Hand going through the field

Developing a Canadian food advantage

Farmers and the industry need to actually demonstrate that their products are produced sustainably

What would you guess is the single most important ingredient in modern food production? Good seeds? Rainfall? Fertilizer? The surprising answer is that around the world, the scarcest and most precious resource for producing food is trust. Luckily, Canada has natural advantages that could allow the people of the world to view us as their

Cigi CEO JoAnne Buth says Canada has an opportunity to sell more wheat.

Government should do more to support agricultural science

Agriculture needs to respond to consumer demands for more information

The global production and demand for wheat are rising in a lockstep that leaves low carry-over stocks and an opportunity for Canadian farmers to cash in, says JoAnne Buth, CEO of the Canadian International Grains Institute. Wheat is second only to rice as a dietary staple and shows no signs of losing its consumer desirability,


The CAPI report identifies consumer issues about food that include health, nutrition, food safety, sustainability, ethics, food security and reliability of supply.

The ultimate consumers’ choice award

Significant change is needed throughout the sector to secure Canada’s future global competitiveness

If farmers and food manufacturers want to be ranked world leaders, then they have to prove to Canadian consumers they deserve that status, says the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. In the final report out of a process charting the industry’s future growth that began last fall, CAPI said the sector should consider setting a goal

Woman in supermarket shopping groceries

Canadians will pay more for food in 2016, U of G report says

Major trends influencing food purchases will include quest 
for non-meat proteins, demand for supply chain transparency and ongoing concern about animal welfare

A new report from the University of Guelph’s Food Institute predicts consumers will pay an additional $345 on their food bill this year. That’s an increase over the $325 additionally paid for food in 2015 when a low Canadian dollar saw price increases for many food products, but especially meats, fruits, nuts and vegetables, the


A pair of goats greet the public on Open Farm Day.

In defence of Open Farm Day

It is an important event in a busy world

The following is a response from the Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies (MAAS) to an opinion piece that ran in the Oct. 1 issue. The opinion piece by reporter Shannon VanRaes noted that many types of livestock farms cannot be open to the public due to biosecurity issues, and suggested that raises more questions with

Female hands holding an aubergine

Local food systems in Manitoba on the minds of young, small farmers

Agri-food policy must focus on more than economic development and food safety

It’s an icy winter evening and I’m visiting at the kitchen table with Lydia, a fellow young farmer living near Dunrea, Man. Every so often we are distracted by the clickity-clack of hooves. There is a baby goat in a box by the coat rack. Its mother kicked it out, Lydia explains, and in this


planet earth

Friday, October 16 is World Food Day

Even in one of the richest countries in the world, one in seven people do not have enough to eat

World Food Day is a day of action against hunger. On October 16, people around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicate hunger in our lifetime. Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number in the world is zero. World Food Day celebrates the creation of the Food and Agriculture



Jeff Eastman is MAFRD’s new small-farm development specialist. His office is based at the University of Manitoba’s Livestock Knowledge Centre. Teulon-based MAFRD business development specialist Jayne Kjaldgaard is Manitoba’s new specialist to work with small-scale processors.

New production and processing specialists’ positions assigned

The new extension positions will be focused on reducing the intimidation factor for startup businesses

One of the most intimidating aspects of direct marketing a farm-grown product is knowing the rules for safe food handling and other regulatory and production requirements. Last week, the province announced it has reassigned two business development specialists with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development staff to roles that will avail them to processors and

people in Africa on a hillside

Moving from famine relief to relief from famine

Ethiopia has made solid gains thanks to a co-ordinated attack on the root causes of hunger

Famine relief was a hit in the 1980s — literally — as pop music stars donated the proceeds of their collaboration on the song “Feed the World” to help feed starving people in Ethiopia. It was a sincere effort that raised millions and was part of a global response by governments and aid and development