Stewart Skinner's Page

Food-culture extremes reverberate back to farm

The absurdity of our civilization’s extreme relationship with food hit me like a runaway snowboard the other night while watching the Ozempic Olympics in between commercials advertising pizza and french fries. The relentless marketing, alternately promoting weight-loss support and foods that lean towards making us fat, isn’t aimed at the elite winter athletes strutting their stuff on the world stage in Italy. It’s a safe bet they didn’t achieve the peak of human fitness on a diet of pizza and french fries. It’s equally doubtful they require injections of the GLP-1 class of drugs to help manage their weight. These athletes deserve our admiration and respect, but to be fair to the rest of us, most working stiffs don’t have the time, drive or resources to devote full-time to the pursuit of extreme fitness. No, those commercials are aimed at the couch potatoes back home, subjecting us to both temptation and a shortcut to redemption as we bear witness to these feats of human endurance.

Nutrien sees potash demand growing again this year after record harvest

Nutrien Ltd. is expecting strong fundamentals for agricultural commodities to help its business this year.  Mark Thompson, Nutrien’s chief financial officer, said demand for potash is expected to grow in 2026 for the fourth consecutive year.  “We’ve seen good engagement across all major markets, with most benchmark prices approximately 20 per cent higher compared to 12 months ago. We anticipate relatively tight fundamentals through 2026, as trend line demand growth is testing existing global operating and supply chain capabilities,” he said on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday.  Nutrien said it expects potash sales volumes to come in between 14.1 million tonnes and 14.8 million tonnes this year. Meanwhile, Thompson said nitrogen markets are seeing issues with tight supply while demand is poised to grow amid rising usage in Asian and Latin American markets.    The company expects nitrogen sales volumes to come in between 9.2 and 9.7 million tonnes in 2026.  Th

Top 6 Calf Management Resources for Beef Producers this Calving Season

As the calving season approaches, beef cattle producers are preparing to give newborn calves the best possible start to life. From managing difficult births to ensuring adequate colostrum intake, early intervention and proven management practices can make a big difference in calf health, survival and long-term productivity. Here are six of the most valuable BCRC calf management resources to use this calving season: #1: Be Prepared To Assist with a Difficult Calving Calving is one of the most critical times in any operation. Problems during birth can affect both calf survival and future cow fertility. Difficult births (dystocia) may occur when a calf: Presents backwards Has a leg turned back Is too large to pass easily The BCRC’s calving intervention video outlines step-by-step guidance, including: When and how to assist during calving Proper hygiene practices How to assess calf positioning and viability How to use calving chains correctly Use the BCRC’s calving decision tree for g

Bayer Launches New Product to Help Farmers Profit from the Low-Carbon Fuel Economy

Bayer’s newgold® seed gives farmers an opportunity to grow low-carbon crops and tap into the expanding biofuel economy without disrupting their current operations.

Avoid De-Registered Varieties to Safeguard International Canola Trade

Farmers are urged to grow only registered canola varieties, avoid no-grow lists, and protect export quality to maintain strong global markets and reduce production risks.