| Random thoughts from a not-so-random month |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
Since I can’t seem to keep my thoughts focused on just one topic these days, I reasoned the practical thing to do might be to offer up a few random notions that recently have caught my attention.
|
|
| Freedom to choose -and lose |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
|
There’s an ugly little scenario playing out alongside the Maple Leaf recall fallout. A recent Globe and Mail story leaked the fact that US authorities were pushing Canadian meat processors to implement stricter guidelines, including more frequent inspections by federal officials. What’s good for the US must be good for Canada, right?
|
|
| Maple Leaf Foods -from sickness to sadness |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
|
I’m not trying to be funny when I say this, but this incident with Maple Leaf Foods and listeria is making me sick.
|
|
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
Maybe I just expect too much from others.
Or maybe I’m just too hard-hearted when it comes to the mainstream
media, with all of their distorting of facts and pontificating at the
altar of sensational and meaningless headlines.
|
|
| Investing in land could become a cost – and a big one |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
A story we posted to our website on Aug. 11 addressed a subject that, on a fundamental level, is nothing new. Whether it involves foreign investment in Canadian farmland or a farmer selling it to an urban developer (from corn to condos?), it amounts to much the same thing: loss of control of farmland by those who know its true value.
|
|
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
‘Better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you’re a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt.’ Whether it was Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain who said it or wrote it, Preston Manning brought it to life with stunning clarity. Last week, in his column in the Globe and Mail, Mr. Manning opined that public policy should be enacted, rewarding farmers financially in recognition of their long-standing reputations as stewards of the land, and to further the cause of ‘green farming’. It’s a nice idea. Dumb, but nice.
|
|
| Tomatoes and a survival mentality |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
|
We have such great farmers in
Canada. So why is it that food scares like salmonella in tomatoes from
Texas or Mexico become such a huge issue?
|
|
| In the world today, the first may be lost |
|
Written by Ralph Pearce
|
|
May 26, 2008 - In this world, nothing is so simple as to be black and white. Take the agri-food industry for example. From where I sit, the accurate
picture of agriculture offered to those in urban centres like Toronto,
Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal has been long-obscured by a series of
issues that will never allow for a singular, one-stop shopping approach
to understanding and enlightenment.
|
|
|
|
