Hursh Comment

If you wade through published statistics on farm income levels, it’s clear that farm families no longer take a backseat to the general population. Not long ago, even with adding off-farm income to farming income, the total lagged the family income levels of the general population. Not so any more. On average, farm families are …

“How are you doing?” old acquaintances will ask. My standard reply has become, “Old, grey, fat, lazy. Did I mention old? Can’t remember.” “Still farming?” they ask. When I confirm that indeed I still am, their next question, whether verbalized or not is often about when retirement will occur. I don’t feel that old, but …

As the woke wave continues to gain momentum, some worry it will have a tsunami impact on agriculture. The fears have merit. The most blatant example is European farm policy mandating less fertilizer, fewer crop protection products and more organic production. The measures are particularly severe in the Netherlands where agriculture is in a downward …

In it’s January 20th Outlook for Principal Field Crops, the market analysis group of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada includes seeded acreage projections for the growing season ahead. Many of the projections seem plausible, with some notable exceptions. All wheat, excluding durum, is expected to see a 4 per cent acreage increase, which seems reasonable given …

Have you ever heard of Konstantin Kisin? I hadn’t until a saw his short, but brilliant speech on social media. The topic: woke culture has gone too far. Look it up. It’s really entertaining. Kisin is described as a satirist, author and political commentator. As someone often billed as a comedian, you might assume he …

As farmers, an array of concerns might keep us awake on any particular night, but one fundamental issue bedevils many farms on an ongoing basis without any easy answers – access to farmland. Regarding when and how to market your grain, there’s no shortage of advice even though it can often be contradictory. The same …

The federal government has released a discussion document for the development of a sustainable agriculture strategy. Wading through all the buzzwords and motherhood statements is rather tedious, but the document does provide some insight into government thinking and how future programs are likely to unfold. Let’s start with some positives, some praiseworthy statements amidst all …

Listening to farmers from across the country, you hear a wide range of strategies for dealing with the farm labour shortage. While organizations led by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council have long been chronicling the shortage and working on big picture solutions, farmers have had to find their own answers. In many cases, additional …

The rapid rise in interest rates over the past year has wider ramifications than just the cost of borrowing money. Many farm management considerations are now in play. I don’t claim to be an economist and I’m certainly not an accountant, but here are some musings based on dirt farmer arithmetic. As you prepare crop …

Participation in farm organizations reminds me of the country music song titled “My give a damn’s busted.” As farmers, we have no shortage of opinions, but there’s a definite shortage of giving a damn about the organizations that represent us. In the recent director elections for Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, five directors were vying for three …

While my natural inclination is to rail against the most recent trade deal compensation being paid to the dairy and poultry sectors, after a bit of sober second thought, I revert to the old axiom, “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks.” Compensation for anticipated loss of market share was promised to supply-managed farms by …

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most sustainable and virtuous of us all? The different sectors within agriculture each like to promote their sustainability, even if no one can accurately define what exactly it means. Since agriculture is a target for greenhouse gas reductions, each sector wants to win the public perception battle. …