Belgian farmers angry about rising costs, EU environmental policies and cheap food imports blocked access roads to the Zeebrugge container port on Tuesday.
Belgian farmers block roads to Zeebrugge port as French protests spill over
Spanish farmers plan February protests as anger spreads across Europe
France drops plan to decrease farmers’ diesel discount
Protests to continue on unanswered questions says farming union
The French government dropped plans to gradually reduce state subsidies on agricultural diesel but that seems not enough for angry farmers surrounding Paris and still threatening to converge on the capital in their tractors.
French farmers block roads, dump produce as protest edges closer to Paris
Farming union handed French government a list of demands late Wednesday
French farmers blocked highways and dumped crates of imported produce on Thursday, demanding urgent action on low farmgate prices, green regulation and free-trade policies as swelling protests moved closer to Paris.
Canadian potato output rises in 2023
Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production
At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt.
Feds disburse funds on community food security projects
Since 2019 the Local Food Infrastructure Fund has committed $64.8 million to such projects
Wednesday, federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay announced up to $9.98 million in funding for community food projects through the fifth phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, an outworking of the Food Policy for Canada.
The rise of vertical farming
The development and future of vertical 'plant factories'
Reading Time: 7 minutes Broadly speaking, commercial vertical farming operations are humankind’s attempt to grow food under conditions more controllable than Mother Nature allows and with a minimum of wasted space. Many seem like sci-fi greenhouses: hydroponics, plants growing in stacks or up walls and high-tech sensor setups that seem straight out of the mind of Gene Roddenberry. And, […] Read more
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
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
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
At Agribition: Northern community integrates tech, education into market garden
Flying Dust working to improve operation's food distribution
Riverside Market Garden, operated by Flying Dust First Nation, started in 2009 with two people and an old alfalfa field. Today it employs about 20 people, plus summer students; provides food for the community and some wholesalers; and gives youth a chance to learn about agriculture. Over the years the First Nation, just north of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
