It was enough to spoil my breakfast. As I opened a package of bacon to cook while camping on the holiday weekend, I learned from the label that it was “gluten free.” Gluten-free bacon? I was confused. Since when does bacon, which comes from animals, contain gluten, which is one of the components of the
Editorial: Gluten-free bacon?
Bridging the digital divide is no easy task
Rural residents are still living life in the slow digital lane
Anyone who dares suggest country life moves at a slower pace would be laughed out of the room in most rural communities, especially at this time of year as the spring-planting frenzy kicks into high gear. But there’s one sector of the rural economy and of rural living that few would deny moves at a
Editorial: Why all the fuss?
Canada’s dairy system has figured prominently in the rhetorical storm surrounding NAFTA renegotiations. The Canadian government has so far remained steadfastly opposed to any significant change. Two documents that surfaced recently help explain why. The first, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Regulatory Economic Impact Analysis of the Final Decision to Establish a California Federal Milk
Worth a look: Annual production estimates a valuable resource
It can help you calculate your own risk and rewards, but only if you use it
At first glance, the annual Guidelines for Estimating Crop Production Costs released every January looks like good bedtime reading for insomniacs. But sort through the numbers and analysis, and the story that emerges is full of mystery and intrigue. These production estimates are designed to give farmers a reference for determining which crops make the
Food policy recommendations reflect diverse interests
The report to Parliament will either cement the solitudes or set the stage for finding common ground
The 21 recommendations toward developing this country’s first national food policy delivered to Parliament recently establish one thing fairly succinctly. It’s complicated. However, from the first recommendation (making adequate nutrition as a basic human right) to the last (calling for a national food policy advisory body with a wildly diverse range of stakeholders), the committee’s
Selling environmental benefits
New data management tools could help position Canadian agriculture as a sustainable supplier in the global marketplace
As momentum behind the tools and concepts of precision agriculture continues to grow, one of the most exciting — but least talked about — opportunities is their ability to improve farming’s environmental footprint. That’s a shame, because that’s one attribute of this latest revolution in agriculture that is most likely to resonate with an increasingly
Explosion of innovation coming to the farm
The chief technology officer for Monsanto Co. says the interface between data and biology will be a powerful tool
There is an explosion of innovation coming to the farm as a new age of sensors and satellite imagery intersects with the world’s oldest industry, the executive vice-president and chief technology office for Monsanto Co. says. Robb Fraley, who was in Calgary recently to address the GrowCanada Conference, said in an interview that although agriculture
Consumers are demanding companies prove their sustainability commitment
The rapidly changing retail food sector wants to know what you do on your farm
The $118-billion retail food sector in Canada is becoming increasingly fragmented but it still shares one thing in common: a commitment to trust and transparency, a retail food expert told delegates at the recent GrowCanada conference. That has repercussions that trace through the value chain all the way to the farm, John F.T. Scott said.
Making bread — and maybe history too
The first loaves of bread made from Kernza have been gobbled up in Manitoba
You won’t be buying Kernza bread in a Manitoba bakery or grocery store any time soon, but a small group of proponents see it as a sign of things to come. Guests at a small reception at the Tall Grass Prairie Bakery in downtown Winnipeg Nov. 23 were treated to loaves of freshly baked sourdough
Editorial: Food solitudes
World Food Day on Oct. 16 shed light on some confusing twists around global food security. The annual UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) event dating back to 1945 now falls five days after another big day — World Obesity Day, established by the World Obesity Foundation in 2015 to highlight the growing epidemic expected