Behind the Lines - December 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
"Imagine a beef farmer having to go to the Ministry of Natural Resources to get a license to keep beef cattle in a pasture and having to convince the MNR that having the beef cattle in the pasture is not going to affect the deer herd … and when there's about a 50 per cent chance the MNR person thinks beef farming is a bad thing. That's the situation we're in."
That quote, from Gord Cole, co-owner of the largest rainbow trout farm in Ontario, gives some insight into the regulatory challenges faced by fish farms in this province. Rainbow trout, once a highly prized specialty product, has become a commodity like corn, soybeans or beef, with prices set in South America. New technology is set to open the door on a new wave of aquaculture in this province. Writer Mary Baxter describes the industry as it is, and how it could be, in her story starting on page 12.
Producers and the groups representing them are looking askance at a call by animal rights proponents Humane Society International Canada for food labelling reflecting how the source animals are cared for. The fact that this sort of survey is being peddled by a well-funded animal rights organization offers some insight into their next round of attempts at changing how food is raised in Canada. That story, by Joe Callahan, begins on page 38.
Feeling a sense of "cropping withdrawal" now that the 2013 harvest is in the bin? Well, it's seed selection time for 2014 and the solution to last month's Crop Scene Investigation puzzle, on page 42, gives some more reason to select corn hybrids wisely. And as you plan your cropping program, take a look at Keith Reid's approach to making better use of "free" nitrogen in your soil, in this month's Seedbed column on page 48. Also, if you grow forage you won't want to miss this month's The Lynch File on page 45, where Pat Lynch offers tips for everything from seeding to fertilizing and cutting.
In this month's The Hill, on page 54, regular columnist Barry Wilson asks how much resources and credibility Canada's dairy industry should invest in combatting Canada's new trade deal with the European Union.
And you won't want to miss meteorologist Phil-the-forecaster Chadwick's weather page where he weighs in on climate: But it's not exactly the kind of climate you might be expecting to read about in the pages of Better Farming. This month's weather column is about a climate of fear! To learn more, see his piece on page 52. BF
ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN