There are events in a person’s life that are so pivotal, nothing is the same afterwards. They might be personal, such as falling in love, having children, or, on the negative side, a tragic accident. There are also life-altering collective events. In 1918, my great-grandmother’s two older brothers, just returned from the First World War, […] Read more
Comment: Farewell to 2020
Bridging the rural-urban media divide
I’ve had a couple of conversations with producers recently about criticism of the beef industry in urban media and public perceptions of beef production. I’m also on a virtual ag media panel for the Advancing Women in Ag conference slated for Nov. 24 to 25, and one of the questions we were asked to cover […] Read more
Comment: Hold steady with China
In mid-September, our foreign affairs minister announced that Canada was dropping trade talks with China. “I don’t see the conditions being present now for these discussions to continue at this time,” François-Philippe Champagne told Nathan Vanderklippe of the Globe and Mail. “The China of 2020 is not the China of 2016.” This was hardly surprising […] Read more
Comment: The edge
My appreciation for price discovery and other elements of ag markets began with a visit to the Chicago Board of Trade back in 2014. At that time, the futures markets had moved to electronic trading, but the corn options pit was still lively. I talked to several people who’d worked at or near the Board […] Read more
Filmmaker reclaims a piece of Alberta’s ranching history with John Ware film
Cheryl Foggo's film, John Ware Reclaimed, debuts at the Calgary International Film Festival on Sept. 24.
When Cheryl Foggo was growing up in Calgary in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the Stampede was the big event of the year. “And I, like many, many young people of my generation, really loved the stories of cowboys. I loved horses. And I didn’t see myself reflected in that world when I watched the Saturday […] Read more
Researchers find no methane-reducing benefit from feeding biochar
Lab research had found biochar may cut methane emissions, but so far researchers haven't seen that benefit translate into the feedlot.
If you’re considering feeding biochar to feedlot cattle to reduce methane emissions, you may want to manage your expectations. Recent research out of the University of Lethbridge and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Lethbridge Research Centre found that feeding biochar didn’t cut the cattle’s methane emissions, although it didn’t harm the animals, either. Previous research, […] Read more
Comment: How the sausage gets made
The pandemic has spotlighted packing industry concentration this year. People in the beef industry have been aware of these issues for some time, of course, but I even have friends outside ag who have been talking about it lately. Many want to see more, smaller federally inspected plants. It takes a tremendous amount of money, […] Read more
Comment: A little respect for consumers
Sometimes I wonder if we should scrub the word “consumer” from the pages of this magazine. Ultimately, doing so wouldn’t be a practical move, as it is good shorthand for the role of the people at the end of the supply chain. But sometimes I wonder if it seems derogatory, defining people by how they […] Read more
Meatocracy app connects customers with livestock producers
App creator hopes to offer an alternative to traditional livestock markets
Invoking the power of producers. That’s the intent captured in the name of Meatocracy, a new app that allows livestock producers to market their meat directly to customers. “There’s other online services out there that source, for example, from a producer or multiple producers. But then they’ll do the mark-up and sell under their own […] Read more
Beef supply chain players talk resiliency at Ag in Motion Discovery Plus
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Canadian Cattlemen magazine have teamed up to organize a panel to discuss some of the big questions facing the industry.
As the beef and restaurant industries deal with the aftermath of a COVID spring and look to the fall, a panel comprising individuals from each link in the supply chain will discuss ways to build resiliency throughout the industry at Ag in Motion Discovery Plus. The discussion covers risks and opportunities facing each panelist, what […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
