“For over 50 years, there has been almost no genetic improvement of saskatoons, no systematic streamlined breeding that has been successfully done because saskatoon berry cultivars … won’t successfully cross,” said Anže Švara in an online article from the university.

WHY IT MATTERS: New varieties of saskatoon berries are historically difficult to develop.

Švara is an associate professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s plant science department. He is helping to lead a new project that will categorize saskatoon berry varieties to better understand their traits. The hope is this will identify characteristics that can potentially be selected for future new varieties.

The university houses around 2,000 saskatoon berry varieties collected over the decades.

“We have two key questions: can certain saskatoon berry plants breed with other saskatoon berry plants? And is there diversity that can be utilized to develop new varieties with improved traits?” said Švara in the article.

The university said it hopes the project will contribute to future innovative breeding projects and help berry growers.

Saskatoon berries present a particular challenge in breeding because some historically successful cultivars have four sets of chromosomes instead of two. Plants produce seedlings nearly identical to the parent plants, but it’s difficult to breed those plants with others to develop specific traits.

The project is funded through the federally-supported Agriculture Development Fund and by the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association.

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The report was full of predictions that came true, as well as a few surprises. This year’s report was the 16th annual.

Food prices were driven higher in 2025 by meat, said Sylvain Charlebois, the lead of Canada’s Food Price Report. Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. He leads Canada’s Food Price Report, but the report was developed by a collective of scholars.

“In fact, we claimed last year that meat would be driving food inflation, and we underestimated how significantly meat prices would go up. That was really the big story in 2025,” he said.

Meat prices to stay high

Unfortunately, the group expects meat prices will remain a huge factor for 2026.

“Beef is an issue, of course, it’s been an issue for a while now, and we don’t see how the situation will normalize itself before at least mid-year 2027,” he said. “Ranchers are leaving the industry. It’s difficult for ranchers across North America.”

The high prices of beef are encouraging people to change to other types of meat, like chicken.

“We’re short on chicken because of higher beef prices. The situation with beef is really a major issue for meat counter economics in general,” he said.

Chicken raised in Canada is under supply management.

“Supply shouldn’t be a problem, but it is a problem right now, because we’re importing more chicken from abroad. But I don’t think that is going to last. I do think the chicken industry will recover eventually. It’s kind of awkward to have supply management and import more chicken from the United States right now,” he said.

Fruit and vegetable inflation down

Vegetables and fruits had their inflation rates go down in 2025 compared to 2024.

“We were expecting increases to be in the positive, but the increases didn’t accelerate as much as we expected,” he said.

The group thought the “Buy Canadian” movement and the entire American boycott would put a lot of pressure on grocers to source products that are cheaper or the same price in America.

“But we were spared, and I think that’s due to the Canadian dollar. I think the Canadian dollar remained a non-issue. That came as a surprise, I would say,” said Charlebois.

Food affordability is a top concern for consumers. A quarter of Canadian households are considered food insecure, and nearly 2.2 million people visited food banks in Canada monthly this year.

Charlebois said there are numerous factors that affect food prices including geopolitics, global weather events, policy enactment, consumer behaviour and changes in retail models. Energy costs, climate change, interest rates, labour costs, the level of consolidation in a sector, and consumer demand, including whether consumers have more money or less money to spend on food.

“These are the things that impact food prices over time. But the bottom line is that not one node of the growth of the food supply chain totally controls food prices,” he said.

Trade wars affect food prices

In 2025, food prices were affected by the trade dispute between Canada and the United States and subsequent policy changes. Consumer-led movements also altered the economic retail landscape, impacting food price inflation.

Charlebois said farmers would say there’s a weak correlation between protein prices, and retail prices, and they’re correct to say so.

“So even though there is a weak correlation between the two, production does have an impact on how food is sourced to supply grocery stores in general,” he said.

When people spend more money at the grocery store, the farmer gets a bigger proportion of the farm bill. With retail, 13 to 15 per cent of the money spent at the grocery store goes back to the farmer compared to food service, where about four per cent to five percent goes back to the farmer from food service.

“Right now, there is a strong movement towards staying retail for consumers, because they’re trying to save as much money as possible, and they’re avoiding restaurants, so that could actually be a positive for farmers in general,” said Charlebois.

