The pace of change in Canada’s food system might have accelerated under pandemic pressure, but will alterations to our personal relationship to food really stick? In some ways yes, but likely not everything. According to a meta-analysis of purchasing trends grocers, farmers, and other purveyors will have to wrangle with a combination of new, lasting […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19 — page 20
Opportunities in a new food relationship
Not every pandemic-induced food trend will stick, but buying Canadian is one that should
Ontario farmland value growth lower than national average
Some areas of the province, especially around cities, saw higher farmland value increase
A tight market for farmland in Canada and good crop prices continue to drive increasing land value, although the increase in Ontario in 2020 was lower than in 2019. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) recently released its 2020 farmland value report, which showed a 4.7 per cent increase in Ontario values, compared to a 6.7 per […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs set new contract highs
June hogs turn lower before close
Chicago | Reuters — Strong meat demand pushed U.S. live cattle and lean hog futures to new contract highs on Monday. The cattle market benefited from increasing demand for beef as the U.S. is entering the summer grilling season, analysts said. Prices for choice cuts of boxed beef soared by $5.82, to $258.67/cwt, while select […] Read more
U.S. pork processors face higher costs, slower speeds after court ruling
Chicago | Reuters — An industry group representing America’s biggest meatpackers on Thursday pushed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to appeal a federal court decision that canceled an agency rule that allows pork plants to slaughter pigs more quickly. The decision issued Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota could raise costs for meatpackers like […] Read more
Ontario farmers protest strict regional worker COVID protocols
Inconsistent application of standards puts some farmers at a disadvantage
Farmers reliant on foreign workers are becoming more active in protesting regional variations in worker protocols relating to COVID-19. They took their tractors to Simcoe streets recently to protest regional quarantine requirements and a federal switch in testing procedures. Farmers in Haldimand and Norfolk counties are especially concerned with steps taken by their local medical […] Read more
Processing veg growers align with marketing act changes
OPVG updates governance, continues research investments
The subjects of policy and structural change dominated the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) first virtual annual general meeting. The March 30 session began with a general message of support from provincial agriculture minister Ernie Hardeman, in which he highlighted the provincial government’s plan to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for farm and food sector workers. Why […] Read more
Online driven home delivery of local food products spells opportunity
FreshSpoke connects producers of food with local markets, home delivery and retailers
COVID-19 has been challenging for many businesses but for some, the pandemic has also presented new opportunities. One such company is FreshSpoke, an online Ontario wholesale marketplace for local food that has expanded into home delivery and curbside pickup in response to consumer shopping behaviour changes. That expansion has also had positive impacts right back […] Read more
Farms pivot to guard finances during COVID
Farms have been forced to make changes, with varying levels of success
Agri-food Management Excellence (AME) is looking to the experiences of graduates of its CTEAM (Canadian Total Excellence in Agricultural Management) program to better understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector’s finances. Norfolk County cash crop and horticulture producer Brett Schuyler, Staffa-area sheep farmer Sandi Brock, and Oxford County goat dairy producer Cheryl […] Read more
JBS profit bolstered by weak currency, strong Chinese and U.S. markets
China became third largest beef export market for JBS Canada, company says
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Meat processor JBS SA’s fourth-quarter profit rose 65 per cent from a year earlier, boosted by strong food sales in China and the U.S. and a sharp devaluation of Brazil’s real currency, the company said in a securities filing on Wednesday. For full-year 2020 its profit was 4.6 billion reais, […] Read more
Hog market recovering from pandemic lows
China again a major driver of hog values
MarketsFarm — In April 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for lean hog futures dropped to their lowest point since 2002, falling below US$40 per hundredweight. Nearly a year later, the industry is in the middle of a speedy recovery. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Thursday, lean hog futures […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
