Columns

Communicate is defined by the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, as transmit or pass on information by speaking, writing, or other means . Such a simple definition for something that often turns out to be so complicated!

I haven t watched many James Bond movies lately but back when I did, a favourite plot line was about 007 saving the world from some megalomaniacal billionaire who wanted to run the world. Back then it seemed as far-fetched a fantasy as Bond s magical...

We share knowing glances and nods of understanding. No matter where I go in the world, there is a sense of kinship among the producers of food.

I remember with fondness my few months of interaction with the indigenous community of Northwestern Alberta in the mid-1980s, many of whom are members of the Dene Tha First Nation.
It s not that they were leading untroubled lives...

Marketing grain effectively is a big piece of the farm profitability puzzle. When we had sows, we fed all of the corn that we grew. Since that ended, we have gone through a continuous learning process about how to capture the most money from all the plann

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture s Producing Prosperity in Ontario policy, designed to draw the attention of the three main political parties in June s provincial election to the needs and potential of rural communities, is also a refreshing recognit

The Pigeon King returns to the Blyth Festival and raises questions about the self-proclaimed Pigeon King himself, Arlan Galbraith.
I m not alone in my curiousity. Thousands of farmers signed contracts with Pigeon King International (PKI) ...

Last year, on July 1, my wife and I took a break from our farm to mark Canada 150 Day. Increasingly conscious of Canada s shameful historical (and contemporary) treatment of Indigenous peoples, we decided to sidestep events focusing on the nation-buildi

Here s the ingredient list I used, Pinkie: 18 cups of handpicked gooseberries, the purple variety; seven cups of dark maple syrup; six cups of granulated sugar; and a generous tablespoon of cinnamon.

Everyone knows the stereotypical farmer strong, stoic, rarely discussing, or even having, feelings.

It was ironic that at about the time last month s Rural Voice was arriving in your mail box, containing my column arguing the need to remember the contributions of those who have built today s world, that we lost a prime example of that sort of leader.

Two men with clever words. Both left an impact. One singing on a stage, the other picking cigarette butts from a parking lot; both offering unexpected nuggets of wisdom.

This month I m addressing the dreaded b-word. It aggravates you and me both, so let s just talk about it. Ugh, even spelling it makes me frustrated: bureaucracy.

There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Kathleen Wynne s relationship with Ontario s agricultural community began in ignorance and reckless self-assurance in February 2013.

We may not know what the best solutions are, and we can get caught up in arguments over the long-term effect of many government initiatives but if we start the conversation with the idea that no one wants to see their neighbours or their neighbours

On February 19 we ll mark the 10th anniversary of getting our official holiday in mid-winter, now known as Family Day.

There s a lack of butter and an abundance of skim milk in the market nationally and internationally. Breakfast trends have much to do with it.
It used to be that kids would grab a bowl, shake in a sugary cereal and flood this quick breakfast with homoge

By Lisa B. Pot
A plate filled with mashed potatoes and roast beef in one hand, dessert in the other, I looked at the full tables in front of me, wondering where to sit.
A kindly fellow, casually dressed in a sweatshirt and workpants, pulled out a chair.

By Kate Procter
Food can be an emotional topic for most people, whether they admit it or not. It s not just about what nourishes and sustains us physically, food also plays a role in community and family, it is the glue that holds us together. It is...

By Keith Roulston
A recent issue of Canadian Business magazine featured 30 big ideas and hot trends as opportun-ities for 2015. The good news for food producers is two of them involved food production. The bad news is that it s the kind of food...

The gang at Mabel s sit around talking about the dangers of sitting
The world s problems are solved daily round the table at Mabel s Grill.
Thanks, you saved my life, said Cliff Murray the other day when Molly Whiteside delivered his coffee at the...

By Lisa B. Pot
You can t go wrong taking pictures of a Jersey calf. Doe eyes, delicate features, fawn-coloured hide and all the ah factor baby animals elicit in humans.
But if you are a vegan on a mission to turn consumers off meat, such pictures are...

By Kate Procter
We are living in the information age. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2004) defines that as: the current historical period, characterized by the capacity to store, retrieve, and transmit large volumes of information using computer...

By Keith Roulston
Did you vote in the municipal election last fall? Odds are you didn t, given that many municipalities patted themselves on the back if they managed to attract more than 40 per cent of possible voters to cast a ballot, despite going...