Reading Time: 3 minutes A new provincial tax break aimed at boosting the province’s agri-processing sector is getting a thumbs up from business leaders. “We are truly involved in a global economy that includes a rise in demand for food exports,” said Rich Vesta, owner of Harmony Beef, who hosted a government press conference announcing the tax credit. “With […] Read more
Business leaders back tax credit to spur more agri-processing
Province to offer 12 per cent tax credit for large-scale value-added projects
Opinion: Food companies are looking over farmers’ shoulders
Cost used to be king when companies sourced ingredients, but they’re increasingly focused on how they’re grown
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Earlier this year, McCain Foods quietly purchased a little-known firm called Resson. Ten years ago, the news that a food company had bought a predictive crop technology company might have raised a few eyebrows. In McCain’s case, many may have wondered why a company known for its frozen french fries would want […] Read more
Ramping up: processing of Alberta crops gathers steam
Food, fibre and fuel facilities are coming on stream and that’s good news for producers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ag-fuelled processing in Alberta – everything from hemp and pulses to renewable diesel – is gaining traction and opening new markets for producers. One of those is Canadian Rockies Hemp, which just opened the largest hemp fibre processing plant in North America at Bruderheim. The company’s products are used for textiles, building, pulp and paper […] Read more
B.C. to back Indigenous food system projects
New program taking applications starting Monday
A new British Columbia program will provide up to $80,000 each for projects in agriculture, food processing or other sectors to improve food security in that province’s Indigenous communities. The province on Wednesday rolled out a new Indigenous Food Systems and Agriculture Partnership Program, which is set up to take applications starting Monday (Sept. 26) […] Read more
Agropur backs major upgrades for Nova Scotia ice cream plant
Dairy co-op puts up $34M to 'redefine space' at Truro
Major dairy co-operative Agropur is putting up eight figures to upgrade an ice cream and frozen novelties plant it owns in Nova Scotia to handle new premium product lines. The co-operative said June 17 it will invest $34 million in the former Scotsburn plant at Truro, to “redefine the space within the plant (and) support […] Read more
Bowden pulse-processing plant aims to be on the cutting edge
Among its goals is to get rid of the aftertaste of pulses and find ways to up protein levels
Reading Time: 2 minutes A consortium of companies behind the province’s first major pulse fractionation plant are vowing to “take plant-based protein extraction to the next level” at the new facility being built in Bowden. And part of that is making pulse ingredients that don’t taste like pulses. “Our emphasis is on processing functionality,” said Kevin McGeough, CEO of […] Read more
Changes to TFW program to expand worker availability
Workplace LMIAs now valid for 18 months
The federal government is boosting the availability of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to ag and other understaffed sectors under a list of policy changes announced Monday. Employment and Workforce Development Minister Carla Qualtrough announced what’s called the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Workforce Solutions Road Map, which the government said “marks the next step in […] Read more
Schoepp: The food sector is much bigger than you might imagine
We’ve seriously underestimated how big the sector is, and its ability to be an even bigger economic engine
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the world of agriculture and agri-food evolves, so too does its workforce. Capturing just who is engaged in this massive economic engine has been difficult as previous statistics have focused on who works ‘on the farm’ rather than who is employed ‘in the food system.’ Perhaps never before in history has there been such […] Read more
Schoepp: It’s harder for women to put food on table when they’re paid less
Many women make one-third less than men doing similar work
Reading Time: 3 minutes One in seven Canadians is food insecure. I wondered: Just who are the food insecure throughout this vast nation? Where do they live and what is the relationship between food security, location, culture or income? Those persons who are the most food insecure in Canada live in remote places. The population of Nunavut is 57 […] Read more
McCain Foods launches aggressive regenerative ag strategy
Global french fry giant will work with its potato growers to adopt regenerative ag practices over the next decade
Reading Time: 4 minutes Global french fry giant will work with its potato growers to adopt regenerative ag practices over the next decadeCyber-Savvy Farmer
