What does Canada’s agriculture and food sector need to do to insulate itself from major disruptions? According to the latest Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) report “A Toolbox for Managing Crises,” farmers, federal policy makers, and everyone in between needs to stop working in isolation to extinguish individual fires, and adopt a more dynamic approach […] Read more
Tag Archives sustainability — page 5
Needed: a long-term vision for Canadian agriculture
Greater collaboration, consultation, and issue ownership required to manage major disruption, says report
Are yield and sustainability natural enemies?
For the farmer, maximizing production might not be the best strategy
Productivity has long been the main focus of agricultural research in Canada – more bushels of grain, more pounds of beef, more litres of milk, all in aid of competitiveness and profitability. Now there’s a new research priority on the block: sustainability, which often clashes with the deeply held belief that yield should dominate. In […] Read more
German farmers use innovation to help meet sustainability targets
The European Union has set some tough targets in its Farm to Fork strategy
Sustainable production is the latest focus in agriculture as countries around the world look for ways to deal with climate change. The European Union’s Farm to Fork strategy, for example, spells out ambitious goals for sustainable food production. Among its targets by 2030 are reducing chemical pesticide and antimicrobial use by 50 per cent and […] Read more
Funding set to improve Ontario deadstock removal, disposal
Application intake open as of Sept. 21
Ontario’s livestock producers could see more and improved options for pickup and sustainable disposal of deadstock through a new federal/provincial program now on offer. The Ontario and federal governments on Thursday opened the intake for applications under what they’re calling the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative, budgeted for $1.5 million over two years. The program, to […] Read more
Editorial: Livestock has a sustainability role, too
The emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been the dominating subject in agriculture for quite some time, and will likely continue. I am inundated with notices of events and press releases on how farmers can reduce emissions by employing varying cropping practices, and what new technology can help them do this is on the […] Read more
U.K. firm to process meats in Canada for Walmart
Plant would be Hilton Foods' first in North America
A British-based firm processing proteins for the retail and foodservice sectors plans to set up shop somewhere in Eastern Canada, after reaching a deal to supply meat products to Walmart’s Canadian grocery business. Hilton Food Group announced Thursday it plans to open a new manufacturing plant in that region to supply Walmart Supercentres in Canada […] Read more
New living lab announced for Ontario
A new living lab is being created in Ontario with funding assistance from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC). Led by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), this living lab project represents an investment of up to $9.2 million over five years from the federal government under the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) – Living Labs program. […] Read more
Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund supports projects on over 130,000 acres of farmland
The Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) allocated over $22 million in cost-share funding to successful applications during the 2022 and 2023 intake periods. The OFCAF provides cost-share funding to farmers to support the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) that tackle climate change through reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting increased carbon […] Read more
Monitoring dairy cows’ water use has benefits
Maximizing water use efficiency should be a priority, says AAFC researcher
Small changes can pay big dividends in water use on dairy farms, both financially and in preserving water quality and supply. Determining where to make those changes often takes careful monitoring and investigation. That was one of the messages delivered during the Southwestern Ontario Dairy Symposium earlier this year by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher […] Read more
Province allocates $6 million towards restoring Great Lakes
The Ontario government is investing $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects to help protect, conserve and restore the Great Lakes. Funding was announced July 17 by David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, at Kaiser Lake Farms in Greater Napanee. Piccini said in a release the projects will improve water quality, reduce […] Read more
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