Temporary foreign workers

Temporary foreign workers are widely used along the food supply chain. In 2024, Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program brought in over 78,000 workers into the agricultural industry. The Canadian government is revisiting its immigration policy and has announced plans to reduce the share of temporary residents in Canada to less than five per cent of the population by 2027, to encourage more domestic labour and improve youth employment rates. Agriculture is exempt from this cap.

The current population of temporary foreign workers is at seven per cent.

There are concerns that shifts with temporary workers could lead to a major labour shortage in agriculture, disrupting the supply chain and costing businesses already operate on tight margins. The costs would be passed down to the consumer.

Charlebois said the research team is concerned about the temporary foreign worker problem.

“It’s a very important program to support our farmers,” he said. The information about temporary foreign workers was added to Canada’s Food Price Report, to send a clear signal to government that the temporary foreign worker program in agriculture should not be compromised, he said.

Food bill to rise “a lot”

The report also contains predictions for 2026.

“We’re expecting the average family (of four) to see their food bill increased by $1,000, so we’re expecting an increase of four to six per cent, so that’s a lot. I believe it’s the highest we’ve ever seen in 16 years. That’s going to be pushed by two categories; meat and the centre of the store. That’s pantry goods and dry goods. This is not going to help consumers,” he said.

“We think it’s going to push inflation higher,” he said.

The ongoing trade dispute with the United States will continue to affect prices next year. The inflationary aspects of the tariffs and counter-tariffs will continue in 2026 as trade tensions reshape the economic landscape. Canada is strengthening its relationships with other international trading partners to build resilience and competitiveness.

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There’s three kinds of onions, five types of peppers, three kinds of squash, watermelon, zucchini, green and yellow beans, beets, potatoes, strawberries, cabbage and carrots.

However, what it all comes down to is the crop for which the region has a Canada-wide reputation — corn.

Taber has been dubbed the Corn Capital of Canada due to its optimal growing conditions for the crop, which is sold in the area from early July to mid-September, depending on the growing season.

“It seems like we have the perfect setting to have corn. We have the right amount of heat units (sunshine) for sweet corn and cool nights. It’s the cool nights that pack the sugars in,” James Molnar said during a recent Farm to Table tour in southern Alberta.

“That’s why we always get in these competitions with Ontario and B.C., who’s got the best corn?”

Molnar, who grows up to 14 different varieties of corn, started growing the vegetable on a half acre of land two decades ago with a friend when seed cost $250 to $300 a bag. Discussions at the coffee table led to seeking out alternatives because grain was not selling for much at the time.

“I said, ‘geez, I don’t know anything about corn.’ I didn’t have any row crop equipment or anything because I wasn’t in sugar beets back then. But he convinced me. We bought one bag of seed, which we shared,” said Molnar.

Seed prices have since ballooned to around $1,750 a bag.

Those humble beginnings, which featured spray-painted signs on the side of the road for marketing, has now led to 80 acres of sweet crop.

Molnar Farms still hand picks its corn, with the same group of seasonal Mexican workers coming in every year.

“We did have a picker at one time, but it does so much damage to the corn. I just don’t like … the way it does things. So we decided to park it and just hand pick,” said Molnar, adding the corn is grown under plastic using a machine specially made from Ireland that plants the seed and puts down a herbicide for weed control.

“It’s basically a mini-greenhouse that we’re putting on top of that corn, lays the plastic and puts the dirt on the sides. That gives us about a five to seven day advantage to get going a little bit earlier because everybody seems to want to have corn as early as possible.”

Those early varieties include Molnar’s Sweetness, which produces smaller cobs and grows about three-and-a-half feet tall.

However, those with patience can wait for a Molnar mid-season variety such as Kick Off.

When seeing the difference in size, the occassional customer will complain about the size of the cob in the early variety, but it is simply answering the demand for corn as early as possible.

“If we didn’t grow that variety, unfortunately, everyone would have to wait for another 10 to 14 days to get a taste of corn. That’s why we grow it. I always tell people, don’t buy corn to freeze until we’re probably three-quarters of the way through August because that’s when the best corn will come on,” said Molnar.

