There is a lot of vacant office space in Calgary and other cities that could be converted to indoor farms, Dan Houston says.

Vacant office space may be the next frontier in Alberta farming

Company setting up indoor farm in Calgary Tower says vacant office space offers an opportunity

Reading Time: 3 minutes A prominent Calgary landmark will soon be the site of a large indoor aeroponics farming operation. About 65,000 square feet of former second-floor office space at the Calgary Tower Centre is being converted into a vertical farming operation that will grow strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy greens and melons. “The produce we’re really interested in growing […] Read more

Farmer examining young green corn maize crop plant in cultivated agricultural field

Building the foundation for a sensible food policy

We need to have strong and unbiased science to create approaches that are sensible and sustainable

Reading Time: 3 minutes Food prices are expected to stay low for the next decade or so, according to recent reports from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is good news to people who eat, which, of course, includes farmers. But it does remind us that farmers […] Read more


Piles of Trash left on the walkway in New York

Feeding the planet is challenging, dealing with its waste is even harder

Earth is becoming an urban planet and that raises a host of issues 
we’ve never had to deal with before

Reading Time: 3 minutes The migration of rural persons to cities hit a historical milestone in 2008 when urban residents outnumbered those in rural areas. The result has been congestion in cities that were ill prepared for this growth and an intense pressure on rural areas to produce more food with less people. The United Nations claims six out […] Read more

Partners Wayne Lohr and Ulf Geerds have turned their extensive experience in agriculture and horticulture into a growing vertical farming venture near Olds.

Vertical farming grows up and comes of age

Growing food without sunlight or soil is now a reality, but the economics leave little room for error

Reading Time: 6 minutes Olds-area greenhouse operator Wayne Lohr and business partner Ulf Geerds are dreaming big — they want to grow an acre of strawberries. That may not sound like a big deal until you consider that acre will take up just 360 square feet and produce strawberries year round. And even though they’re grown in racks on […] Read more


Agriprocity’s marketing model connects grain farmers directly with food processors around the world, said CEO Nicole Rogers.

Precision agriculture for your marketing plan

As part of their marketing program for Canadian grain, Agriprocity targets 
food processors in emerging markets where they can’t grow their own grain

Reading Time: 3 minutes You’ve heard of precision agriculture for growing your crop — but what about for selling it? “We like to think of our little company as precision ag from the marketing side,” said Nicole Rogers, CEO of Agriprocity. “We’re marketing more precisely and allowing those buyers to be more integrated.” Agriprocity was founded 18 months ago […] Read more

Sowing gardens — and hope for a brighter future

A school garden may seem like a small thing 
but it can make a powerful difference

Reading Time: 3 minutes This is the story of Jimboy. He is my friend from the Philippines — one of the 100 million people who live on the nation’s 300,000 square kilometres of islands. And he is making a difference. Jimboy lives in the Tagoloan region which is 19 kilometres from the capital. It is largely an agricultural area […] Read more


Close-up of various fruits and vegetables

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