The Canadian and Ontario governments are investing more than $1 billion in new money to remove “Can you hear me now?” from the lexicon of rural and Northern Ontario residents. Why it matters: Reliable, high speed internet is critical as more rural residents and farmers conduct business on-line. As part of the province’s 2020 budget […] Read more
News — page 357
Billion-dollar boost for broadband internet
Provincial and federal governments put more money into linking rural areas
Food system support soars
Response to COVID-19 food challenges built greater confidence among consumers
A new report says Canadians have more confidence than ever in the food system, but concerns remain over rising costs. In its 2020 Public Trust Research Report, Trends in Trust and the Path Forward, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity reported that 47 per cent of those surveyed said they were confident in the overall […] Read more
Agriculture gets numerous Ontario budget mentions
Foreign worker community settlement gets funding
Agriculture was one of the few sectors outside of health mentioned in Ontario’s 2020 budget. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said the budget predominantly focused on health care as part of its COVID-19 response but also recognized the importance of agriculture. Why it matters: When policy-makers specifically cite agriculture in the […] Read more
Editorial: New technology showing up in COVID vaccines
mRNA vaccines could be more effective and efficient
Humans can be incredibly innovative, but it often takes a crisis to make that happen. There are technologies or simply process changes that people know about but haven’t had the impetus to implement, whether because of human or technological barriers. A good example is the mRNA vaccines which quickly have become the leading candidates for […] Read more
Province bumps Ontario ethanol requirements
The use of ethanol in fuel will increase gradually over the next 10 years
The ethanol market for Ontario grain will continue to grow with the announcement that the provincial government is mandating an increase to 15 per cent ethanol in regular-grade fuel. The Ontario government is promoting the increase in ethanol as a way to reduce a megaton of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2030, which it […] Read more
DLF Pickseed Canada introduces new corn hybrids in wide maturities
DLF Pickseed Canada is releasing two new corn hybrids for 2021, which fit at either end of the maturity spectrum. A new 2100 heat unit hybrid won’t find as much usage in Ontario, but there’s also a new 99 day relative maturity hybrid that will, says Sylvia Megens, manager of product development with DLF Pickseed […] Read more
Simplifying dairy logistics with Canadian start-up technology
Milk Moovement tracks shipments and gets information quickly to farmers
A powerful tool that streamlines dairy supply chain logistics has landed an Atlantic Canada start-up coveted spots in a couple of big-name agriculture technology accelerators. Milk Moovement is the only Canadian company that is part of the current cohort of the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator in Minneapolis, and one of only two Canadian start-ups […] Read more
Investments continue to drive Syngenta growth
Company leaders say helping farmers manage risks will build relationships into the future
The contrast in agriculture between Canada and the United States was made obvious during a summary of the year in agriculture by Syngenta’s North American leadership. “In Canada overall, the weather was better than average, after we had a couple of challenging years,” said Trevor Heck, president of Syngenta Canada during a recent Syngenta media […] Read more
Food system change accelerates
Disruptive business trends and public awareness hit the fast lane in 2020
Times of crises accelerate innovation and the pace of change – and the world is still in the middle of one of the biggest global upheavals of the past 100 years. As the Canadian public contended with empty store shelves for the first time in living memory, that change came in the form of acute […] Read more
Looking outside of agriculture for a future workforce
COVID-19 has shown that workers don’t have to be in offices – or rural areas — to be effective
COVID-19 could be an opportunity to bring new and diverse talent into the agriculture sector, as companies learn that geography is not a limit to many jobs. Trevor Heck, president of Syngenta Canada said during a recent panel on the future workforce in Canadian agriculture that traditionally companies have hired near their head office or […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
