few of the things he touched on in his... Continue Reading →
Livestock and the environment
People and animals have been tied together for thousands of years. There's an "ancient contract" between the two, according to Dr. Henry Janzen, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. But there are strains in that ancient contract. Do we need to rethink this ancient contract in order to minimize our footprint on the environment? asks... Continue Reading →
Planting the seeds that feed
Yesterday I attended the Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba (AITC-M) Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg. The goal of AITC-M is to enhance awareness of agriculture in Manitoba schools. For more information visit www.aitc.mb.ca. I've had the privilege of participating in a few AITC-M programs and activities during the past few years, including the Amazing Agriculture Adventure, the... Continue Reading →
Make ag research a priority
Back in January the Country Guide magazine published a story about Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) dropping "food and agriculture" from its list of targeted areas for research funding. Here's a link to the story in Country Guide if you want to read it: http://www.country-guide.ca/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000400024 To feed a growing world population, Canadian... Continue Reading →
Flood, farmers and food
In Saturday's Winnipeg Free Press reporter Bartley Kives wrote a story titled, Farmers' hopes washing away. Here's the link if you want to read it: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/farmers-hopes-washing-away-119967924.html Kives writes about how the current flood throughout southern Manitoba is affecting farmers' fields and will impact food prices. I was pleased to see such a story in the Winnipeg Free... Continue Reading →
Rural Route Ramblings 