General

Demand for “local food” is on the rise but can’t expand nearly as far some of its promoters claim it will, according to a report released today by the George Morris Centre. Martin Gooch, a research associate at the Guelph-based agricultural think tank, writes that “the extent to which some proponents have predicted the size […] Read more

Farm Credit Canada has brought back the Accelerator Loan for another year, the federal farm lender announced Monday. The Accelerator Loan program, which targets farmers under age 40, allows young farmers to maintain cash flow to build equity and build their farms, by providing flexibility in payment options and down payments as low as zero. […] Read more

Eastern Ontario MP Guy Lauzon has been named to the post of Parliamentary secretary to the minister of agriculture and agri-food, Gerry Ritz. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement today amid a shuffle of secretary assignments. Parliamentary secretaries are members of Parliament who assist the sitting minister in his or her portfolio. Lauzon is […] Read more

Legislation to regulate the sale and trade of organic food within Manitoba is back on the table after last summer’s provincial election. The provincial Organic Agricultural Products Act will include many of the standards and procedures as the national organic products regulations introduced in December, said Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk, noting the province was “instrumental” […] Read more

Higher commodity prices have been written into the values of farmland across much of Canada in the first half of 2007, leading to the country’s biggest overall increase in ag land values in five years, Farm Credit Canada reported Monday. The federal farm lending agency said in its farmland values report that the value of […] Read more

Probes fitted with high-tech signal generators may be developed to detect food safety and quality problems and air- and waterborne bugs and pathogens if new public investment at the University of Manitoba pans out. The federal/provincial/civic Winnipeg Partnership Agreement will put up $3.2 million for a biological and electrical biosensor lab and a biomedical imaging […] Read more

Bonnie Thompson, who edited the Farmlife section of Grainews and the Country Crossroads section of the Manitoba Co-operator, died early Tuesday morning of complications from a long bout with cancer. Thompson, 58, was born in southwestern Manitoba and came to the publishing division of Winnipeg-based United Grain Growers in July 1983 as an administrative assistant […] Read more

There may be a crackdown on how packaged foods’ precautionary labels are worded, if food processors choose not to accurately reflect allergy risks in their warnings, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said yesterday. In an advisory to manufacturers and importers, CFIA and Health Canada noted that their policy on these “precautionary statements” is under review. […] Read more