(iStock photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Increased demand seen, but problems loom

MarketsFarm — Unlike other commodities, pulses aren’t yet feeling ill effects from an economic downturn due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, according to Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. With consumers panic-buying, there has been increased demand for pulses, as many are non-perishable, Mosnaim said. “These products will be there for ages,” he said, […] Read more

Minnesota farmer Zach Johnson poses for a picture with one of his fans.

Opinion: Telling them like it is on the farm

Minnesota’s Millennial Farmer doesn’t worry about telling his side of the story. He just tells people what he does

Farmer Zach Johnson is smart, funny and just as comfortable posing for photos with his many fans as a sports star. But he’s not famous because he makes millions of dollars scoring points through the goal posts. His claim to fame is being an ordinary farmer — just a regular guy who makes his living […] Read more

Granvita is Grupo Vida’s consumer oats brand, including breakfast cereals, snacks, granola, oatmeal, oat flakes and oat milk. (Granvita.com)

Mexico wants Canadian oats

MarketsFarm — Mexico’s largest oat manufacturer is calling for Canadian oat producers to explore new varieties and increase acreage in order to keep up with global demand. Jorge Sanchez, chief financial officer of Mexico’s Corporativo Grupo Vida Internacional, said Canada’s oat crops need to “adapt to changing growing conditions” in order to meet world demand, […] Read more

Cattle and pasture help to sequester carbon.

Taking the sustainability discussion to the city

An event in Toronto’s centre emphasized the complexity of farm ecosystems

Farm and Food Care has taken urban dieticians and food influencers out to farms across the province with its annual bus tours. The organization recently went the other direction to the centre of the city, hosting an agriculture sustainability discussion at the Royal Ontario Museum that challenged conventional urban wisdom about beef production. Why it […] Read more


Editorial: Selling the story of food to reach consumers

There are several forces driving change in the way consumers act, and food companies and farmers need to make sure they’re ahead of them. At this point they are not, and are stuck in traditional boxes that are constraining to growth. The world is connecting via digital and social media into like-minded cabals. For whatever […] Read more

Pork baby back ribs. (Grandriver/Getty Images)

Packers win dismissal of U.S. pork price-fixing suits

Reuters — A federal judge on Thursday dismissed antitrust lawsuits accusing several large U.S. pork companies of conspiring to limit the supply of pork to inflate prices and their own profits at the expense of consumers and other purchasers. Chief Judge John Tunheim of the federal court in Minneapolis said the plaintiffs failed to show […] Read more

Survey finds support for agriculture

Canadian consumers are confident in safety of food produced in Canada, says a recent survey. Grassroots Public Affairs recently surveyed 1002 Canadians in an online survey and found that: Nine-in-10 Canadians from coast to coast are either very or somewhat confident in the safety of food grown or produced in Canada; less so 64 per cent […] Read more


A recent study found that key conversations Canadians were having online in relations to food involved cannabis, climate change, genetically modified foods, and organics.

Social conversation tool shows importance of timely discussions

The tool identified times that the agriculture sector should be more engaged in online conversations

A new study provides further understanding into the tides of public opinion around Canadian food, how it’s grown, and the relationship consumers want with farmers and those that process their food. Public opinion: a study of Canadian conversations online on food and farming led by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI), uncovered how food, […] Read more

Dan Gardner, consultant and New York Times best-selling author of Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear and co-lead of The Risk Communications practice at TacTix.

How our brains analyze risk may help to open conversation to consumers

Language and method of delivery matter in the ability to overcome emotional responses

Dan Gardner, a New York Times best-selling author, explained at a recent food integrity forum that knowing how the human brain works when analyzing risk can be used to open conversations between producers and consumers. He told those attending the 2019 Canadian Centre for Food Integrity Food System Forum Series, that the consumer is becoming […] Read more