Reading Time: < 1 minute The payment to producers fell slightly, but the sustainable beef pilot attracted a new restaurant chain and Ontario producers will soon be able to participate. The Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration pilot project, launched last fall, tracks cattle and beef produced under certified sustainability standards from ranch to retailer. In the latest quarter, more than one […] Read more
Sustainable beef pilot continues to expand
The program has a new customer and is poised to expand into Ontario
Comment: Increasingly, food must not only taste good, but ‘feel good’
Flavour and price still count, but more people want food that appeals to their social conscience
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sometimes deciding what to feed the family after a long, arduous day juggling daycare, jobs, and traffic seems overwhelmingly complicated. If a recent press release from the U.S.-based Tyson Innovation Lab is any indication, deciding what we’re going to put into our mouths next is about to get more cluttered with new products, new language, […] Read more
They haven’t struck oil — and that’s a good thing for canola growers
A new high-protein canola aimed at the feed market could increase farmer returns
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola meal could soon give soymeal a run for its money in international feed markets, thanks to a new high-protein canola variety coming down the pipe. “This is a positive for the whole industry,” said Ward Toma, general manager of Alberta Canola. “It increases the value of the secondary product — the meal — and […] Read more
‘What’s in the field?’ program adds new component
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture for Life is enhancing its ‘What’s in the field?’ program to give consumers more information on what they see when driving by fields and pastures. The program, which is entering its third year, provides signs (at no cost to producers) that identify the crop being grown in a field or the breed of livestock […] Read more
Spitz sunflower seed processing heads south
In the latest food-processing closure, PepsiCo is closing the Bow Island plant and moving the work to the U.S.
Reading Time: 3 minutes The parent company for sunflower seed processor Spitz is poised to close the plant in the brand’s hometown, but says it’s still “committed” to Canadian-grown seeds. However, the company’s founder says the closing of the Bow Island processing plant is another sign that President Donald Trump’s bid to bring jobs back to the U.S. is […] Read more
Steady harvest progression, but yields, crop quality suffers
Alberta crop conditions as of August 22
Reading Time: < 1 minute A week of warm and relatively dry weather throughout the province benefited crop development in the northern regions and allowed harvest to progress rapidly in the South. Crop Conditions have stabilized at 54 per cent rated good or excellent, down less than 2 points on the week. Provincial harvest progress has advanced to 6 per […] Read more
Where’s the beef? New food guide puts focus on ‘proteins’
Meat is being ‘merged’ with plant-based sources of protein in the revamp of Canada’s Food Guide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s Food Guide is getting revamped for the first time in 10 years — and there’s lots of speculation, especially on social media, about whether meat is being given a thumbs down. “It’s not as harsh as that, really,” said Joyce Parslow, director of consumer relations with Canada Beef. One of the guiding principles of […] Read more
In the quest for ever-more production, have we lost our way?
Farmers in the developing world are impoverished while producers here are taking on ever-higher levels of debt
Reading Time: 3 minutes I strongly believe that our focus in the future should be on the nutrient density of plants and biodiversity. Pushing our soils to produce more is terminal because there is burnout of the soil and the plant, along with financial harm to the farmer. Instead, we should look at soil health, seed health with nutrient […] Read more
Will agriculture and food processing finally take centre stage?
A new report says these two sectors are key to Canada’s future prosperity — and that recognition is a welcome development
Reading Time: 3 minutes A recent report from the Advisory Council on Economic Growth highlighted agriculture and food processing as keys to economic growth in Canada. The advisory council called on Ottawa to create a growth strategy for what it calls “agfood,” which it defines as everything from “field to fork.” Its report says that could generate another US$30 […] Read more
‘Start with your heart’ in order to win the trust of consumers
People want the facts on how their food is produced, but they want them from sources they know and trust, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s better to talk about the shared values that you have with a consumer than to start spouting facts. “We are not going to advertise our way to public trust,” Crystal Mackay of Guelph-based Farm and Food Care told an audience of ranchers, food executives and beef industry officials at the Global Conference on Sustainable […] Read more