Reading Time: 4 minutes It started as a small tulip garden but has grown into a vibrant student-led farm that now entices kids to a once-struggling school in the tiny village of Altario. “This school gives us the opportunity to do things that we never thought we would do,” said Jessica Vert, a recently graduated Grade 9 student who […] Read more
Farm at Altario School is growing experiences and excitement
Rajapaksa dynasty draws to humiliating close in Sri Lanka
Food shortages, fertilizer ban among flashpoints
Colombo | Reuters — The Rajapaksa dynasty dominated Sri Lankan politics until April when street protests against fuel and food shortages began to slip out of control. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country early on Wednesday, leaving no one from the once-illustrious family in a position of power. The president vowed last month to stay […] Read more
Winter has been banished in Sunterra’s high-tech greenhouse
Even when it’s 30 below, strawberries and tomatoes are thriving in state-of-the-art facility near Acme
Reading Time: 5 minutes Bright ideas and Ray Price go together like fruit and a greenhouse. As the president of Sunterra Group, which has an eight-store grocery chain (six locations in Calgary, one in Red Deer and one in Edmonton), Price is constantly seeking new ways to offer high-quality products to consumers. His latest venture is a 20-acre greenhouse […] Read more
Modern technology makes greenhouse greener
Reading Time: < 1 minute Before getting into the greenhouse business, Ray Price consulted extensively with experts and toured multiple facilities, many of which were in the Netherlands, which is ground zero for innovation on growing under glass. The facility’s hoist system provides 30 per cent more yield, but it also does not neglect carbon capture or water leaching, two […] Read more
Health Canada to slap warning labels on sugary, salty and fatty foods
Ottawa | Reuters – Foods high in sugars, sodium and saturated fat will come with clear warning labels in Canada starting in 2026, the federal government said on Thursday, in an effort to promote healthier eating choices and reduce chronic health risks. “We know that it’s not always easy to make healthy choices,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told […] Read more
WTO strikes global trade deals deep into overtime
Deals reached on food security, health and fishing; formerly defiant India joins consensus
Geneva | Reuters — The World Trade Organization’s 164 members approved a series of trade agreements early on Friday that included commitments on fish and pledges on health and food security after more than five gruelling days of negotiations. The deals were ground out over five days of bargaining at a conference of more than […] Read more
Beef sector calls for Health Canada label exception
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association wants ground beef exempted from proposed rules
The cattle sector is less than pleased by a Health Canada proposal that would put a ‘high saturated fat’ label on retail ground beef. The proposal is part of a suite of changes proposed for Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations. As well as adding a front-of-packaging (FOP) label requirement for foods deemed by Health Canada […] Read more
Fertilizer maker Yara says world faces extreme food supply shock
Sanctions cut global fertilizer supply 15 per cent, company says
Davos, Switzerland | Reuters — Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara says donors urgently need to close the U.N.’s $10 billion food programme funding gap to avoid a catastrophe as sanctions on Russian fertilizers and Ukraine’s grain export problems have created an extreme global shock. “The world has realized that food can be a weapon and it […] Read more
Wastewater regulation eased for Nova Scotia on-farm processing
Nova Scotia has introduced regulatory changes that allow on-farm processing operations to better manage wastewater on their smaller scale. The changes, which took effect May 11, come at the request of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) — which has said that owners of small farm-level processing facilities shouldn’t be treated the same as […] Read more
Online platform opens windows to ag scene
Reading Time: < 1 minute What is smart ag? How have food systems changed over time? What is food democracy? These and other questions are explored in an online learning platform called Project Agriculture, an initiative started by the province’s supply-managed farm groups and which is now being bolstered by Alberta’s big four crop commissions. “The program allows students and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
