Author: Owen Roberts

Farmers will soon be gearing up for planting, and it’s one of their busiest, most stressful seasons…especially this year, when input costs are so high and world grain harvests are forecast to be low. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is an important reminder each year to take time and take care. Image: casa-acsa.ca

Diminished planting in Ukraine’s normally productive grain and oilseed fields is inevitable, yet one more consequence of the barbaric Russian invasion. The pressure on the rest of the world’s producers to make up for the shortfall – and take advantage of sky high pieces – could have a significant ripple effect, if some impetus exists to bringing marginal land into production. That possibility is already being discussed. Photo: kyivpost.com

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have more consequences worldwide when Ukrainian farmers are unable to plant their fields in the next few weeks. As the breadbasket of Europe, the country is the world’s fourth leading of exporter of agricultural products, particularly wheat, corn and barley. Without Ukraine’s harvest, there will be significantly less grain available on world markets and one more reason that food prices will continue to climb. Image: modern farmer.com

The North American tourism industry is roaring back, and that will undoubtedly include trips to agritourism destinations. Farms can provide a unique, bucolic experience and up-close encounters with crops and livestock, but farming is also a business. Faced with labour shortages and potential issues of liability, farm hosts are working hard to address these challenges so they can once again welcome visitors to “come on in”. Photo: onregionalecdev.com

No matter what you thought about the truckers’ border blockades, everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they ended peacefully. Farmers, like so many others, were suffering. Their crops and livestock have to make it to market safety and on time. Curiously, it took an offer of help from the American president to finally spur Ontario and Canadian governments into action. Photo: reuters.com