Reading Time: 3 minutes As hemp production jumps across the Prairies, more first-time producers are being drawn to the crop, prompting an Alberta college to offer a course in how to grow it. NorQuest College offers two courses, one on hemp production and another on processing and products. The Edmonton community college aims to equip continuing education students with […] Read more
Alberta college courses offer hemp agronomy 101
NorQuest College of Edmonton hopes to provide new growers with information on the crop
UN flags need to reduce meat consumption to curb land use impact on global warming
London/Geneva | Reuters — Global meat consumption must fall to curb global warming, reduce growing strains on land and water and improve food security, health and biodiversity, a United Nations report on the effects of climate change concluded. Although the report stopped short of explicitly advocating going meat-free, it called for big changes to farming […] Read more
Ag ministers aim for AgriStability upgrades for 2020
Coming out of their meeting in Quebec City, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ministers for agriculture say they plan to meet again before year’s end to see about improving the AgriStability program for 2020. In a statement Friday, the ministers said they discussed “adjustments that could improve existing (business risk management) programs to address the […] Read more
Protein supercluster backs Calgary oilseed processor
Industry will match PIC's $4 million
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Calgary company that has developed a unique way to process oil from canola, hemp, sunflower, and safflower seeds is the first recipient of funding from a protein ‘supercluster.’ Protein Industries Canada, one of five federally backed research and innovation superclusters, is putting in $4 million to commercialize plant protein processing technology developed by Botaneco […] Read more
Ontario’s slow rollout of weed outlets could help black market
Toronto | Reuters — Ontario has blamed a shortage of legal cannabis from the federal government for its slow rollout of retail outlets, a claim dismissed by the federal government and regulatory bodies from other provinces, raising prospects the black market for weed may thrive longer in Canada’s most populous province. Canada became the first […] Read more
Alberta extends deadline again for farm trucker training
Alberta farmers who want the Class 1 license needed to drive commercial-scale tractor trailers but haven’t yet met the new training requirements can now apply for another extension to do so. The provincial transportation department on Friday announced further extensions are now available for farmers and farm workers seeking Class 1 licenses and for school […] Read more
Weed leader Canopy Growth ousts co-CEO
Corrected, Aug. 27, 2019 — Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp. fired founder and co-CEO Bruce Linton, a surprise move that comes just a week after the Canadian cannabis producer’s largest shareholder expressed disappointment over its loss-making streak. The world’s largest pot company announced earlier in the day that Linton was stepping down, leaving Mark Zekulin […] Read more
Former Ontario Tory ag critic returns to file as assistant
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has added a second veteran MPP to assist Ag Minister Ernie Hardeman with the agriculture, food and rural affairs portfolio. Ford on Wednesday named Toby Barrett as parliamentary assistant to the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, with responsibility for agriculture and food. Randy Pettapiece, who since June last year […] Read more
Supercluster backs oilseed protein joint venture
A project to extract new high-protein ingredients from canola, hemp and other such crops for use in the food, feed and aquaculture markets will be the first to get funding from Canada’s plant protein supercluster. Protein Industries Canada (PIC), set up last year as one of five federally-backed research and innovation superclusters, announced Wednesday it […] Read more
Farm labour shortage seen costing billions, expected to rise
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s farm labour deficit is expected to double by 2029 to 123,000 workers, or one in three jobs, as shortages continue to hit the sector’s bottom line, the Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council said on Tuesday. Farmers in Canada have long reported challenges in recruiting farm workers because the rural-based work […] Read more
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