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An earlier post by Kelly talked about the changes in Slovak agriculture since the end of Communism almost 20 years ago. While many things have been positive, things don’t seem to be entirely rosy in the world of Slovak agriculture.
Several farmers and farm managers that we’ve met on our journey so far have talked to us about a general decrease in agriculture in Slovakia since 1989. Much of that has to do with strengthening efficiencies, boosting production and evolving to a free market system from the old style of collective farming run by the state.
Continue reading The grass isn’t always greener There’s a great series on the farm to fork journey of food currently running in the Kitchener Record. It’s a well-written, thoroughly researched set of articles that so far has covered produce, egg farming and pork production. Reporter Luisa D’amato is going to great lengths to immerse herself in modern agriculture to follow our food from the [...] Meeting the needs of a finicky consumer is hard – but essential for success in the evolving global marketplace. And it’s something farmers need to start committing to, according to a popular agricultural economist from Kansas State University. “We need to understand consumer needs and how ungrateful they are,” said Dr. Vincent Amanour-Boadu as he addressed livestock farmers at the recent Making tough decisions in tough times conference in London ON. “And we’ve talked about this long enough – now we need to start committing to success.”
Continue reading Meeting finicky consumers’ demands If producers don’t survive, the rest of the industry won’t either. That’s the blunt message Canadian Pork Council president Clare Schlegel is hoping the government will hear loud and clear. The Canadian livestock industry has been battling an economic crisis since last summer, when Canada’s high-flying currency helped sink cattle and hog prices and drive up feed costs.
Continue reading Our producers must survive Farming is a tough business. I’ve been around agriculture all my life and it seems as though one sector or another is always hurting. Right now, grains and oilseeds (crops grown for their oil such as soybeans, canola, sunflowers etc) farmers are enjoying record high demand for their crops – and the high prices to go along with that. By comparison, livestock farmers are struggling to make ends meet as the high crop prices have driven up the cost of feed. There are other problems plaguing the livestock sector too, but the rapidly sky-rocketing feed prices are certainly a contributing cause.
Continue reading Agriculture’s struggle A simple and relatively low cost Danish procedure may help Ontario pork producers in their fight against a devastating disease – Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).PRRS has been a challenge in Ontario’s hog industry since the early 90′s when it was still called mystery swine disease. In 2004, new and more virulent PRRS strains [...] An eye-catching black and white calendar aimed at changing people’s vision of what a farmer is was unveiled at a launch event in Guelph ON last night. The 2008 Faces of Farming calendar features 19 farmers from across Ontario who grow everything from pork, milk, veal, fruits and vegetables, trees, eggs, chicken, soybeans, beef and turkey. [...] | |
