Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s little doubt that canola is a powerhouse crop. Nationwide, it covered nearly 22.1 million acres last year, more than 99 per cent of it on the Prairies. The Canola Council of Canada puts its economic contribution at nearly $30 billion a year. A University of Alberta researcher, backed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering […] Read more
Building a better canola with broccoli
Traits from related species may punch up canola diversity
Alberta program offers cost of production benchmarks
AgriProfits designed to help farmers optimize costs with relevant provincial data
Reading Time: 3 minutes You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is a refrain among agricultural producers of all stripes, and the right measurement tools usually come in the form of benchmarks. However, there’s a shortage of benchmarks that specifically measure cost of production, so the provincial agriculture department has developed a program exclusively for Alberta farmers. It’s called […] 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
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
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.
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
Local food system would reap big economic benefits researcher says
B.C. researchers found that the Okanagan could produce two thirds of its own food while maintaining exports
Assuming an average Canadian diet, the Okanagan can currently produce 88 per cent of its dairy needs, Mullinix and colleagues wrote in a report on the study. It can produce 60 per cent of its poultry needs, 34 per cent of its fruit needs (due to fruits eaten that can’t be grown in the region, or are eaten out of season), and small amounts of other food groups like grains, red meat, eggs and oils.
Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes
Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted
The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022.
Wine sector support program extended
Program must continue to help Canadian wineries compete with imports, sector says
A program that pays grants to Canadian wineries to help them adapt to industry and competitiveness challenges has been extended to 2027, the federal government announced today.
No silver bullet for food price inflation
The causes might not be what you think they are, one food academic says
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian food price inflation has many causes, but grocers gouging customers isn’t one of them, Michael von Massow of the University of Guelph said during the December Fields on Wheels conference hosted by the University of Manitoba. Even the carbon tax hasn’t had much impact, according to the associate professor of food […] Read more
Protesting Indian farmers burn effigies of Modi and other ministers
Farmers paused their march Wednesday after the death of a demonstrator--blamed on police aggression
Shambu, India | Reuters -- Indian farmers demanding higher prices for their crops burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers on Friday as they sought to expand their protest against his government months before elections.
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