Category: Food

The great thing about social media — like Twitter and Facebook — is that it provides a megaphone for farmers, a group of people who have struggled for decades to be heard by consumers. The flipside is, of course, that technology doesn’t discriminate; a megaphone for farmers is a megaphone for everybody else, too. Which… Read More

If you’re looking to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of Canadian agriculture, this week’s podcast runs the gamut — from seed companies collecting end point royalties to why some weeds are more prone to herbicide resistance to why McDonald’s is looking to Canada for “sustainable beef.” Here’s “This Week on Real… Read More

Not surprisingly, like any livestock farmer I’ve ever met, you’ll find me enjoying a glass of milk, a steak or a hard-boiled egg on any given day. And as a conventional farmer, I believe in the safety of the food system I produce for, so am not likely to buy organic. They are things I’ve… Read More

A full-court press, led by Canadian mushroom growers, is on to try to stop hundreds of foreign workers specially trained for agriculture jobs in Canada from having to leave. On April 1, a federally mandated rule kicks in that requires them go home if they’ve been here four years. And it’s going to affect the… Read More

As part of McDonald’s 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability Framework, the company has commited to begin purchasing a portion of verified sustainable beef in 2016. Using principles and criteria approved by the Global and Canadian Roundtables for Sustainable Beef, the company is currently recruiting for the pilot project. “When you look at consumer data, there’s… Read More

Rob Meijer, president of Canada Beef Inc, gives an explanation of The RoundUp App, and some insights into the hope for future versions. Canada Beef Inc and BTI Brand Innovations have created an app to help consumers find, cook and learn about beef. Get the “Roundup App” and learn how to buy & cook delicious… Read More

Fear is often based in misunderstanding — no one wants to be seen a fool, or, worse yet, no one wants to make a mistake. Our information-saturated worlds have collided with a new-found interest in food and health at a time when the average consumer doesn’t have a strong understanding of science and chemistry. This… Read More

While many ranchers and producers visibly cringed at the announced positive BSE case found in northern Alberta earlier this month, the cattle markets barely seemed to bat an eye. Why was that? A rather under the weather Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, joins Real Agriculture’s Shaun Haney on this latest Beef Market Update to talk… Read More

With increasing scrutiny from both the public and regulators, it’s up to people involved in animal agriculture to explain how and why they use antibiotics, says a veterinary epidemiologist from southeast Saskatchewan. While media reports have been critical about antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production, Leigh Rosengren of Midale-based Rosengren Epidemiology Consulting says Canadian producers… Read More

Last week’s announcement of a new BSE case in Canada involving a cow born in 2009 has many in the beef industry nervously watching cattle prices and fearing border closures. This is a very natural reaction based on what transpired in May 2003 —the American border closure bankrupted many and financially crippled still more ranchers… Read More