The standard rule of thumb for polite dinner conversation is never talk religion or politics. When it comes to the topic of biotechnology and GMO crops, it may be a good idea to make another addition to that list. Depending on who you talk to the opinions can range from ” those companies are raising… Read More
With the global population expected to grow to 9 billion in a short period of time, the role of technology in feeding the world is debated at many conferences worldwide. Technology must play a role in the future of food or the battle versus hunger is going to be a very scary proposition. Food economics… Read More
The amount of canola acres in Western Canada has steadily rose over the past decade. Apart of the growth of a crop not only depends on the primary use of the crop but also the by products. Catherine Folkersen is with SaskCanola and she believes that there is a much larger potential for canola meal…. Read More
Food has become pretty trendy. We have now have two Food Networks on cable and the growth of Farmers Markets has been strong in North America. One of the most misinterpreted terms is “Local Food.” What is local food? Seems like a pretty simple question. You would think that such a simple term would never… Read More
By Shaun HaneyWe hear a lot nowadays about value chains, the integrated food system and the farmers incredibly important role in it. How many time have you heard the term, “Gate to Plate?” I can buy into this concept as long as all participants are getting a fair return for their investment in the process.I… Read More
By Shaun Haney Few debates in life involve an all or none scenario. Some people try to make things this way but in reality it is not possible. This is similar to the debate of whether organic agriculture and modern agriculture can co-exist. The better question is why not? As I have mentioned many times… Read More
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
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