Burger King’s soy- and potato-based Impossible Whopper entered the Ontario market effective March 22, 2021. (CNW Group/Burger King)

Burger King rolls out plant-based Impossible Burger in Canada

Nationwide launch of soy- and potato-based burger set for mid-April

The Canadian arm of quick-service chain Burger King has made its move into the Canadian plant-based burger market, working with U.S. processor Impossible Foods. Burger King, a U.S.-headquartered brand of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International (RBI) since 2014, said Monday it becomes “the first quick-service restaurant in Canada to put the award-winning, plant-based Impossible Foods patty […] Read more

AFSC CEO Darryl Kay announced a 20 per cent cut in farmers’ AgriInsurance premiums for the 2021 crop year on Jan. 25. (AFSC video screengrab via YouTube)

Alberta crop insurer taps reserve to cut premiums

AFSC to pare premiums by 20 per cent

The reserve at Alberta’s Crown crop insurance agency will be tapped to offset the premiums charged to farmers for the 2021 crop year, and possibly for longer. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) said Monday its farmer customers will get a 20 per cent discount on crop insurance premiums this year — which on […] Read more


It is fair to say that the commercial banana trade is a monoculture that is highly vulnerable to disease.

Schoepp: The plight of the banana has implications for all of agriculture

Overreliance on chemical control has brought this hugely important global crop to a crisis point

Reading Time: 3 minutes Regardless of the season there are some foods that are always available and one of them is the banana. It’s an interesting fruit because of the dominance it has in terms of trade and its unique characteristic of being a non-seed-bearing clone. Most bananas come from Ecuador, Philippines, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia and another 125 […] Read more

Grain groups post new videos

Grain groups post new videos

Chops and Crops along with Alberta Barley’s AGM available on YouTube

Reading Time: < 1 minute With in-person conferences cancelled, Alberta’s wheat and barley commissions have posted several new videos on their YouTube channel. One is a virtual version of the annual ‘Chops and Crops’ roundtable, in which reps from nine commodity commissions (canola, wheat, barley, pulses, potatoes, oats, sugar beet, pork and beekeepers) discuss policy issues with Agriculture Minister Devin […] Read more


The gardening craze even extended to apartment dwellers who grew salad greens in hanging baskets and potatoes and carrots in pots, said Shelley Batdorf (pictured with husband Roy) of Pots ’n’ Pansies Greenhouses and Garden Centre.

COVID-19 pandemic produces a bumper crop of novice gardeners

Whether it was growing their own food or beautifying the yard, gardening was hot in 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes Greenhouses, garden centres and nurseries experienced a year like no other in 2020 as first-time gardeners took up trowels and hoes in unprecedented numbers. “Even if people had never planted before, they wanted to grow a garden,” said Tammy Meinecke, manager of Dunvegan Gardens in Grande Prairie. “Everybody was out planting seeds and trying to […] Read more

Poutine is considered by many a delectable dish on its own, but how will it fly in a pie?  Photo: iStock/Getty Images Plus

Would you eat a poutine in a pie this holiday season?

The Conversation – I recently saw a culinary invention that made me think about “tourtine.” The dish, as its name suggests, is a hybrid of tourtière and poutine. Poutine cheese curds and sauce are added to the tourtière’s pie filling, along with festive ingredients such as shredded meat and the inevitable foie gras. The tourtine […] Read more


File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking to media in Winnipeg in March 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Bibeau says government committed to federal plant breeding

Seed royalty consultations stalled

The Canadian government is committed to plant breeding, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told members of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation on Tuesday. Some farmers and seed industry officials suspect Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) variety development work, along with many other programs, will be on the chopping block post-COVID-19 as the government tackles its […] Read more

An ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Russia.

Fall fertilizer prices offer more good news for Prairie growers

Prices for urea, phosphate and anhydrous ammonia are all at the lower end of their normal range

Prices for urea, phosphate and anhydrous ammonia are all at the lower end of their normal range

Reading Time: 4 minutes Fertilizer prices have seen some ups and downs over the past six months, but the situation heading into winter looks favourable. “When we look at the overall input markets so far in 2020, we see that they’ve kind of eased up. For producers right now, that’s a pretty good spot to be in,” said Craig […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

FCC identifies export, market opportunities for Canadian food

The ag lender's latest report highlights canola oil, pork, potato products, crab meat

Canada is already a major exporter of agricultural goods, food and beverages — but increasing food and beverage exports is still one of Canada’s biggest trade opportunities, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) says. And by diversifying exports, farmers will become less dependent on current major markets, reducing their financial risk. “When borders close for any number […] Read more

File photo of a Prince Edward Island potato field. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)

P.E.I. seed potato growers backed for lost sales, costs

Pandemic compensation plan to take applications until mid-January

Seed potato growers on Prince Edward Island who lost sales this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or have had to store or throw out stock, can soon apply for provincial compensation. The provincial government on Monday announced $1.19 million for a new Seed Potato Recovery Program, for seed growers “who can demonstrate that they […] Read more