Winnipeg tech startup TheoryMesh is using blockchain technology to help agri-food companies share information and build transparency. The word “blockchain” may more readily conjure the image of cryptocurrency than of oats and pulses, but experts say blockchain’s future in food transparency and other ag application is pretty much a given. “I think we’re going to see some form of blockchain
The blockchain basics
A Manitoba startup is aiming to bring blockchain to the agriculture sector
Anti-activism bill dead, their actions killed it, say animal rights advocates
Federal biosecurity Bill C-205 was amended to target anyone, not just trespassers, before parliament dissolved
Animal rights advocates say a federal bill targeting activists is almost certainly dead, thanks in part, to their legal arguments and “turning” of MPs. Bill C-205, which proposed to increase penalties for trespassers on agricultural property in the name of biosecurity, died when parliament dissolved prior to the 2021 federal election. However, before this, it
National strategy in development to address ag labour crunch
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture says trajectory of ongoing worker shortage is ‘alarming’
A group of ag and food organizations will band together to develop a national strategy addressing labour shortages in the farm and food sectors. “Labour challenges in agriculture have been ongoing for decades, and are one of the most prominent factors obstructing the remarkable growth potential that has been identified for Canadian agriculture and our agri-food industry as
New U of M crop research centre past fundraising halfway point
The Manitoba Canola Growers is the latest producer group to pledge financial support
Manitoba Canola Growers Association members are the latest producer group to put cash behind a proposed updated ag research centre at the University of Manitoba. “MCGA has long recognized UM as a key resource for quality education and agricultural research. As the birthplace of canola, it holds special significance to the canola industry,” said Delaney
Resilience, resourcefulness, inequality: revisiting the ‘farm wife’
A fraught Twitter conversation raised deep questions of how women relate to agriculture, and how agriculture treats them
Farm wife’ or ‘Farmer’s wife.’ Some women embrace these as near-heroic titles, while others feel they relegate them to supporting roles in their farm’s story. Either way, it stirs up strong emotions, as Megz Reynolds recently experienced after she posted to Twitter questioning the term’s longevity in the agro-sphere. “Why are so many in agriculture
Living Labs projects hold hope for hard data
AAFC and watershed districts are working to design practical projects alongside farmers
Living Labs experiments in southeastern Manitoba will hopefully yield data to fine-tune water conservation projects and put evidence behind claims they work, says one watershed district manager. “One of the big questions for us is: We build these — are we building them right? And for what purpose?” said Jodi Goerzen manager of Seine Rat
Effect on Manitoba farms uncertain after feds stop funding TFW quarantine costs
Organizations frustrated with apparently arbitrary cut-off, government going back on its word
Some are frustrated after feds cut funding to help farmers pay for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to quarantine after arriving in Canada, though Manitoba employers may not know how this affects them until next season. “People found it frustrating because when they initially did this and started the quarantine, their initial statement was that they would support us
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes couple puts mechanical mettle to regenerative livestock farming
Faces of Ag: Ukko Robotics’ Rova Barn is blazing a trail towards automated pastured poultry and pigs
One could say the origin story of the robotic Rova Barn begins with a young kid on a dairy farm who wanted to go to the beach, or on a family road trip, or just to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner. But milking needs trumped adventure. “We didn’t go on holidays when I was a kid,”
‘Veggie Van’ brings fresh food where needed most
Mobile market brings local veggies to Winnipeg’s food ‘deserts’
A mobile market of fresh local produce is bringing the farm fresh to families and seniors in Winnipeg inner-city neighbourhoods. “Everybody wants what’s good for the people that they love. Everybody wants to be able to give fresh, healthy food to their kids,” said Stephanie Fulford, garden and food skills programmer at NorWest Co-op Community
Hay West’s complex legacy of solidarity and economics
The program lauded by politicians and media drew the skepticism of others
It’s difficult for critics to pan the generosity and sheer altruistic will of people like Willard and Wyatt McWilliams, the father-son farmer duo who started the iconic 2002 Hay West campaign. Likewise, too, the kindness of people like Vancouver Island farmer Bryce Rashleigh, who is selling his hay for rock-bottom prices and pulling together donations
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
