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
At Agribition: Northern community integrates tech, education into market garden
Flying Dust working to improve operation's food distribution
Agritechnica update: Give a big shock to weeds
Farmers are being pushed to find an alternative to desiccants to burn down crops, as companies are increasingly leery of herbicides approved close to harvest. People have been shocking weeds with electricity for 100 years, but the return on the electricity invested and the technology required to do so safely haven’t always worked. Crop.zone is […] Read more
Alberta potato sector thrives
Alberta spud growers produced more than those in Prince Edward Island in 2022 and more records are expected this year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Look out, Prince Edward Island. There’s a new leader in Canadian potato production. In 2022, Alberta was number one in the country in production tonnage. Farmers grew almost 27 million hundredweight, or 21.8 per cent of Canadian potatoes, beating the island by 0.2 per cent, according to StatCan. Producers may have had even more truckloads […] Read more
Ukraine: The second summer of war
As harvest begins, farmers wonder if they should bother
Reading Time: 5 minutes A kamikaze drone flew over our house last night. It fell near our fence and exploded. I looked out the window and saw a red flame. Then I opened my eyes and realized it was a nightmare. In the morning, I called my mother. She said she heard a drone over our town at 3 […] Read more
P.E.I. potato growers, CFIA to draft plan for ‘pest-free places’
Plan would support movement of seed potatoes, feds say
A system of “pest-free places of production” (PFPP) is now on the drawing board for Prince Edward Island’s potato sector, following a meeting between federal and industry officials. Federal Agriculture Minister and P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay on Friday reported meeting with staff and representatives of the P.E.I. Potato Board, to discuss next steps in the […] Read more
U.S. food companies go deal hunting as pandemic growth fades
Twinkies maker Hostess exploring a sale
Reuters — U.S. packaged food companies are set for a flurry of deals in a push to revamp their brand portfolios as their pandemic-era fortunes fade and benefits of price hikes start to taper off. Last month, Campbell Soup struck a $2.7 billion deal for Rao’s sauce maker Sovos Brands (all figures US$). Unilever bought […] Read more
P.E.I. names new deputy ag minister
Gordon MacFadyen replaces Brian Matheson
Prince Edward Island’s Premier Dennis King has named a new top bureaucrat for the province’s agriculture ministry and others, to manage a fresh round of post-election ministerial mandate letters. Gordon MacFadyen, most recently executive director of fiscal management and assistant secretary to Treasury Board with the provincial finance department, was announced Aug. 8 as deputy […] Read more
Central Alberta fruit and vegetable producers find success in co-operative effort
By banding together in a closed co-op, Innisfail Growers members say they can be more successful individually
Reading Time: 4 minutes Market gardens and farmers markets might have a bucolic reputation but they’re a tough business. Buyers expect quality, flavour and, most importantly, variety. They’re not interested in a stand with a single product such as carrots, beets or strawberries. They want the whole produce basket. For a single grower to meet those expectations is a […] Read more
Alberta potatoes chip in $2.9 billion for Canadian economy
New report verifies what many in industry suspected
Alberta’s potato industry is making a big impact — not just on that province but the entire country. A new report — dubbed a “landmark study” by the Potato Growers of Alberta — revealed the sector drove a total contribution of $2.87 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022. It also notes the nationwide creation of […] Read more
Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar
Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding
Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
