Reading Time: < 1 minute Food News is a monthly newsletter that provides Alberta’s agri-food industry with current events and programs to support its growth and help with diversification, competitiveness, and market readiness. It includes information on topics such as current events and workshops; training courses; export missions; missions to trade shows; industry support programs; regulatory updates from Health Canada […] Read more
Get the scoop on agri-food with ‘Food News’
P.E.I. farms and fisheries ministries merge
A reorganization of Prince Edward Island’s government departments will see agriculture split from forestry and instead paired with fisheries. Having returned to office in the May 4 election, Premier Wade MacLauchlan on Wednesday announced his new cabinet, appointing former education and transportation minister Alan McIsaac as minister of agriculture and fisheries. As the agriculture and […] Read more
Tips on reaching out to consumers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Here are some of Julie Borlaug’s tips for reaching out to consumers. Watch your language Some words commonly used on farms have hugely negative connotations for urbanites, she said. “The moment we talk about how GMOs will lessen the amount of inputs such as pesticides or herbicides, you have shut the conversation down. I know […] Read more
Minogue: Silicon Valley, Saskatchewan style
Jordan Dutchak is bringing Silicon Valley’s working style to Saskatchewan agriculture. This weekend software developers, engineers, students and entrepreneurs will team up with farmers and ag professionals in Saskatoon at Emerging Agriculture, the first Canadian agricultural hackathon, where they hope to develop cutting-edge solutions to agricultural problems. The idea of a “hackathon” originated in the […] Read more
Incoming N.B. government names new ag deputy
New Brunswick’s deputy minister of economic development will also be the province’s senior bureaucrat for agriculture and fisheries as part of a shuffle announced Tuesday. Denis Caron, who has led the provincial civil service on the economic development file since September last year, will now also handle the ag file on an interim basis, Premier […] Read more
Consumers are dissatisfied — and that’s why farmers’ markets are booming
More and more people are distrustful of big corporations, and farmers’ markets offer ‘food authenticity’ the big chains can’t match
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the warm weather winds down, farmers’ markets around the country are looking at yet another record season. Despite substantial food price increases in recent years, these operations, which typically sell food at a higher price, have generated more than $700 million in revenues this year in Ontario alone, and plans to open more are […] Read more
Out of step with the people who matter most
A $100,000 study of consumer perceptions of agriculture speaks volumes about those asking the questions
Reading Time: 3 minutes The final report to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada from a series of consumer focus groups it commissioned last year is enlightening — but not because of what it tells us about how domestic customers view this country’s agriculture sector. Rather it speaks volumes about the people asking the questions. The final report “Modern agriculture and […] Read more
It’s no longer a man’s world in agriculture
Conference highlights the new reality — women not only play a key role in agriculture but are critical to its success
Reading Time: 3 minutes ‘Mommas, don’t let your daughters miss out on careers in agriculture!’ That’s how the Willie and Waylon classic could have been modified by anyone attending the inaugural Advancing Women Conference in Calgary. The event, created by well-known conference organizer Iris Meck, was designed to provide life and leadership skills for women involved in agriculture. While […] Read more
Classroom Agriculture Program needs volunteers
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Classroom Agriculture Program (CAP) is looking for volunteers from April to June to deliver in-class presentations to Calgary and area Grade 4 students. “This year in Calgary we had a record number of schools register for the CAP program,” says Karen Spelay, the program’s general manager. “Over 260 classes are registered to receive the […] Read more
Don’t get mad, give your critics something to think about
It’s easy to be offended by critics of modern farming, but there are ways to challenge their thinking and provide new perspectives
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Watch what you eat. Wherever possible, avoid food grown with pesticides, in feedlots, or by agribusiness. It’s an easy way to use your dollars to vote against the spread of toxins in our bodies, soil and water.” This is the fourth principle in the consumption manifesto issued by the World Watch Institute, an environmental research […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
