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 »
Category: Local Food
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 »
Sharing “Great Tastes” of Where Food Comes From
Move over Ellen, Dr. Phil and Dragons’ Den. A cooking show about food and farming is ranking higher than many network television shows on CTV in Manitoba. Currently airing its 26th season, “Great Tastes of Manitoba” is a partnership between eight commodity groups representing Manitoba farmers, Manitoba Agriculture and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. Each episode features… Read more »
Let’s Put Food Cost in Context: Canadians Get a Sweet Deal
If you believe the headlines this week, Canadians will soon not be able to afford to eat. Fruit and vegetables will be beyond an ordinary person’s capacity to pay and consumers wanting to chomp down on a piece of meat will have to order horse, bison or ostrich because beef and pork will break their… Read more »
New Ontario Program Allows for More Quota-Free Chicken Production Under “Artisan” Banner
Significant changes are coming to Ontario’s rules regarding small-scale chicken production. Until now, any individual could raise up to 300 birds per year under the Chicken Farmers of Ontario small flock program, a program with the intention of allowing families to raise a few chickens for themselves without requiring the purchase of production quota. Expanding… Read more »
Change is in the Air this Food Day
I hope you have time to take a look around at the agricultural landscape this holiday weekend, and celebrate Food Day Canada as we’ve known it over the past decade or so. Because in another 12 months, our nation’s agri-food culture could feel much different. Food Day Canada is described by its founder, culinary pioneer… Read more »
Farmers Don’t Just Produce Food, They’re in the Nutrition Business
I always get a kick out of stories about the aging farm population, stories that begin something like “Canadian farmers are getting older…” It makes you wonder if, in some other occupations, people are actually getting younger. Of course they’re not. It’s all about average age. And further, it’s not a measure of quality, which… Read more »
Look Who’s Leading the Drive for a National Food Policy
To its peril, Canada’s agri-food industry – and indeed, all of Canada — has chugged along for more than a century without a comprehensive agri-food strategy. You’d think whoever is running Ottawa would have made it a priority, given we are active internationally exporting food and so dependent on imports. Consider the consequences if the… Read more »