May 17, 2012

Ep 2 Saiks AgriTreks: Growing Grapes for Wine Production in the Napa Valley

grapes

When we consider agriculture, we tend to think of the rougher, more industrial type. We think of large scale harvest machinery involved in the corn, cereal, pulse and oilseed production.  We also think of dairies, poultry barns and the beautiful ranches adjacent to the rocky mountains.  In many areas of the world agriculture takes a different [...]

Gary Pike: Should Supply Management Stay or Go in Canada?

dairy barn cattle

The topic of supply management has been raised in the news recently. A number of different media outlets have been examining the issues surrounding it and whether or not we would be better off with or without it. So far, all answers to those questions tend to depend what area you work in and whether [...]

PepsiCo Switches To Nexera Oil In Some of Its Major Brands

220g_Tostitos_Multigrain-1

New Coke is a formulation and a branding error that will live in infamy forever. People hate when you mess with their favourite brands. The tiniest change can make a big impact.  It’s a move that can be absolutely devastating if it’s wrong, but it’s also a move that can be extremely profitable if done [...]

Omega 9 Oil Use On The Rise In North America

CanolaField

“Healthy alternative” is one of the most popular descriptive phrases circulating in North America today. Consumers are becoming more and more health conscious as the effects of years of poor eating habits are showing themselves all over the health care system. The North American food industry has had to make some big changes over the [...]

Dairies are Different than the CWB Single Desk Issue

ontario dairy farm

Now that it looks like the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk is about to be extinguished, it seems that the main stream media has turned its focus to the Canadian Dairy industry.  Is the CWB situation the same as the supply mananged dairy industry?  Should the Canadian dairy industry be in Gerry Ritz’s cross hairs next?  [...]

Farmers Feed Cities Measures Agricultures Impact in Ontario

Farmers-feed-cities

If the numbers don’t lie, organizations like Farmers Feed Cities and the agricultural community at large have a lot of work to do. According to a recent study by that organization, 97 percent of Ontario residents agree that farming is important to the future of the province yet only 41 percent of 18 to 34 [...]

Meeting the Global Demand for Wheat

JayBradshaw_head shot

The global demand for wheat is expected to double over the next forty years – and Canada can play an important role in meeting that demand. In addition to its growing prominence on the world stage, what makes wheat truly exciting is its significant potential for technology transformation – and Canadian agriculture has the opportunity [...]

What Does the Consumer Really Want? – Theresa Dietrich

sobeys

As a livestock producer, how many times have you heard, “We need to produce what the consumer wants.” That is a simple impactful statement but is not as easy as it sounds. What does the consumer really want in its beef products? Do we know? Does the consumer know? Market research is key to finding [...]

Wheat School: Key Growth Opportunities for Canadian Wheat – Earl Geddes, CIGI

The Canadian wheat industry is changing, especially in the west. The elimination of the single desk is the key factor driving that change. Across the country, everyone involved in the industry is evaluating and strategizing in an effort to determine how this will affect their business and what they have to do to successfully adjust [...]

Patrick Moore on GMO, Sustainable Energy and Pop Environmentalism

At first glance, Patrick Moore resembles more CEO than ecologist, but give him a topic like the opposition to genetically modified crops, and you get all the emotion you’d expect from someone who helped found Greenpeace. Moores involvement with Greenpeace started in the late 1960′s in opposition to nuclear testing and the arms race and [...]