If you’ve heard or seen the term “buy local” get ready to see and hear it a bit more in Wild Rose Country. Back in May of this year, Bill 7 was passed in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The bill’s purpose is to encourage the development and success of a local food sector throughout… Read more »
Category: Local Food
National Food Policy should focus on Indigenous peoples first
When I am completely overwhelmed with the task at hand (which is often), I sit down, make a to-do list, and break the task down into smaller, more achievable steps. I prioritize the most pressing issue first, or the one that simply must happen before the other pieces can fall into place. My hope, in… Read more »
Dairy Distillery turns waste skim milk into tasty spirit
What started as a fascination with craft distilling and a chance discussion about dumping skim milk has evolved into a tasty new business at Almonte, Ontario. Neal McCarten is director of operations for Dairy Distillery, and it was his family’s farm background that led to a discussion with Omid McDonald, founder and CEO, about how… Read more »
Cricket powder begins mainstream journey with foray into Loblaws
Loblaw Companies Limited today announced it has made a “move into sustainable insect protein,” introducing President’s Choice 100% Cricket Powder. “With our President’s Choice brand we’re always looking to bring the new and the next to Canadians,” said Kathlyne Ross, VP of product development and innovation, in a release. “By making products like Cricket Powder… Read more »
Wage hike costs Ontario hort growers $297 million over two years
The Liberal government’s minimum wage hike will cost Ontario fruit and vegetable growers $297 million over the next two years. The impact on the industry was calculated by professional consultants and presented to all levels of the provincial government, but Premier Kathleen Wynne, Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and senior bureaucrats chose not to listen, says… Read more »
Websites highlight Canadian farmers’ food products
Canada has a reputation for producing superb food ingredients…then shipping them abroad to be processing into finished goods, which we buy back at a higher cost. We further lose their added value because the processing and manufacturing jobs that are part of creating finished goods are part of someone else’s economy, not ours. Apologies if… Read more »
Ontario fruit and vegetable growers say minimum wage hike would devastate industry
The Ontario Liberal government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2019 is drawing fire from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). In late May, the provincial government announced intentions to increase the minimum wage from the current $11.40 per hour rate. That’s a significant blow for an industry… Read more »
Door Opens for Easier On-Farm Business Development in Ontario
With 98 per cent of businesses in Canada employing less than 100 people, it really is true that, cliché or not, small business is the backbone of the country. In Ontario, agriculture and food already employs some 800,000 people. Its presence is clear. But once businesses are up and running, they then have to grow…. Read more »
Use Your On-Farm Savvy to Start a Small Business
Donald Trump may or may not succeed in building a wall between him and us for what he calls security purposes. But let’s be clear: we appear to be entering a new era of American protectionism. If it’s not a physical structure that comes between us, in the name of saving US jobs and lives,… Read more »
49ers Unveil Farm Atop Football Stadium
As the 2016 NFL season kicks off, the San Francisco 49ers will host their opener tonight at Levi’s Stadium — the first professional sports venue to also be home to a farm. Okay, maybe not a ‘farm’ in the conventional sense, but it qualifies according to Merriam-Webster, which says a farm is ‘a piece of land used for growing… Read more »
Online Booze Sales and Broadband Expansion: It’s a Banner Day in Ontario
In one of those rare, happy coincidences, Ontario has made booze available online and said it will increase broadband access in rural areas…on the same day. That day was Tuesday, and the news came in separate announcements less than one hour apart. Both announcements should be good news for rural Ontario, and not just for… Read more »
Farmers Serve Breakfast for 2,000 Consumers
What’s it like to have 2,000 consumers show up for breakfast at your farm? It’s not that big of a deal if you’re organized and have plenty of volunteers, says cash cropper and dairy farmer Evert Veldhuizen. He and his brother, Jan, hosted the latest Ontario ‘Breakfast on the Farm’ event Saturday morning at their… Read more »
Subway Goes ‘Local’ for Ontario Veggies
A new ‘Stop at Subway for Ontario Grown’ program will see local tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers featured at the restaurant chain’s 1,300 Ontario locations during the 2016 harvest season. The announcement comes in the midst of Ontario’s Local Food Week, with funding from the Ontario government’s three-year, $6 million Local Food Investment Fund and… Read more »
Earls Wants to Make It Right, Says Corporate Chef Phil Gallagher
In a move that surprised many in the Canadian cattle industry, Earls Kitchen + Bar announced Wednesday that the chain will source as much beef as possible from Alberta. “We are listening to Canadians, and primarily out of Alberta, we’re listening to the industry,” corporate executive chef Phil Gallagher told RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney in an interview… Read more »
Science of the Six Pack and a Seat at Our Table with Terry Andryo
Contents: Interview with Terry Andryo, Photos, Podcast Options Who doesn’t love some great food and a cold pint of one of the greatest local craft beers? I have been very fortunate in the last year to attend two great events hosted by ATB Financial and partnering organizations. The basis of these events was to showcase the Alberta-based food production… Read more »