Hi, my name’s Dave and I’m a Cheerios consumer. So I’ve got to admit, any news article that name-drops Cheerios grabs my attention much more effectively than an article mentioning, say, Taylor Swift. (I’ll stop here briefly as a public service to warn that if you somehow happened on this article by accident, that last […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: The customer is always right
Editor’s Rant: Planning for failure
Since this issue of Grainews is supposed to be on the press in two hours or less, there’s a good chance this week that I’ll either be very brief in this space, or not nearly brief enough. I really loathe leaving things like this to the last minute, but this past week didn’t work out […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: All hail Skynet
Well, folks, my longtime colleague Lee Hart has done something even more impressive than usual over on page 14. Over the years I’ve read articles and columns in this paper that have left me concerned for farmers, concerned for their crops and livestock, concerned for my RRSPs and concerned for the economy, but his article […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: Playing the long game
I think I’ve recently alarmed a few people who know me, as I’ve taken a much greater interest in watching hockey on TV. It surprises me too. I moved to Winnipeg not long before the previous iteration of the Jets bolted for Arizona, which left me even more soured on most pro sports. (After the […] Read more
Native insect acquires taste for soy
What's now called the soybean tentiform leafminer is moving north
A tiny North American moth species that has been seen in Canada has been developing a new appetite for soybean plants on the U.S. Plains. The species, Macrosaccus morrisella — now officially named the soybean tentiform leafminer — was detected feeding on soybean crops in eastern Minnesota in 2021 and has since taken its newfound […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: Yeah, write
In the weeks since I’ve been back at the Grainews desk I’ve had a few people inquire whether we’re looking for material. Answer: yes. Always were. Always are. You’ve probably noticed over the last few years we don’t lead with the phrase “Written by farmers, for farmers” anymore. That’s not to imply farmers somehow all […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: A process story
Editor’s note, Jan. 30, 2024: This item was written and went to press before Bill C-234 came back up for discussion in the House of Commons on Jan. 29, in consideration of the Senate’s amendments. Some decades ago my grandmother and I were having a conversation about what I hoped to do in life. If […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: In good company
So for weeks I’d been planning to fill this space with a tirade about last month’s cynical-yet-predictable developments in Ottawa on Bill C-234, but when Linamar went public with its plan to buy Bourgault Industries I got distracted by developments closer to home, so to speak. In case you missed the news shortly before Christmas, […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: The cure for success
If I were asked to choose a favourite old adage about farming, I’d make up any excuse to avoid doing so. If pressed further, I’d offer up a classic such as “The cure for high prices is high prices.” As adages go, that one has it all: a caution to make hay while the sun […] Read more
Editor’s Column: Live and learn, it beats the alternative
Here’s the thing: I knew I wanted this column to be about learning, but after sitting here staring for far too long at the screen, blank except for that title and my name — pausing only to fall down a search rabbit hole about the origin of the word “poseur” — I figured I’d better […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
