The Government of Ontario, in partnership with the federal government, has launched a $2.5 million initiative to expand the agri-food sector online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding, through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is earmarked for food producers, farmers markets, retailers, garden centres, greenhouses, nurseries, and agricultural associations to develop an online business, providing… Read More
Category: Food
The far east of eastern Ontario is set to host a brand-new federally inspected livestock and food processing facility as of 2022. The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) has announced the creation of a food hub, in partnership with the private sector. The UCPR will build a federally-inspected slaughterhouse, for both red meat… Read More
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, people are trying to compare this situation to what’s happened in the past. From a health perspective, there are parallels to the 1918 Spanish Flu; but from an economic standpoint, many are bringing up the early eighties and even the Great Depression of the ’30s. My grandfathers lived through… Read More
U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled his three-step plan to re-open the economy, entitled “Opening up America Again.” Along with the announcement, the president has started encouraging political allies to “liberate” certain states that have shelter-in-place (social distancing) measures currently in effect. There’s no question, the economic impact of social distancing is very evident in… Read More
Chicken Farmers of Canada’s board of directors has adjusted the May to July chicken allocation by 12.6 per cent nationally, to reduce production in an effort to address lower demand for chicken from restaurants and food service providers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in production will be highest in Ontario, Quebec,… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is asking the federal government for “immediate, meaningful help” for Canada’s food and farming industry. During a press conference, Mary Robinson, president of the CFA, warned that without immediate assistance from the federal government, the Canadian agriculture sector cannot ensure our domestic food supply will remain secure for the… Read More
Forty-five farms in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota are headed into their second growing season working with General Mills on the adoption of “regenerative agriculture” practices as they grow oats for the multi-national food company. The three-year Regenerative Oat Pilot project, which involves more than 50 thousand acres, was launched last year as part of… Read More
It’s safe to say there is a tonne of focus on what is going on in the grocery market right now — from toilet paper, to flour, to ribeyes. As restaurants have closed or shut down due to COVID-19, there has been a huge shift to food purchases at the grocery store. Kevin Grier, with… Read More
Meat coolers are going to look a lot different as we navigate COVID-19, but according to the Canadian Meat Council, each step of the livestock processing chain is collaborating, communicating, and committed to keeping food moving to grocery stores. Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, says the livestock processing sector is… Read More
As of April 13, the Government of Canada is allocating $50 million to help farmers, fish harvesters, and all food production and processing employers with support for temporary foreign workers. Even before COVID-19 was an issue, the agriculture and food sectors already faced significant labour shortages. The advent of COVID-19 has delayed many temporary foreign… Read More