Reading Time: 2 minutes Focus on food, not farming. Health is both a huge global issue and a deeply personal matter, and farmers should be focusing on that and nutrition, said Pulse Canada CEO Gordon Bacon. “The variety registration program covers 50 tests to have a variety registered for production — none has to do with nutrition, let alone […] Read more
Look past farming — you’re in the food business
FarmTech: Pulse leader says improving health and the nutrition of people who eat your food should be a top priority
Want to sell food in Japan?
Application deadline is January 22
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta value-added food companies interested in the Japan market can send product samples and marketing materials with provincial government officials to FOODEX Japan. The March 8-11 event is the largest food and beverage trade show in the Asia-Pacific, attracting 3,000 companies and 77,000 visitors. As well, companies can apply to join a walking program that […] Read more
Our bacon ambassador does Alberta proud
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bacon is getting a whole new sizzle on the gourmet scene these days — would you believe chocolate bacon Fudgsicles? — and Russell Bird is making sure Alberta gets its due. The Sherwood Park man represented his country in the bacon category at the World Food Championships in Florida last month and reports things have […] Read more
Living large — and eating only local — in a land of bounty
It’s a huge shift to eat only foods produced in Alberta, but the members of the Ruzicka family consider themselves ‘so lucky’
Reading Time: 3 minutes In a season where most people spend more, the Ruzicka family is learning to live with less. Shannon and Danny Ruzicka and children Madalynne, Joshua and Molly have been living on local foods since August. “Our experiment is to live off the Albertan land for a year — we live off what we grow, raise […] Read more
Every item of the feast has a great story behind it
When the table is set, give thanks to those who grew and processed the food — and all those who played a role in its history
Reading Time: 4 minutes My son gifts me a subscription to a Quebec-based cuisine magazine entitled Ricardo. The last issue had a little sidebar that read, “If you calculate the time elapsed from the moment seeds are sown, the festive meal takes an average of 295 days to land on our tables.” When you think about great meals in […] Read more
Learn the ins and outs of direct marketing
Marketing Made Easy workshop in Calgary on Nov. 5
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Marketing Made Easy workshop takes place Nov. 5 in Calgary and Jan. 20 in Fort Saskatchewan. “This workshop examines selling products at Alberta-approved farmers’ markets and beyond,” said Delores Serafin of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “You will learn strategies for creating a lasting first impression, clearly identifying your target clients, and how to make […] Read more
Bridging the producer-consumer divide
There are pros, cons, and frustrations when trying to deal with consumers who want it all when it comes to food
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumers are watching you like never before. But relax — you can only do so much. That was one key message from a recent panel discussion on how farmers can connect with consumers. The sudden fascination with how food is produced is a “profoundly good thing,” said Mike von Massow, an associate professor at the […] Read more
The world is going online — and that includes the grocery store
Only a small percentage of people currently buy groceries online, but the sector is poised for explosive growth
Reading Time: 3 minutes Where do you buy your groceries? The answer to that question is getting more attention these days because more consumers now say they buy online. The growth of e-commerce has stretched beyond books, movies, parts and retro finds and is now filling the food basket. As folks shift to online buys it means an increase […] Read more
McDonald’s rolls out campaign thanking Canadian farmers
Eighty-five per cent of the food it serves three million Canadian customers per day comes from Canadian farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes McDonald’s Canada wants Canadian farmers to know it couldn’t do it without them. The company has rolled out a new advertising campaign with commercials featuring empty containers for its most popular menu items with the slogan “not without Canadian farmers.” The TV and online campaign emphasizes the whopping big quantities of its farm purchases. “We […] Read more
Opportunities abound in horticulture, says provincial specialist
The financial startup costs are typically lower and a host of information resources is available
Reading Time: 2 minutes More people are interested in a career in agriculture these days and horticulture offers many opportunities, says a commercial horticulture specialist. “Increased interest in local production as well as the desire to know where and how food is grown means more people are looking to get into agriculture and primary production,” said Dustin Morton. Horticulture […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
