Fewer bankers, more farmers? Monday, October 3, 2011 If you want to become rich, become a farmer. That's the essence of an essay published in the July 10 issue of Time Magazine. The essay quoted Jim Rogers ("investment whiz, best-selling author and one of Wall Street's towering personalities") as predicting that farming incomes will rise dramatically in the next decades, surpassing even Wall Street. "The world has got a serious food problem," says Rogers. "The only real way to solve it is to draw more people back to agriculture." (That's according to Time).He cites net farm income as rising 27 per cent last year compared to less than two per cent for the overall economy. That's because of a wealthier and hungrier emerging middle class world-wide and a boom in biofuels. (He doesn't mention that the latter is due to heavy government subsidies which could disappear with the stroke of a pen.) While general real estate values have fallen, farmland has doubled in six years.One example Rogers cites of agricultural prosperity is Grand Island Neb. The home to a major beef packing plant and to farm machinery makers is booming and Nebraska itself has the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation.Yet another Time Magazine story, dated June 28, says that many of the workers producing food in California's Tulare County qualify for food stamps and 23 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. The state and national averages are 14 per cent. So it seems like owners of farmland are gaining wealth while workers on those farms are falling behind. BF Court rules chemical spray drift is trespassing Behind the Lines - October 2011
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online
Canadian Ag Youth Council Welcomes new Members Saturday, September 14, 2024 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the latest members to join the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). This update introduces nine fresh members alongside thirteen returning youths, marking a significant step towards involving young voices in agricultural... Read this article online