A street scene photographed back in Britain’s horse-and-buggy days is symbolic of how the world has traditionally looked upon Canada as a food exporter. “Canada: Britain’s granary” is boldly splayed across a decorative archway on a busy avenue. And it was a granary of sorts, just as it is today. As much as Canadians see […] Read more
Author Archives
Opinion: Growing Canada’s domestic market a vital strategy
Focusing less on exports and more on people could help Canada become a global super power
Opinion: We can’t force the Chinese to buy our crops
We can, however, take steps to reduce the sector’s vulnerability to a big customer’s mood swings
Canadian canola farmers find themselves in a tough spot this spring as the snow disappears and they look across those vast empty fields, many of which, under normal circumstances, would be boasting pretty yellow flowers by mid-July. Canola surpassed wheat a few years back as the largest contributor to farm cash receipts from crops by […] Read more
Autonomous technology hamstrung by liability risks
Just about anyone can build a self-driving implement using open source software, but “your insurance company is going to puke”
For farmer and inventor Brian Tischler, the question isn’t whether autonomous tractors are cool, possible, or useful — it’s how to overcome the liability risk if something goes wrong. Tischler told farmers attending CropConnect in Winnipeg recently it’s possible to build your own self-driving vehicle for around $1,000 using open-source software. He’s done it. That’s […] Read more
CAPI report focuses on quality of export growth
Exports are part of the agri-food sector’s journey — not the destination
There was heady excitement last year when the federal government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, led by Dominic Barton, identified agriculture as one of six sectors that could lead this country’s economy over the next decade. The prevailing response from within the sector was that ‘finally,’ agriculture is being acknowledged for the economic powerhouse it […] Read more
Opinion: What’s for dinner? Re-imagining leftovers
Now we can all help the world’s second largest meat processor fight food waste
Sometimes deciding what to feed the family after a long, arduous day juggling daycare, jobs and traffic seems overwhelmingly complicated. If the May 31 news release from the U.S.-based Tyson Innovation Lab is any indication, deciding what we’re going to put into our mouths next is about to get more cluttered with new products, new […] Read more
Innovative egg-scanning technology moves closer to commercialization
Identifying the gender of eggs before they begin incubation saves costs, reduces waste and improves animal welfare
Commercialization of new technology that determines the gender of chicks before they are incubated is getting a $844,000 boost from Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay has announced. The funds will help Egg Farmers of Ontario test and develop a patented egg-scanning technology called the Hypereye at the pre-commercialization […] Read more
Bacon doesn’t contain gluten, so why the gluten-free label?
Labelling can help consumers make choices but it can also be used to confuse them
It was enough to spoil my breakfast. As I opened a package of bacon to cook while camping on the holiday weekend, I learned from the label that it was “gluten-free.” Gluten-free bacon? I was confused. Since when does bacon, which comes from animals, contain gluten, which is one of the components of the proteins […] Read more
Opinion: Farmers’ beef with A&W’s marketing practices should end
The hamburger chain is selling burgers to people who weren’t customers before
It’s time for farmers to stop hating A&W. For more than four years now, farmers have tweeted angry tweets. They’ve written nasty letters. They’ve called on all of us to boycott the burger chain since it started serving beef produced with no added hormones, eggs produced from vegetarian hens, and chicken raised without antibiotics — […] Read more
Ontario farmland price increases outpace national gains
Good crops, good prices and a strong supply management sector is fuelling demand
The average value of Ontario farmland increased 9.4 per cent in 2017, slightly ahead of the national gain of 8.4 per cent the latest price report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) says. “Ontario’s farmland value increases continued to be fuelled by the strong demand from supply-managed farm operations and cash crop producers competing for a limited […] Read more
OPINION: Why all the fuss about Canadian supply management?
Two reports shed a different light on the debate over Canada's dairy supports
Canada’s dairy system has figured prominently in the rhetorical dust storm surrounding ongoing NAFTA renegotiations. The Canadian government has so far remained steadfastly opposed to any significant change. Two documents that surfaced this week help explain why. The first, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Regulatory Economic Impact Analysis of the Final Decision to Establish a […] Read more
