Thickening Borders
The international agricultural landscape is witnessing a troubling trend towards protectionism. In past eras, protectionism was enabled through prohibitive tariffs that blocked trade. World Trade Orga...
Carrot, not the stick
There are two ways to get a horse to carry a heavy load. You can hit it with a big stick, or you can provide a reward for work well done. Think of agriculture as the horse, and governments’ sust...
Election campaign has begun
Sometime before October 24th, Manitobans will go to the polls to elect the next provincial government. While we don’t know the election date, the campaign has already begun, or at least, it shou...
2023 - Year of Risk Management
"Good riddance” is the most common response I hear to the passing of 2022. It was a year of uncertainty. We saw disruptions to supply chains, reverberations from COVID-19, the war in Ukraine imp...
New trade priorities
COVID-19 has caused the word pivot to be overused and abused, but I am going to use it again anyways. It is time for a significant trade policy pivot from the Government of Canada to actively counter ...
We are food producers
Farmers are often referred to as “producers”. Wheat producers, canola producers, cattle producers, hog producers, etc. While these references are logically rooted in the commodities grown ...
Farmers and the "Prove It" Generation
What is a farmer’s relationship with environmental and animal welfare certification programs? Would it be right to say that it’s complicated? On one hand, farmers feel targeted by those in...
A Most Important Relationship
Relationships matter. This might sound like a cliché to some, but that does not make it any less true. Agriculture in Western Canada is dependent on trade. Maintaining our relationships with ou...
Disease, Drought, and War - A Time of Volatility
Anyone who tells you that they know where commodity prices will be six months from now is either being misleading or fails to have a firm grip on reality. We are in a time where contradictory pressure...
Tale of Two Pandemics
It has been over two years since we first heard the words COVID-19. Since then, we have seen over 130,000 Manitobans become ill from the virus and over 1,500 deaths from the disease. Our mental health...
Labour Crunch
The availability of labour is a critical factor in determining the long-term growth and profitability of Canadian agriculture. The ongoing viability of many farm businesses will be determined by labou...
Trade Agreements That Work
We have had an election. Throne Speech writers and Cabinet makers are putting the final touches on government priorities and selecting the Ministers who will implement the plan. What would you tell th...