“The cooler the nights get, the more sugars that move into it. When you buy your corn, as quick as you can get into a refrigerator, the better, because soon as we pick it, the sugars will start turning to starches, and that’s where it’ll start to get blander by the day.”

Timing is everything to unlock the true sweetness of the corn.

Molnar encourages people to cook it as soon as possible after purchase.

He admits he’s spoiled from cooking corn mere minutes after it is picked, and says with a laugh that when he brings corn to his in-laws in Fernie, B.C., he doesn’t like it compared to the flavour of corn cooked almost right off the plant.

“You can’t get any better than that.”

The corn is sold at stands across the region, while others buy it straight from the yard and take it to other locations.

Beyond the occassional grower who dabbles in the crop, Molnar and Johnson Fresh Farms are the main growers.

There is no local corn growers association, but the farms use certificates so buyers across Canada know it is authentically grown in the area.

Molnar’s certificate has his farm’s land location and phone number and is signed by Molnar and his wife.

He also encourages people to search online for the name on their bag of corn for verification. Regardless, Molnar wants as many people as possible to enjoy the summer treat, regardless where it comes from.

“I always tell people, if you buy something from somewhere and you like it, go back and buy some more. Just because I grow Taber corn, yeah, I want to tell you all that it’s the best corn in the world, which I think it is. But that’s not to say that if somebody brings some corn over from B.C. or somewhere, they put a lot of time and effort into it. If it tastes great, go buy some more of it because it’s great to support local people.”

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Nielsen’s experience in public policy, trade and global development spans two decades and includes positions with Export Development Canada, food aid non-profit Nutrition International and Global Affairs Canada.

Nielsen, in the newly-created role, will lead policy development and research initiatives and engage governments and other stakeholders on the interests of the Canadian fruit and vegetable sector.

Nielsen’s “talent for forging strategic partnerships, will be pivotal as FVGC intensifies its efforts to deliver results for Canadian growers” said Fruit and Vegetable Growers executive director Massimo Bergamini in a news release.

“As the voice of Canadian fruit and vegetable growers, FVGC must ensure their priorities and concerns are heard and acted on,” said Bergamini.

After assuming the role mid-August, Nielsen will reach out to FVGC members to gain more insight into the sector.

“I’m excited to work alongside such a dedicated team to advance policies that strengthen the sector and ensure Canadians continue to have access to healthy, sustainable food,” Nielsen said in the release.

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Exports of greenhouse-grown cucumbers also equal or exceed imports.

“Canada continues to rely heavily in imported fruits and vegetables, especially during its long winters,” wrote FCC senior economist Amanda Norris in a May 28 report.

“Different types of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) are gaining momentum to overcome this problem.”

While greenhouses are the most recognized form of controlled environment agriculture, the category also includes insect farming, aquaculture, lab-grown meat, and vertical farming, Norris added.

Opportunities

Due to their extended growing season and ability to stack crops vertically to reduce footprint, greenhouse-grown crops tend to yield more per acre than the same fruits and vegetables grown outdoors.

Canadian greenhouses can typically operate for nine months out of the year.

“The advantage is striking, ranging from five times more pounds per acre for tomatoes to an impressive 30 times more for herbs,” said Norris.

Along with growth in peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, greenhouse-grown strawberries have also gained ground in Canada. Production went from neglible in 2020 to 16.5 million pounds in 2024.

Canada has also added 70 new operations and 19 per cent more greenhouse area since 2013 outside of Ontario, the hotspot for greenhouse ag.

Lettuce, herbs and strawberries represent areas for further expansion.

“To realize this opportunity, Canada must invest in practices to boost productivity through labour and resource saving technologies, research and development for new crops, and explore ways to bring CEA to more regions,” Norris wrote.

Downsides

Most fruits and vegetables Canadians eat come from outdoor farms or imports because many crops aren’t suited to indoor environments. Potatoes, for instance, require deep, loose soil.

Controlled environment agriculture—like much of agriculture—requires a lot of capital to set up due to the many systems and technology involved.

Operating expenses are also rising—up six per cent annually on average over the last decade. Sales rose by 6.4 per cent over the same period, which kept margins a bit above break-even.

Greenhouse agriculture also faces a labour crunch. The number of workers under age 60 has shrunk an average of eight per cent annually for the past five years.

