Last weekend, Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz, of Brantford, Ont., were named one of two winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for the year. The honour is no surprise. The two have been farming together for 13 years, and in just the last six years, have managed to buy a property, expand their Jersey herd,… Read More
For all the talk of other government departments having influence on the agriculture industry, it’s important to remember that several challenges within the purview of Agriculture and Agri-Food can have a significant impact on other industries, too. There are also issues that may be thought of as an agriculture problem, but really have a significant… Read More
The federal government has re-opened applications for the Local Food Infrastructure Fund. Beginning Monday July 12, an additional $10 million in funding will be handed out in grants of between $15,000 and $100,000. Each project must be designed to “help prevent hunger through investments in infrastructure needs.” Project impacts must be targeted, immediate, and directly… Read More
Agriculture is a big tent covering many different facets of food and commodity production. From coast to coast, there are so many different farm types, sizes, production systems and end use markets. How we describe ourselves within agriculture usually involves farmer, producer or grower, and for some, rancher, but at the end of the day… Read More
Good in Every Grain, the public-facing educational campaign from Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), is rolling out a new multi-year, multi-stage campaign to connect Ontarians through food stories. What’s Your Food Story aims to use food in “celebration, tradition, shared experience, healing, and more” to connect everyone in Ontario regardless of age and culture, GFO says…. Read More
Thirty-six Longo’s locations in Ontario have been sold to Empire Company Limited. The deal, initially worth $357 million for 51 per cent is based on an enterprise value of $700 million, including the e-commerce site Grocery Gateway. Longo’s will continue to be operated by the Longo’s leadership team, led by president and CEO, Anthony Longo, the company says. Empire… Read More
In a story that only seems to get more contentious and downright odd the longer it goes on, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is now asking dairy farmers to consider eliminating the use of palm oil by-product supplements in dairy rations, until new research is completed. Earlier this month, RealAgriculture explored reports by some Canadians… Read More
Meat and Poultry Ontario (MPO) is launching a project to identify opportunities to increase meat processing capacity in Ontario. The $127,000 project, funded through the federal/provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is aimed at addressing a growing demand for abattoir services across the province, including the north. MPO has begun researching a strategy that pairs skills development with… Read More
EMERGE Commerce Ltd. has closed a $16.8 million acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares of truLOCAL Inc., a direct-to-consumer, locally sourced meat subscription service in Canada. The company was recently ranked as Canada’s 14th fastest growing company for 2017-2019 by the Globe and Mail, and is expanding into the U.S Ghassan Halazon, EMERGE founder and… Read More
COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, distancing, and cancelled learning events have had a profound impact on so many. Our food systems, food processing, and focus on local economy may be forever changed by this pandemic. Marty Seymour, director of industry and stakeholder relations with Farm Credit Canada, joins our host Kara Oosterhuis for today’s LIVE!… Read More
As planned, Cargill has begun the “measured” re-opening of its Better Beef plant at Guelph, Ont. The plant originally closed December 17, 2020, due to over 60 positive COVID-19 cases within its workforce, and increasing community cases. A spokesperson for Cargill says that the plant has begun the process of re-opening as of December 29th,… Read More
Ontario meat processors and farmers have the opportunity to apply for funding under two new program intakes of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative is an up to $4 million program that will provide up to $150,000 per project for improvements to product handling and processing equipment. It will also cover… Read More
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of our daily lives, including how we shop for food and what we eat. This year’s Nourish Food Marketing report is the fifth one, and the one with perhaps the most seismic shifts year-over-year for some trend changes. In this LIVE! Q&A, host… Read More
As the holiday season approaches, you may be stocking up on libations, goodies, groceries, and more. Well, this year, if you live in Ontario, the cream liquor you so admire for your coffee or over ice, will have the Dairy Farmers of Canada blue cow logo. Dairy Distillery, the creators of Vodkow Superior spirits made… Read More
Starting this month, the Peterborough, Ontario, fairlife* plant will begin using 100 per cent Canadian milk for its ultrafiltered milk offerings. The lower sugar, higher protein fairlife milk is offered in 1.5-litre bottles of 2% white, 2% chocolate, whole and skim milk. Consumers will now see the Canadian maple leaf and the Dairy Farmers of… Read More