Now in its 11th year, September 26 – October 3, 2014 marks National Biotechnology Week. Initiated by BIOTECanada (the national biotechnology industry association), this week is a dedication to exploring biotech across sectors and across Canada, with events including lectures, tours, networking and workshops (a full list of events here). Of course, biotechnology has and does play a massive role… Read More
Category: Food
Last month, I had the opportunity to head to Scotland’s Aberdeenshire for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists congress. While there, I received requests to document some of the differences in prices and availability of food products. Instead of writing a comprehensive report outlining the experience (boring!), I decided to do a vlog, which is totally… Read More
Originally announced last fall as part of the Local Food Act, Ontario’s agriculture minister Jeff Leal was on location today to formally roll out a tax credit for farmers who donate food to food banks. The “Food Donation Tax Credit for Farmers” gives farmers a tax credit valued at 25% of the fair market value… Read More
For Mary Carver, a professional home economist, it is hard to imagine — a 20 year old that doesn’t know how to crack an egg; a shopper wondering why he couldn’t find bananas local to Ottawa; a senior no longer eating eggs because her doctor had told her to stop eating dairy products. The stories… Read More
If you leave Dyce, Scotland in a northeasterly direction, you’ll no doubt end up along the North Sea’s coastline. You’ll pass Donald Trump’s controversial golf course along the A90, infamously known by environmentalists, many of whom opposed its start up and watched closely as Trump took his opposition to an experimental offshore wind farm to… Read More
We bring you “This Week on Real Ag” for September 18th, as Kelvin Heppner recaps some of the bigger ag stories from the past seven days. This week’s podcast includes updates on harvest, railway and government relations, grain markets and COOL, as well as some dialogue about A&W’s new egg marketing campaign. Oh and of course,… Read More
I must confess — I’m icked out by the word “animal byproduct”. There, I said it. That doesn’t mean I don’t understand what a byproduct is, nor does it mean I think byproducts shouldn’t find a home in animal or pet foods — these are safe, nutrient-dense feed ingredients — but in a world of… Read More
Thousands of Winnipeggers and non-farming Manitobans will leave their homes intent on seeing and smelling where their food comes from this weekend. For the last five years, the Manitoba government has organized and promoted an annual “Open Farm Day,” which will be held on Sunday (a similar event will also be held this weekend in Nova… Read More
If you support research-based solutions to agricultural challenges, rejoice. A new report from a group called the Council of Canadian Academies says Canadians have the lowest level of reservation toward science among 17 countries considered. That’s heartening for the pro-science crowd. It runs counter to the growing belief that precaution is prevailing among Canadians, rather… Read More
In what can only be described as the best news story this editor has posted all week, Farmery Brewery has announced its Farmery premium lager will be available in Saskatchewan. Farmery Estate Brewery is a Manitoba- (and farm)-based company that uses its own farm-grown barley and hops to brew its premium lager. The company is… Read More