Greenhouses also find themselves competing for limited municipal infrastructure like energy, water and waste services. This makes building or expanding more challenging.

“Investment and the adoption of technology will be crucial to overcoming high operational costs, address labour and infrastructure constraints, and allow the sector to reach its full potential,” Norris said.

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Inside the domes, researchers are growing pears in a controlled environment that simulates how climate change will affect the region in 2040. Their aim is to see what global warming has in store for Europe’s fruit growers.

“We expect more heatwaves and less even precipitation, so more droughts and floods as well. And overall, slightly higher temperatures,” Francois Rineau, associate professor at the University of Hasselt, said of the simulated climate inside the domes.

Early results from the scientists’ first harvest in 2023 suggest Belgian pears may be spared some of the worst impacts of climate change – which scientists expect to cut some crop yields and hike growers’ costs for irrigation to combat drought.

“The effect of climate change at the 2040 horizon on the quality of pears was very minor. However, we found a difference in how the ecosystem was functioning,” Rineau said, noting that an earlier growing season in the 2040 simulation appeared to result in the ecosystem absorbing more CO2.

Year-to-year variability means that one year alone cannot capture intermittent extreme weather and other changes in the climate which can wreak havoc on crops. The three-year experiment will cover three harvests.

This year’s harvest of 2040-era pears is being studied at the Flanders Centre of Postharvest Technology (VCBT), to check the fruits’ size, firmness and sugar content – and compare them to pears grown in domes simulating today’s climate.

“If we have a higher temperature on the trees, pears tend to be less firm and have more sugar,” VCBT researcher Dorien Vanhees said.

That’s bad news for growers. Less-firm fruit survives a shorter period in storage, reducing the quantity of pears growers can sell.

Floods, hail and drought have already affected European pear growers in recent years, as climate change begins to leave fingerprints on growing patterns.

Belgium’s pear production is expected to plunge by 27 per cent this year, according to the World Apple and Pear Association, owing to factors including an unusually early bloom and unusually late frost.

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The company, owned by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, has about $679 million in debt, and plans to sell its business in bankruptcy, according to bankruptcy court documents (all figures US$).

Prima grows peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots on its 18,000 acres of farmland in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Prima has struggled under its high debt load, and it has also faced significant setbacks since 2020, including a salmonella outbreak that led to a recall of peaches in the U.S. and the 2020 Creek Fire in California, which damaged orchards and reduced crop yields and quality.

Prima will try to find a buyer for its assets by November, hoping to avoid an upcoming cash crunch between its profitable harvest seasons. Prima has about $26 million in cash, and it could run out of money by January 2024 if it doesn’t find a buyer before next year’s harvest season begins in May, according to court documents.

If no buyer emerges, Prima will pivot to a debt restructuring or a liquidation of its business, according to court documents.

The company was formed from a 2019 merger of Gerawan Farming Inc. and Wawona Packing Company. The company had over $300 million in sales revenue in 2022, with 60 per cent of that coming from sale of peaches, according to court documents.

— Dietrich Knauth reports on U.S. bankruptcy and product liability law for Reuters from New York City.

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Contracts for frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) at ICE hit a high of $3.292/lb. during the session, the second highest price ever, just shy of the record of $3.3175/lb. seen on Aug. 17 (all figures US$).

Florida’s orange crop this year was already on the way to being small, only around half the size it produced just two years ago, due to diseases and erratic weather. The hurricane will exacerbate the situation.

“There is little hope for a bigger crop next year,” said commodities analyst Judith Ganes.

Fields in Florida were still recovering from the impact of hurricane Ian in 2019, while also suffering from a bacterial disease known as greening.

Authorities in Florida have yet to evaluate damage to infrastructure and agricultural production as the storm moved over to Georgia.

Also on Wednesday, Brazilian industry group CitrusBR said in a statement that stocks of orange juice at the end of the 2022-23 season (July-June) fell 40 per cent to 84,745 metric tonnes, the lowest level since the group started to collect the data 12 years ago.

CitrusBR said the fall is a result of a smaller-than-expected crop in the world’s largest orange juice producer and exporter, as well as falling juice yields from the fruits.

