100 years ago, Norman Borlaug was born. An American scientist and researcher, Borlaug won the Noble Peace Prize in 1970 for his lifetime of work aimed at feeding the hungry through advancements in agriculture. Today, dubbed AgDay in the U.S., Borlaug will be honoured with a statue unveiled in the nation's capitol, and research organizations... Read More
Category: Food
Soy-based personal lubricant, biodegradable wound care and an antimicrobial food film won top prizes in this year’s Project SOY (Soybean Opportunities for Youth) competition for University of Guelph students. The 18th annual event, held last week, showcased 16 projects from 26 U of G students from the Guelph, Alfred, Kemptville and Ridgetown campuses. Students won... Read More
If agriculture is going to work towards providing quality food for informed consumers, we can't be throwing each production system under the bus. Conventional agriculture needs to respect organic production as a valid production system (and a valid consumer choice), and organic producers need to stop vilifying conventional production and using misleading and down-right false... Read More
When I buy beef from my neighbourhood butcher in Guelph, I don’t chisel him on price. He sells excellent beef, and he and his suppliers deserve decent money for connecting with the cattle farmers who produce it. If I have to cut corners, I’ll save on some other part of the meal — for example,... Read More
Shaun Haney talks to Kevin Grier from the George Morris Center about the demand challenges for retail beef in 2014. Kevin has been doing some interesting research on how much beef is featured in grocery store fliers and he is not liking the trend. One of the big indications for beef demand is always the... Read More
Beef Advocacy Canada has launched its advocacy and education program. Canada Beef and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) along with funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Association (ALMA), have brought together industry partners to develop a comprehensive program that will walk future beef advocates through the entire industry from gate to plate, a press... Read More
The picture to the left was shared with me by Cami Ryan. Several thoughts and rants come to mind as I look at this marketing campaign. Has marketing always been this dishonest? Have consumers always been so led astray? Are we all just pawns in the game of food marketing? I find it quite ironic... Read More
Combine living and working in the "information age" with the greatest variety of choice the consumer has ever seen and you've got yourself a unique set of first-world problems. For the farmer, that essentially boils down to marketing problems. There is not only a large volume of information available to the consumer, but a demand... Read More
Although porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) DNA was found in pig feed common to the majority of infected farms that had been found by early February in Ontario, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) cannot confirm the feed is the vector by which the disease entered these farms. The feed manufacturer in question, Grand Valley... Read More
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture hosted the 2014 Agriculture Trade Summit in Saskatoon in early February. It was there that I met Jennifer Higginson, deputy director of the trade negotiations division of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Higginson's presentation dealt largely with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), citing an eventual elimination of over 95%... Read More