Reading Time: 4 minutes The drought may be over but water continues to be a top-of-mind issue in California — particularly for its US$50 billion a year agriculture sector. Most of the state’s rainfall happens in the north and most consumption in the agricultural and urbanized south, which has created a complex water distribution network anchored by two main […] Read more
Author Archives
Managing water for farming on a large scale
California’s most recent drought has pushed farmers to become more water-use efficient
Growing trees that last
Ontario innovation helps with costly problem for municipalities and growers
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is no denying the benefits of planting trees. From giving off oxygen we need to breathe and providing shade and habitat, to beautification, reducing erosion and pollution, and minimizing storm water runoff, trees add tremendous value to our landscapes. Many municipalities have very active planting programs — it’s estimated, for example, that the City […] Read more
Guelph asparagus variety has transformed the Ontario sector
University of Guelph recognizes breeder Dave Wolyn’s work with Innovation of the Year honours
Reading Time: 3 minutes When a new asparagus variety was introduced in Ontario almost 20 years ago, no one, including its breeder, had any idea of the transformative impact it would have on an entire sector. Launched in 2000, Guelph Millennium marked not only the start of a new millennium — but also a new era for Ontario’s asparagus […] Read more
Nanotechnology breathing new life into existing crop protection products
A Canadian company creates ways that can help the products to be transported or work better
Reading Time: 3 minutes A University of Toronto graduate school project is now extending the life of widely used crop protection products. Vive Crop Protection’s trademarked Allosperse Delivery System uses nanotechnology to create new application methods for existing biological and conventional crop protection products. Why it matters: With few fully new chemicals coming to market, making existing products work […] Read more
Expanded focus gives agricultural research clusters more diversity
Automation, grape and wine, and small acreage field crops among new research funding
Reading Time: 4 minutes Five new research areas were added to the national research cluster program when it was launched last year by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Automation, grape and wine, diverse field crops, integrated crop agronomy and biomass were added to the existing cluster program. The cluster program started in 2008 under Growing Forward and was expanded under […] Read more
Online platform simplifies the local food supply chain
Local Line connects food buyers and sellers and is now helping with transportation logistics
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’re a farmer selling products directly to consumers, restaurants or retail locations, an Ontario company believes it can simplify your process with an online platform. Local Line is an online selling platform for local food suppliers designed to help automate and streamline order fulfillment, inventory management and delivery. It started as a match-making service […] Read more
Locally designed mask offers better breathing on the farm
Farmers finding an Ontario-designed mask aimed at the Chinese market helpful
Reading Time: 3 minutes Agriculture wasn’t the target market when Peter Whitby and Richard Szasz first hit upon the idea of creating a better air filtration mask while on a trip to China. In fact, O2 Canada had it sights set firmly on Asia and its notoriously polluted air as the best place to make a difference in how […] Read more
Emerging potato varieties aim to put more pop into potato market
Federal government overhauling national potato research program to make it more responsive to industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes The latest potato varieties being evaluated for the Ontario market were on display at the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station in late August for interested growers and industry representatives. The majority were from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada potato breeding program in Fredericton, which annually provides cultivars with potential for Ontario’s climate and growing […] Read more
New tender fruit varieties are just peachy
Harvest window, flavour and climate hardiness among most sought-after characteristics
Reading Time: 4 minutes An early ripening, yellow-flesh peach will be moving into first stage commercialization next year. It’s among several promising new tender fruit varieties from the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) breeding programs that are emerging as potential winners in research under way at Vineland Research Innovation Centre (Vineland) in conjunction with Ontario […] Read more
Cold climate apples and grapes put University of Minnesota on the map
The work on cold climate fruit will have an effect on cultivars grown in Ontario, including Honeycrisp apples
Reading Time: 5 minutes As we head into fall, the name Honeycrisp will be on many consumers’ minds. The highly sought-after apple is arguably the most popular among the 27 varieties released by the University of Minnesota apple breeding program since its inception 111 years ago. Less well known, but nonetheless starting to make an impact on tourism and […] Read more
