Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: June 4, 2024] Alberta researchers are harnessing a high-tech concept to decontaminate grain. The researchers are using cold plasma, which in this case was created by electrical discharge at atmospheric pressure. One of the most common uses is in florescent lighting, which creates light with little heat. Cold plasma is the fourth state of matter, […] Read more
Plasma shows promise in grain decontamination
The fourth state of matter (in its cold form) could be coming to a malt house or feedlot near you
European farmers have not embraced green policies
International trade observer points out complex relationship between the EU and its national governments and producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The push for more sustainable agriculture policies in Europe is accentuating the complex relationship between member states and the European Commission, said a trade expert based in Brussels. Christina Kaul from Trade-Up, a network of international trade experts, said North Americans might view the EU as one big block but there is […] Read more
Agri-processing incentive lands first big fish
New tax credit program takes off with potato processor’s expansion plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta government’s new tax credit has found its first buyer one year after the program was announced. The Little Potato Company (TLPC) just opened its doors on a new $40 million processing plant in Nisku, south of Edmonton, the location of its initial plant. The tipping point appears to have been the government’s Agri-Processing […] Read more
Food and beverage sales to fall in 2024; processor margins to improve
Stabilizing or declining input prices working their way through the supply chain, FCC says
Farm Credit Canada is predicting Canadian food and beverage sales will fall slightly this year as consumers manage tight budgets. Gross margins, however, should increase as the effects of falling commodity prices work their way through the supply chain, the farm lender said in an April 9 news release.
Nearly 55 million people face hunger in West and Central Africa
Soaring prices have helped fuel a food crisis in West and Central Africa, where nearly 55 million people will struggle to feed themselves in the coming months, U.N. humanitarian agencies warned on Friday.
Organic group send petition to federal government
Feds asked to establish policies and programs to help organic producers meet consumer demand, create sustainable food systems
The petition says that Canadian consumers are driving strong demand for organic food, and asks the federal government to establish policies and programs to “encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic to meet the market opportunity,” and to “meaningfully recognize and incentivize sustainable resilient food systems, such as organic, across all departments that relate to Canadian food policy.”
Feds fund agriculture and food processing robotics projects
The federal government pledged up to $5 million in funding for agriculture and food-processing robotics on Friday in hopes of addressing ongoing workforce challenges.
EU provisionally agrees to Ukraine farm import curbs
The European Union provisionally agreed on Monday to restrictions on Ukrainian food imports, which some EU members say have destabilized the bloc's agricultural markets.
World food prices rebound from three-year low, says UN agency
World food prices rebounded in March from a three-year low, boosted by increases in vegetable oils, meat and dairy products, according to the United Nations food agency's latest price index.
Can high water use affect consumer food choices?
Not yet, but ag should be prepared if it someday does, says Alberta agricultural economist
Reading Time: 4 minutes The agriculture industry in Alberta uses a lot of water. According to provincial licence data interpreted by CBC, Albertans can expect 68 per cent of all water allocations in 2024 to be dedicated to agriculture; far ahead of industrial (22 per cent) and municipal (seven per cent) categories. For the time being, Alberta consumers seem […] Read more
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