Behind The Lines

We had reason to pause last month when word reached us that Farmers' Independent Weekly (FIW) had ceased publication. The Winnipeg-based tabloid was launched in 2002 by six gutsy employees, fired by the Manitoba Co-operator, who defied all odds.

Better Farming’s staff has felt a special kinship with them. For one thing, our previous life as Farm & Country staff taught us how it feels to lose a livelihood you love. We share some similarities with many farmers in this regard, but that’s another story.

We also harbour a bond with FIW staff over the struggle and sacrifice required to launch and sustain an independent publication in a world dominated by giant publishers.

Co-operator owner Glacier Ventures Inc., for example, which describes itself as Canada's largest publisher of trade magazines, online magazines, directories and mailing lists, now controls most farm publishing west of the Ontario border, with titles like Manitoba Co-operator, Western Producer, The Alberta Express and Country Guide.

Many readers will recall that, in 1999, Better Farming rose from the ashes of Farm & Country, which declared bankruptcy after serving this province's farmers for about 65 years. Although none of us at Better Farming were involved in Farm & Country management, we nevertheless believed that, with the support of this province’s farming community, we could build on the mistakes of the past and make Better Farming an independent magazine of which Ontario Federation of Agriculture members would be proud.

In 2004, when we at Better Farming celebrated our fifth anniversary as an independent publication, FIW publisher John Morriss wrote: "Your courage in rebuilding from scratch helped inspire us to try the same thing."

Last month’s deal to shut down FIW included an employment offer that will see John and his talented FIW team rejoin Manitoba Co-operator’s parent company, Farm Business Communications. We feel strongly about the value of independent publications like FIW, but that too is a story for another time. This space is normally devoted to articles and issues appearing in this magazine, so we’ll conclude our detour into the farm publishing scene by expressing our profound disappointment at this latest loss of another independent farm publisher, while at the same time congratulating FIW staff for their hard work and willingness to take risks - qualities which have, in the end, brought them a lot more than the bankruptcy that the odds dictated they would suffer when they began their five-year odyssey.

Progress in agriculture is often made in small increments, and that’s what this month’s cover story is about. Writer Treena Hein searched out technologies that will advance your farm towards profits - not by producing more products, but by reducing the losses that are incurred in current operations and also extracting more from the resources that are already in use. This is a familiar story in agriculture, but it’s one that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Don't forget to send us your solution to this month's Crop Scene Investigation by David Townsend, which begins on page 38. Correct answers will be pooled and one winner will win a Wireless Weather Station. Please include your name, address and telephone number with your answer.

Roy Armstrong from Ruscom, Ont., wins a wireless weather station for his response to last month's challenge. At press time, responses to our latest challenge were still pouring in. BF

ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN