Farm Credit Canada’s new mental health resource focuses on strategies for dealing with uncertainty and isolation in an increasingly complex world. It launched mental health magazine Rooted in Resilience on Dec. 1, and is mailing it to rural addresses across Canada, said Shannon Weatherall, FCC’s senior vice-president of operations. The focus on resilience was, in
FCC releases mental resilience resource
Rooted in Resilience being mailed to thousands of rural households
Older women drive growth in number of female farm operators
Growth greatest among single-operator and higher-revenue farms
The number of women farmers in Canada is up for the first time in 30 years and older women are raising the totals. The 2021 Census of Agriculture reported an increase of nearly 2,000 female farm operators over the 2016 census, or about two per cent. The number of male farm operators dropped nearly six
Farmers cash in on interest-free loans
This summer the federal government upped the interest-free portion of the Advance Payments Program
Manitoba administrators of the Advance Payments Program say clients are making use of the increased interest-free portion and borrowing more money. “The amount of the advances have [increased] significantly,” said Randy Ozunko, who manages the program for the Manitoba Pork Council. The APP is federally funded and administered by producer groups. It offers up to
Province expands mule deer season after more CWD cases detected
Expanded testing, hunting, found seven more cases along the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border
Hunters will be able to harvest mule deer over the winter in an attempt to curb the species’ population, currently believed to be the vector of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Seven cases have been confirmed this year near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, the province said in a Dec. 15 news release. All confirmed cases were mule
Lack of data hampers organic sector
Not much data is collected, and what is collected is often unavailable, experts say
A lack of good data makes it hard to prove the value of Canadian organic food to business leaders and government officials, say sector leaders. “I don’t think there’s a bigger [issue in the sector],” said Laura Telford, organic sector development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. The data dearth encompasses imports and exports, sales, prices, crop
National labour strategy to consider foreign worker perspectives
After about a year of meetings, working groups have split into five focus areas
Foreign worker advocacy and Indigenous groups will be consulted as the National Workforce Strategy for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing is developed, leaders say. “It’s up to us to look at the world through their eyes and understand what do we have to change to make sure that there’s a place for them at
New edition of Prairie Garden contemplates warmer gardening climate
The 2023 Prairie Garden tackles building resilient landscapes, adapting to climate change
The latest edition of a venerable gardening annual contemplates what gardens will look like in a future, warmer climate. “Climate-aware gardening” is the topic of the 2023 Prairie Garden, Western Canada’s only regional-specific gardening annual, published since 1937. It officially launched with a virtual party on Nov. 13. Danny Blair, a climatologist at the University of Winnipeg, guest-edited the
Cost of food ‘key preoccupation’ in public trust survey
Farmers remain most trusted in the Canadian food system, politicians least trusted
The cost and availability of food and other pocketbook topics are the top issues keeping Canadians up at night, according to new data from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. Cost is also the top issue driving distrust in the food system. The centre provided highlights of its 2022 public trust survey in a Nov.
Foodgrains bank rep pleased with COP27 ‘loss and damage’ fund
Canada has yet to fulfill all past climate finance commitments, but formal agreements allow organizations to pressure the feds for follow-through
A Canadian Foodgrains Bank representative says the “loss and damage” fund countries agreed to during COP27 is a good step but there’s concern that countries will simply divert existing adaptation funding. Naomi Johnson is a senior policy advisor with the foodgrains bank. She attended COP27, a congress of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Consumers will eat less meat in 2023: report
New report suggests inflation, climate concerns key but eaters aren’t turning to plant-based ‘meat’
A new report predicts consumers will reduce the amount of meat they eat in 2023. “A diet blending animal and vegetable proteins results in a more affordable household food budget and planetary budget,” said the 2023 trend report from Nourish Food Marketing. In a recently released 2022 public trust report from the Canadian Centre for
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
