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: 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
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 decade
Opinion: A tale of three cheeseburgers and a vision of farming turned upside down
Increasingly, conventional agriculture is viewed as a model that’s due for replacement
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers are no stranger to new technology and are usually quick to adopt developments that can increase production, or at the very least reduce the risk of losses. Most are well aware that the digital age is likely to bring transformative change to agriculture and food — even if they aren’t quite […] Read more
Agriculture, agrifood wish lists pile up ahead of long-delayed budget
Freeland's budget due out Monday afternoon
Agriculture and agrifood sector stakeholders will learn Monday which of their requests make their way out of the pile and into a long-awaited federal budget. Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2021 budget is scheduled to be released Monday in the House of Commons, at about 4 p.m. ET. Canadians didn’t get a 2020 budget: it […] Read more
Indian cabinet minister quits over farm legislation
New Delhi | Reuters — India’s minister for food processing resigned on Thursday over her opposition to planned laws to allow farmers to sell produce directly to bulk buyers and make contract farming easier, saying the legislation will hurt millions of the country’s farmers. “Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister,” Harsimrat […] Read more
Ottawa expected to ‘officially’ declare ag an essential service
The Western Grain Elevator Association says that designation will clarify things and help to keep grain moving
Canada’s grain industry expects the federal government will soon officially declare agriculture an essential service. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), says that designation will have a practical application. “Hopefully it ends all confusion about grain workers at elevators, railway workers and anybody else required for moving grain, as to […] Read more
Agriculture must continue to be a technology leader
We need to foster innovative research in order to meet the challenges that we will face in the coming years
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I stood in the desert with my colleagues, I realized that competing both economically and in volume to their level of production would be impossible. The sand delivered 48 dry tonnes of forage in many harvests per year. More importantly, the long-term objective of turning the desert into food production was becoming a reality. […] Read more
As we rethink globalization, we need to think about communities
In many parts of the world, the current system is broken and doesn’t serve consumers or farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes The world was once a scattering of small communities that through hunting and gathering, and later farming, were often self-sufficient. As systems of trade were built, dependent largely on the sea, goods and services had value and started to leave or be exported from these community hubs. In many cases, this brought an infusion of […] Read more
Spare a thought for those who process our food
The business, economics, and practices of the food-processing sector shouldn’t be hidden out of sight
Reading Time: 3 minutes I have been on slaughter and food-processing floors all over the world — vegetables, beef, pork, poultry, lamb, bison, elk, fruit, bake floors and many things in between. Usually women work in these food plants, silent and relentlessly focused while working on raised catwalks as their male supervisors stand behind them. This is not only […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