— Reporting for Reuters by Marcelo Teixeira.

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Buyers expect quality, flavour and, most importantly, variety. They’re not interested in a stand with a single product such as carrots, beets or strawberries. They want the whole produce basket.

For a single grower to meet those expectations is a tall order, as one farm would have to grow many different crops in small volumes and essentially be a jack of all trades, master of none.

That’s why, 30 years ago, a handful of family operations in central Alberta banded together — first in an informal joint venture, later as a closed co-operative — to found Innisfail Growers.

Through this structure, the independent farms work together, avoid internal competition and find a way to thrive.

“It allows us to specialize and find economies of scale,” says Rod Bradshaw, who chairs the group and operates Beck Farms along with his wife and partner Shelley and their two sons. They specialize in carrots and other vegetables.

Borrowed model

The idea to work together came from a trip to the Netherlands and United Kingdom that Rod and Shelley took in the early 1990s. They found inspiration in an organization called Shropshire Growers.

“There are no new ideas under the sun,” Rod told a recent tour of international agriculture journalists who visited two co-op member-farms. “You have to take one and make it your own.”

Returning to Alberta they looked for potential partners and found several in nearby farmers pursuing similar goals of growing fruit and vegetables and marketing them directly.

A neighbour was growing peas. Another was specializing in strawberries. Yet another was growing table potatoes.

“Everyone was doing something different,” Rod says.

They were all learning together, and breaking new ground for their farm operations, most of which had been in existence for many years but in a different type of agriculture.

“We were all grain farmers and we all moved into vegetable growing,” Rod says.

Working together allowed the growers to specialize and to expand their reach. They were able to attend more markets and even hire staff to manage and attend those events. Many of those employees were the children of growers, which gave them valuable work experience.

It also allowed them to jointly fund a packing house that washes and bags their produce for distribution, and the trucks to haul it to market.

Today, in its 30th year, Innisfail Growers attends about 20 markets during the summer growing season, plus three year-round markets, including two in Calgary.

Community extension

Another early member in the co-op was The Jungle Farm, operated by Blaine and Leona Staples.

It’s been in Leona’s family for four generations, and was named by her great-grandfather after Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book collection of stories. A bear living near the farm when he settled it brought to mind Baloo the bear from those stories.

In 1996 Leona returned to the farm with Blaine and they were intent on making their lives there.

“I said ‘one thing we can certainly get rid of is the name,’” Leona says with a chuckle. “Blaine said we couldn’t, because he loved it.”

They returned to grain farming, and Blaine’s own experience on his family’s southern Alberta operation was also in grain growing. But horticulture, and in particular strawberry growing, quickly took centre stage.

Today they plant about 30 acres of strawberries and vegetables. On top of their presence at farmers’ markets, they have a farm store and a U-pick operation. Blaine, who holds a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Alberta, is central to the agricultural operations. He’s now experimenting with table-top strawberry growing, a technique imported from Europe.

“Strawberries are very susceptible to soil-borne disease,” Blaine says. “A lot of strawberry growers fumigate their soil every year.”

Moving to a table top operation should eliminate that need, simplify management of the crop while growing, and ease harvest since the plants are at a better height for manual picking.

“Every strawberry in the world is picked by hand,” he says.

The Jungle Farm also tries to reconnect people with how their food is produced, Blaine says. He credits Leona’s abilities on social media and her background as an extension home economist as crucial. She puts it another way.

“I’m afraid it’s made me a not very good worker here,” she jokes. “I spend my days talking to people.”

Said people include school day trips, group tours and others. Leona estimates the farm hosts about 1,500 schoolchildren (and their teachers and chaperones) every season, giving a younger generation new insight into agriculture.

That effort includes showing the children Indigenous history for the region, and a portion of the farm is left natural, facilitating this discussion.

“That forest is so important to me, because it’s what so much of central Alberta used to look like,” she says.

Story to tell

In the end, quality produce is just part of the businesses that have banded together under the Innisfail Growers banner.

They also work hard at making strong connections with consumers. Similar produce might be available at the grocery store, but this produce’s growers are right there beside the customers to further forge that bond.

“We’re selling a story,” says Rod Bradshaw. “And you’re paying us for that story when you buy our produce.”

