A well-known Ontario potato breeder is looking to enlist participants in the production of potato minitubers. Peter VanderZaag, a potato breeder with Sunrise Potato in Alliston, Ont., gave a presentation on minituber production at the Ontario Potato Conference March 2 in Guelph. With the impending closure of the University of Guelph’s SPUD Unit in New […] Read more
Potato industry looking to diversify mini-tuber production
With closure of SPUD Unit, industry considers options
New sustainable soybean program launched
Voluntary program aims to drive new market opportunities for growers and value chain
A new national and voluntary sustainability program has been launched to ensure Canadian soybean growers, grain handlers and exporters have continued access to premium markets. The Sustainable Canadian Soy program was designed to meet the needs of soybean customers and drive new market opportunities, said Soy Canada executive director Brian Innes during the program’s official […] Read more
Editorial: Budgets lacking for farmers
There is always a sense of trepidation when a government announces it will table its annual budget. Many industries, agriculture included, hold their collective breath in anticipation of seeing whether their lobby efforts come to fruition. The Ontario government released its 2023 budget on March 23. Overall, public spending will increase a little over two […] Read more
Editorial: U.S. looks to revive COOL
Should we be able to judge a food by its ‘cover’? Regulatory agencies and policy makers think so. The ‘cover’ in this case is not the company branding on the product packaging, but the labels used to inform consumers where a food originated, or what it contains or doesn’t contain. Last July Health Canada published […] Read more
Editorial: We need to celebrate agriculture each and every day
Canada’s Agriculture Day was celebrated last month for the seventh consecutive year. One word came my mind this agriculture day, Feb. 15, as I received information from groups via email and watched social media channels. That word was ‘meh.’ My lacklustre response made me ponder whether we still need an official day to celebrate Canadian […] Read more
Controlling weeds in organic production a continual learning process
It’s about trial and error, and what works on your farm
Although their operations differ in size and geographic location, two organic growers agree that to get ahead of weeds before they rob yields, crop rotation and always keeping soil covered is key. Jamie Israel of 3Gen Organics in Mapleton Township and Rick Clark of Williamsport, Indiana, were featured speakers at a recent Guelph Organic Conference […] Read more
Opinion: Food insecurity costs
Walking into the grocery store in the past few months has become a source of anxiety for many Canadians. I know my heart skips a beat when I see the grand total at the bottom of the receipt, which seems to climb higher with every store visit despite not making any significant changes in what […] Read more
Editorial: Shaping a new green revolution
The term ‘green revolution’ was first coined in 1968 by William S. Gaud, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, to reflect the technology transfer initiatives that led to increased crop yields and production after the Second World War. By the late 1960s, farmers in developed countries had adopted and incorporated high-yielding varieties of […] Read more
DFO acknowledges Christmas milk pickup communication errors at annual meeting
Organization optimistic for future and focused on growing consumption amongst younger generation
It was “quite a year” for Ontario dairy farmers, Dairy Farmers of Ontario chair Murray Sherk said Jan. 18 in his address to delegates at the organizations’ annual meeting in Toronto. As the industry emerges from the pandemic, supply chains remain challenged and the war in Ukraine and global instability have caused higher fuel and […] Read more
Opinion: One Health approach gaining ground, and it’s about time
I don’t always agree with Sylvain Charlebois has to say, but I do agree with him on one thing — that avian influenza deserves more attention than it has been receiving. In a commentary written less than two weeks before Christmas titled “Let’s Talk Turkey”, the professor in food distribution policy and senior director of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
