Niverville, Manitoba-based Puratone Corporation is the second major hog producer in as many weeks to hit the skids, Harry Siemens reports . Puratone filed for creditor protection today, after the board of directors agreed it was the only viable alternatives given the present financial state of the company. Puratone is a major hog supplier to Maple… Read More
The western prairies have been described as a sea of canola. Floating somewhere adrift are crops like flax. Crops that are full of potential, but are at risk of falling to more profitable crops like canola and soybeans. Keeping these fringe crops afloat to develop some of that potential means finding better cropping systems. One… Read More
Say what you want about organic food production and produce, but proponents of organics can’t claim that organic food is more nutritious. That’s according to a study out of the Stanford School of Medicine, which concluded definitively that organically produced fruits and veggies offered the same level of nutrients. There are some distinct differences between… Read More
Time to savour that juicy steak, chicken wings and delicious pork tenderloin, because within the next 40 years we’re all going to have go vegetarian. That’s according to a group of scientists from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Researchers there point to water usage in livestock production as the main limiting factor of our… Read More
With the high profile stature of celebrities has produced a world where celebrities provide expert opinion on topics they see as “good causes.” In this case it was political satirist Bill Maher (I watch the show every week) who tackled the cause of GMO food labelling. One of the guests on the panel Reason.com and… Read More
Online news feeds, morning programs and other sources in North America are airing some version of this headline: “Egg yolks are as bad for you as cigarettes”. Dr. David Spence and colleagues from the University of Western Ontario in Canada conducted this research. The results state that eating egg yolks accelerates placquing of arteries in a… Read More
While much of Manitoba’s canola crop is already in the swath or being combined, Alberta and Saskatchewan fields are at or approaching proper swath timing. Unfortunately, late season pests like bertha armyworm are also building substantially in many areas. Why is this an issue? Because of the pre-harvest interval (PHI) required for many insecticide products…. Read More
When we talk about the total package approach in any crop breeding program, we mean that every effort has to balance a number of key elements, not taking away from any of them while trying to add to all of them. In chickpea, as with most crops, those efforts are directed at the areas of… Read More
The fortunes of a new wheat variety rise or fall depending on their end use characteristics. The food industry in particular needs varieties that exhibit certain traits during processing. If they don’t meet those specific needs in a commercial area like milling or baking, they simply can’t be used. SEE MORE EPISODES OF THE WHEAT… Read More
Bringing a new variety to market is not a simple task. In our fast food culture we want everything yesterday, not so much with new wheat varieties. Though it may not seem like it, that’s a good thing. Depending on what that wheat is being bred for, it’s critical that it sees a variety of… Read More
Do you eat as much meat as you used to? Many people in North America do say no, yet the the US still eats the second highest amount of meat per capita in the world according to the Economist. The average American consumers 276 pounds of meat per year while Personally I still love… Read More
Photo by Jared Sych SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary has some unique things going on within its Culinary Arts programs. Tom Bornhorst, the Dean of Hospitality and Tourism provided us with a recent tour of their facilities, which includes a well maintained vegetable garden, a charcuterie lab, public market, dining room, breakfast bar, patisserie and equipment… Read More
The future for agriculture is bright. The simple truth behind that is that people need to eat. We know that the demand is there and will continue to be there as the world population grows and emerging economies grow and develop. While that sounds all well and good for the agricultural producer, the fact is… Read More
The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization’s Agricultural Outlook for 2011-2020 shows a continued trend of rising and volatile food prices spurred on by increased demand in emerging markets. Holding up that strong demand is productivity that is barely keeping pace with the growth in those markets. Population growth in countries like India and China… Read More
The face of the Canadian immigrant has changed. What was once a predominantly European population has shifted. There are now more people coming from India, Africa, China and other countries. With that shift comes a shift in eating habits and a resultant demand for foods that fit those habits. Filling those demands is where the… Read More