Author: Barry Senft

April 2016 - IN MID-FEBRUARY, the Manitoba Co-operator published an article about increasing collaboration between organizations and the issue of checkoff fee fatigue across the province. In this piece, the column pointed to Grain Farmers of Ontario as…

March 2016 - I WAS TRAVELLING across the province to the annual district grain committee meetings when the Environmental Commissioner released comments on coloured diesel. For those who aren’t aware of this issue, in mid-January, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner,…

February 2016 - WITH SO MANY pressing issues in grain farming, the emphasis for the industry has been on topics outside of safety nets, like trade and technology. While these are significant areas that continue to demand attention,…

January 2016 - IN NOVEMBER, MONTREAL made international news when city officials decided to let eight billion litres of raw sewage spill into the St. Lawrence River in order to make repairs to the city’s sewer infrastructure. There…

December 2015 - OCTOBER SAW THE election of a new federal government led by Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada. His promise of ‘real change’ resonated with voters looking for something different after nearly 10 years…

November 2015 - FARMERS HAVE AN innovative spirit which favours the adoption of new technology. Over the past few decades we have embraced the use of GPS and auto steer in our tractors, advanced application techniques which allow…

October 2015 - ONTARIO AGRICULTURE IS unique — we’re not Western Canada. That might seem like an obvious statement to an Ontario farmer, but it’s a message worth delivering, and repeating, to those seeking election in this month’s…

August 2015 - ONTARIO HAS A major impact on which party will form the federal government for the next four years. That means every vote will count during the election scheduled for this October. I encourage all of…

June 2015 - IT’S BECOMING INCREASINGLY apparent that the Wynne government is only paying lip-service to our legislative processes. How else could regulatory changes get implemented so quickly? Governments are known for moving slowly; consultants are hired, studies…

April 2015 - A COMPROMISE IS defined as the settlement of differences reached by each side making concessions. This is an important definition to remember when you are trying to resolve a sensitive issue that is heightened by…