The post Central Alberta fruit and vegetable producers find success in co-operative effort appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Like most other forms of farming, it’s just not a case of planting a seed, walking away and hoping for a good outcome.

“I could talk about pumpkins for just about as long as there is time,” said Don Crews of Lloydminster, who recently won the Smoky Lake Great White North Pumpkin Weigh-off.

There’s genetics and seed selection, strategic pollination and close attention to nutrition.

Growing giant pumpkins is like a science experiment where a community of giant pumpkin devotees hunt for anomalies, share information and keep secret tips to themselves, said Crews, a bricklayer by trade who gardens on his family’s acreage.

“It’s like chaos, but it’s working,” he said. “So I’ve learned how to get a much bigger plant before I pollinate. In the old days, when I first started growing some 20 years ago, they figured the golden period for pollination was in early July. Now it’s early to mid-June.”

And, of course, parentage matters.

“A lot of this is genetics. I was growing 500-pound pumpkins when the world record was 1,100 pounds or so. The genetics are astoundingly better now,” he said. “We keep selecting genetics. Now, if someone grows a 2,000-pound pumpkin, everybody’s got to grow a seed from that one.”

[RELATED] Titans of the garden: Manitoba’s giant pumpkin growers

That means Crews is going to get a lot of requests, given his pumpkin is the largest ever grown in Canada and not far off the North American record of 2,560 pounds, recorded for a pumpkin grown in Minnesota this summer.

“This pumpkin weighs as much as a car,” he said. “It’s not quite the size of a car (but) you can’t get one in the back of your truck, that’s for sure.”

The reigning champ, according to Guinness World Records, is a 2,702-pound behemoth grown in 2021 in Italy as verified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the global association of giant pumpkin growers that sets standards and regulations for competitions.

However, a grower in England recently came close to smashing that record with a 2,900-pound pumpkin.

“It had a hole in it,” said Crews. “These things will split at the last moment, right? That’s what happened to him. So it’s not a record because it did not make it as a solid fruit.”

There’s no difference between giant pumpkins and other pumpkins when it comes to taste and nutrition, according to americangardener.net. However, giant pumpkins have more flesh than smaller ones, making them an excellent choice for food.

The website has tips for growing giant pumpkins, although you’ll need special seed varieties such as the Atlantic Giant (the famous variety patented by legendary Nova Scotian pumpkin breeder Howard Dill) if you want to be competitive.

Pumpkin vines grow quickly in warm weather and need plenty of space. They can reach over 20 feet. Soil should be fertile and well-drained for optimal root development. Also, pumpkins need at least eight hours of sunlight per day.

“If you live in a cooler climate, you can grow your pumpkin in a greenhouse or on a porch that gets full sun,” says the website.

Being a big shot in the world of competitive pumpkin growing means Crews fields a lot of questions.

“The average person will inquire, ‘How did you do this? How long does it take? Does it take years?’”

In fact, while the growing season lasts 150 to 160 days, much of the action takes place in a condensed period.

“They just grow really, really, really fast,” said Crews. “You have to do 60 to 70 pounds a day for a fairly good length of time in between as it ramps up, because it takes until 20 days after pollination before they really start to grow.

“And it’s pretty done by day 75 or 80 — you’ll get another few hundred pounds out of it after that. So you can imagine how fast they grow.”

While questions from the general public are mostly along the lines of ‘how do you do it,’ fellow pumpkin aficionados want technical details, such as vine length, the number of laterals (branches) before the pumpkin, lateral length and soil quality details.

Soil nutrition is the most critical part, Crews said.

“You try to have the best balance possible. I call it spoon feeding. Throughout the season I add a cup full or a couple of cups full of water-soluble fertilizer.

“You must have it pretty close to right to start with, or else you’re going to be chasing your tail.”

Crews credits his family, friends and employer with providing support. His wife, Tina, said he’s very determined.

“He takes more than just pumpkins to Smoky Lake,” she said. “He has taken squash, he has taken his field pumpkins that are different from the Atlantic Giant.”

It’s a labour of love but the seeds of that passion were planted long ago.

“I don’t think I would’ve become a gardener if my mom hadn’t always been planting stuff,” said Crew.

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