Lees insight

Agriculture needs to show the world it has some great ideas for improving any perceived problems facing the industry, rather than trying to find creative ways to silence its critics, says a leading world consultant and communications specialists. Rather than trying to persuade skeptics that foods produced with genetically modified (GMO) crops are safe, the […] Read more

The B.C Cattleman’s Association (BCCA), working with a major B.C. food retailer, is embracing the concept of producing natural, hormone free beef. It isn’t a statement that natural is any better than commodity or conventional beef, says Kevin Boon, BCCA general manager, it is simply recognizing if the market is there, B.C. ranchers can produce […] Read more

  The Village of Hussar about an hour east of Calgary is a great example of how people can pull together with some effort and a bit of creativity to the benefit of the community at large. The farming and ranching community, with a population of about 200, recently won a $50,000 contest from Alberta-based […] Read more

I still had ham and eggs for breakfast this morning even after watching a CTV W-5 expose October 19 on some allegedly poor production practices at an Alberta egg farm. I did have second thoughts as I reached for those perfect white, healthy, lovingly produced eggs in the fridge. Even as much as I might […] Read more

A veteran of the North American beef industry, who worked his way through the business from a meat cutter to a top executive of one of the largest meat processing companies in the world, says he has no doubts he can turn a long-shuttered Alberta beef packing plant into a profitable business. Rich Vesta is […] Read more

The Freeman-on-the-land issue in Alberta, noted a few days ago, appears to be resolved. This is the story of a woman who rented out a house to a guy who appeared to be a good tenant and shortly after he took occupancy he announced he was part of the Freeman-on-the-land movement, stopped paying rent, gutted […] Read more

In the category of “it’s a crazy world” I have been following a story the past few days of this Alberta woman who rented a house to man who later declared he was part of an organization known as “Freemen-of-the-Land” and he has now declared the house his embassy and she can’t get rid of […] Read more

Corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see (or at least ‘til the next tree line) and nary a combine anywhere from Virginia, to Pennsylvania, to New York and now back into Eastern Ontario…the harvest has yet to begin. A lot of crop out there and from a casual observation much of it […] Read more

Well I am heading into Washington, D.C. this morning. Sure it may look like I am on holidays, but the main purpose of my mission is to straighten out the Americans on a number of issues, including Country of Origin Labeling. I looked in a couple grocery stores in Virginia and saw no sign of […] Read more

Here’s a photo of the Virginia militia in training to fire on the British as they fight for independence back in 1776. I didn’t have the guts to raise my hand and say “hey, I have British roots”….bad enough I am a Canadian. This military display is part of the daily demonstrations in the old […] Read more