General

Pointing to “serious” management problems, Canada’s auditor general says the federal agriculture department needs to improve how it runs its research work if it wants to meet its stated goals. Research handled or funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is “important to Canada’s food production and its ability to compete internationally,” Sheila Fraser said […] Read more

(Resource News International) — Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s trade mission to China has led to agreements that will benefit Canadian pea and barley growers and hog producers, he said in a teleconference Thursday from Beijing. China has agreed to remove its import restrictions on Canadian peas after a joint scientific review demonstrated that there is […] Read more

The national body representing Canada’s food banks has picked up over $850,000 in federal funding for programming to help improve food safety at food bank facilities. “When volunteers sign up to help out at a food bank, they need the right training and equipment, and this investment will make sure those resources are available,” federal […] Read more

Canadian “natural” food retailer Planet Organic has shed its vitamin manufacturing division and half a dozen health food stores to help pay down debt. The Edmonton-based company, which operates nine Planet Organic natural food supermarkets across Canada and 11 Mrs. Green’s supermarkets in the U.S., said Wednesday it’s sealed a deal to sell its supplement […] Read more

Encouraging farmers to commit to an on-farm safety plan is the focus of this year’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, running until Saturday. The co-ordinators behind Ag Safety Week, including the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, have developed a multi-year theme, Plan•Farm•Safety. […] Read more

High school students across Canada are the target of a new campaign that suggests careers in agriculture as a way to avoid the “typical office job.” The Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs (CADAP) last week rolled out its national initiative, dubbed “Ditch the Office,” including a website and “social media” platforms such as […] Read more

A widespread trimming of patronage appointments across a number of federal boards, agencies, commissions and tribunals will include the Canadian Grain Commission and National Farm Products Council. “The reduction of 245 positions from various federal organizations will not affect the delivery of government services in any way,” federal Treasury Board Minister Stockwell Day said in […] Read more

A national organic growers’ group plans to pick five commodities for a project to see how best to adapt their current on-farm food safety systems to suit organic production. The federal government on Saturday pledged almost $50,000 through its Integrated Food Safety Initiative for the Canadian Organic Growers Association (COG) to develop a strategy for […] Read more

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Current players in Canada’s beef slaughter and processing sector are among those winning more public funding in Thursday’s federal budget. The agriculture sector generally will continue to rely on the previously-budgeted Growing Forward farm program policy framework for federal and provincial funding, but Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s 2010 budget has laid out renewed funding for […] Read more