2020

2020 Winner (22 – 30)
Paul Beingessner Award Essay Competition National Farmers Union By: Rebecca MacInnis (Age 26) It’s no surprise that agriculture, like many things in our colonial nation, was built on the backs and without the recognition of Black and Indigenous people. From the theft and disregard of Indigenous lands and practices to the blatant exploitation of Black

2020 Winner (15 – 21)
Courtney Nell, age 17, lives on a mixed farm near Francis, Saskatchewan. She raises chickens for eggs and helps on the farm in the shop and driving equipment. Courtney plans on going to the University of Saskatchewan for Soil Science next year. She enjoys farming and hopes to one day farm on her own or with

Concentration Matters: Farmland Inequality on the Prairies
On the Canadian Prairies, small and medium-sized family farms are often portrayed as the primary food production units. Yet, the reality of farming in Western Canada is quite different. In fact, a small and declining number of farms are operating the lion’s share of Prairie farmland and capturing the lion’s share of farm revenue and

Union Farmer Quarterly: Fall 2020
In this issue … Part 1 Messages from the Editorial Committee, NFU President Katie Ward (bilingual), Women’s President Coral Sproule and Regional Reports Articles: Part 2 National Convention information The winds of change are blowing harder: COVID-19 update on peasants, rural workers and other marginalized groups Is Gene Editing the End of GMOs? —by Lucy Sharratt

Union Farmer Newsletter: October 2020
Articles in this issue: Seed Canada vote signals farmers can’t be taken for granted; Hairy canola— a big deal!; Solving climate crisis key to saving family farms: NFU has lead role in both struggles; More local, regional abattoir capacity needed; Alberta changes legislation to allow more on-farm slaughtering

Union Farmer Quarterly: Summer 2020
In this issue … Messages from the Editorial Committee, NFU President Katie Ward (bilingual), Women’s President Coral Sproule and Regional Reports Articles: Catching up with Martha Robbins, new (returning) International Program Coordinator and Darrin Qualman who joins NFU to work on climate change and ag NFU National and Regional Conventions amid COVID-19 (bilingual) The NFU’s work during COVID-19

Union Farmers Newsletter: July 2020
Inside this issue … Envisioning a Post-Pandemic Agriculture and Food System: A sustainable and just food system for Canada as proposed by the National Farmers Union to mitigate and prevent multiple cascading crises and provide the foundation of a good life. 2019 Farm Revenue and Expense Data: Farm income not as “high” as first appears,

Union Farmer Quarterly: Spring 2020
In this issue: Messages from the Editorial Advisory Committee, President Katie Ward, Youth President Stuart Oke; Regional Coordinators NEW MEMBERSHIP TYPE: What the Farming Unit means and why it was adopted NOUVEAU TYPE D’ADHÉSION: L’unité agricole : définition et motifs de l’adoption Articles: Knowing the borders of Canada’s Food System — by Bryan Dale, Carla

Union Farmer Newsletter: April 2020
Inside this issue … Public consultation on Canada Grain Act planned – A public review of the Canada Grain Act is planned from April 1 to June 1, 2020. The consultation will deal with broad areas of policy and vision, with details to be developed in 2020-21 based on stakeholder feedback. Seed lobby sets up pilot

Frontline Farmers
How the National Farmers Union Resists Agribusiness and Creates Our New Food Future Edited by Annette Aurélie Desmarais Who grows the food we eat? How important is it that family farms are viable in Canada today and in the future? How do viable family farms help determine the safety, diversity and sustainability of Canada’s food systems?