Farmers markets have exploded into the mainstream with the public’s increased attention on the supply of food. Traditionally this has been where farmer’s that are interested in direct marketing their production can gather with consumers to due business. Dr. John Kelly, VP of Erie Innovation and Commercialization discussed his study to improve the distribution of… Read More
Traceability has become a word that farmers are much more familiar with over the past ten years. Many farmers used to think that their responsibility ended at the farm gate. Many would say that this is no longer the case while some people content all of this is about pushing liability down the value chain…. Read More
As you all know the debate around food safety continues to rage on. As we have discussed on this site before, the debate many times comes down to the discussion around combating the theory by many consumers that organic food is more healthy and better for the environment. What we see on tv is people… Read More
Emotion is a powerful thing. Many people make decisions based on emotion and not science. There is some irony in all of this based on our scientific knowledge has never been higher. We know more about the genome of plants than ever before in our history. Yet at the same time emotions are high and… Read More
This was originally written by Lillian Schaer on her blog “Food and Farming Canada“ This post is a continuation from yesterday€™s H1N1 topic that explored Alberta Pork€™s experiences at the centre of the H1N1 media storm earlier this year. The information is based on a presentation I attended by Lee Funke of Torque Communications at… Read More
At the Elanco Beef Consultants Forum this month I had the chance to interview Dr. Daryl Tatum, a meat scientist from Colorado State University. We had a chance to chat about some of the issues with the gap between consumers and producers with meat quality and production. Dr.Tatum addressees the issue of the industry achieving efficiencies and… Read More
There was a time when agriculture and food were sacred topics to the public. People were either on the farm or one generation removed which instilled a connection to the source of the food that we eat. In the past five years that has definitely changed as many food activists have begun attacking the large… Read More
I had a subscription to TIME magazine and I will be cancelling it based on the unfounded rhetoric the magazine has recently published. Writer Brian Walsh penned the cover story entitled, “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” To say that this one sided article has raised the ire of the agricultural industry would be an… Read More
At the International Livestock Congress, I spoke to Dennis Laycraft, Executive Vice President with the Canadian Cattlemans Association about the future realities of MCOOL. Many livestock producers on both sides of the border are very curious at to what will be the impact of this legislation. I have heard several Americans call MCOOL not food… Read More
Dr. Bruce German has done some fascinating research on milk and the affect that it has on our diet. In this interview Dr. German talk about milk and the personalized diet. I find that Dr. German is very interesting and provides real food for thought and it is backed up with years of research. More… Read More
With the event of H1N1 poultry food safety has become a very popular topic amongst the general public not just agriculturalists. At the International Livestock Congress in Calgary, I talked to Barbara Beane of KFC about how KFC is bringing innovative and new products to the marketplace. We also discussed how KFC manages food safety. Check out additional International… Read More
There is increased press and interest in the concept of “urban farms.” The preached benefits are community support, less fossil fuel use and the ever popular “its safer food.”Where I think we have crossed the line of common sense is that some cities in Ontario allow back yard chicken coops for urban egg production. People… Read More
Food education is something that is very lacking in today’s’ society. Sorting out the definitions of organic, natural, transgenic, or biotech can be a bit hefty for those of us in the industry…never mind the consumer. Much of what we see at the grocery store today is more about marketing than anything to do with… Read More
Pigs are a host for the H1N1 virus, and yet while no pigs died directly because of the virus, it was called €œswine flu€ and the news story became focused on food safety. It sprung a lot of attention onto concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) as if the food supply is not safe anymore because… Read More
Since H1N1 became an issue there has been a lot of speculation and sensationalism around whether or not it is safe to consume pork. We even had a hog farm in Alberta quarantined to contain the virus from spreading to neighboring farms. I first saw Dr. Cate Dewey, University of Guelph, on the CBC National… Read More