For a more effective condom Monday, February 3, 2014 Don't like condoms? Bill Gates has got you covered. The New Republic reports that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be dispensing $1 million in grants in an effort to improve on the modern-day condom. It's not the condom's effectiveness that needs an upgrade. Rather, "the undeniable and unsurprising truth is that most men prefer sex without a condom," points out Gates Foundation's Dr. Papa Salif Sow. "The common analogy is that wearing a condom is like taking a shower with a raincoat on." So how about a condom made of beef tendon? Mark McGlothlin of Apex Medical Technologies, one of the grant recipients, originally considered using cow tendon collagen for an alternative to the latex condom back in the '80s. Collagen "feels very much like skin," McGlothlin says, and is easily sourced.Apex will get its tendons from a California Chinese food store. BF Red tape strangles Greenbelt farmers B.C. land speculation edges out young farmers
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online