“I think that indoor ag provides that kind of efficiency for land and space and just even opportunity.” – Jay Steeves.

Olds College to pioneer cutting-edge indoor ag training

New controlled agriculture program caters to a burgeoning sector

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you only had two or three seconds to describe controlled environment agriculture, “high tech greenhouses” would probably suffice. But it’s much more than that, said a developer of a new program at Olds College, and the college hopes to be a pioneer in training the workforce needed to increase food production efficiency. “We put […] Read more



A new report says Canada has low emissions for pork and beef production.

Report showcases animal agriculture

Livestock contributes to the overall health of the country, says institute

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A new report for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute seeks to educate policymakers about the impact of animal agriculture on economic, social and environmental levels. The Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis report delves into the issues surrounding cattle, dairy and poultry production in the country and how they are […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Canadian food inflation to slow through 2024, report says

More certainty has brought an uptick in grocer promotions, but consumers are struggling

Canadian food prices are expected to rise between 2.5 and 4.5 per cent in 2024, according to a new report. “It is probable that Canadians will continue to experience the strain of food inflation compounded by increasing costs of housing, energy and various other expenditures,” according to Canada’s Food Price Report 2024.


‘It’s unlikely that anyone with a cursory understanding of basic economics would seriously deride the investment of a few bucks into research for the canola sector today, but in the early years, it wasn’t a sure bet.’ – Gord Gilmour.

Opinion: Setting research priorities a complex puzzle

Could the canola story happen today in an era of ‘research clusters’?

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – It’s often observed that from tiny acorns, mighty oaks grow. Nowhere in the western Canadian agriculture scene is this truer than in the canola sector. When one pauses to reflect, one can only marvel at what has happened. A relatively obscure crop, grown largely as a machine lubricant, was transformed into one […] Read more

Opinion: I grew this food for you …

Opinion: I grew this food for you …

Limiting waste respects the efforts of farmers and helps limit food insecurity

Reading Time: 3 minutes As the sun set and the dust lingered over the freshly harvested fields, I gave thanks for the abundance. Walking through the orchard with the sweet smell of ripening fruit and the warmth deep on my back, I gave thanks for the diversity. Picking my way home, the sidewalk strewn with chestnuts and hazelnuts, I […] Read more


Most of the current concern Canadians have about food involves cost.

Is the foundation cracking on public trust?

Canadians trust farmers, but lack of farm knowledge can open chinks in that armour

Reading Time: 6 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Rising food prices have been drawing the ire of the Canadian public, but the bulk of that frustration and anger is not directed at farmers. Not yet, at least. While food retailers are viewed unfavourably, according to the latest consumer trust survey results from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, farmers remain […] Read more

Andrea Borodenko and Antoine Casimir have acquired Quebec’s Production Lareault.(CNW Group/Production Lareault)

Major strawberry plant producer changes hands

New owners get funding to buy Lareault business

The Quebec company billed as Canada’s largest producer of strawberry plants has picked up new ownership after nearly 70 years. Production Lareault, based on just over 450 acres at Lavaltrie, Que. — about 40 km northeast of Montreal, in the province’s Lanaudiere region — has been acquired by investors Antoine Casimir and Andrea Borodenko for […] Read more


(Screengrab from Merit Functional Foods video via YouTube)

Merit Foods pays off operating lender, no deal yet for plant

Plant-based protein processor in receivership since March

A Winnipeg pea and canola protein processor in receivership since this spring remains mothballed for now with no firm buyer — but has paid off one of its three secured creditors. Merit Functional Foods, which entered receivership March 1 after just two years’ operation, has sold all its remaining finished and raw inventory and directed […] Read more

According to a recent Farm Credit Canada report, food service sales in 2023 are back to pre-pandemic levels but below the pre-pandemic trend in most cases.

Alberta leads national foodservice recovery

Wild rose province sees largest spike in sales in national survey

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta leads the country when it comes to increases in food service sales, with 7.3 per cent growth, according to a recent report from Farm Credit Canada. The report states that sales in 2023 are back to pre-pandemic levels but below the pre-pandemic trend in most cases. Alberta is followed by Ontario at 5.3 per […] Read more