Last week’s announcement of the new Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing is a welcome move in support of farmers’ mental health.
The centre’s focus on action is what’s needed to help food producers deal with the daunting challenges – such as weather, disease, prices – they face every day. Image: Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing

US President Biden is enlisting the Dept. of Homeland Security to get tough about potential threats to the country’s food supply. Canada doesn’t have the same resources as the U.S., but a home-grown, real-time technology for meat processing lines could help improve one of the biggest threats – food safety.

It’s no surprise that Canadians’ concerns about the price of groceries are skyrocketing. Grocers and food processors would do well to take a lesson from the much-despised energy and telecommunications sectors – if they hope to keep customers on side. Photo: Saltwire

A powerful US corn lobby is
encouraging farmers to forget about voting along traditional party lines. Instead, it’s challenging them to vote ‘Farmer First’ for the candidate who will work hardest for agriculture’s future. Photo: Pew Charitable Trust

Farmers have long asked to be credited for the important environmental work they do – such as sequestering greenhouse gases through careful pasture management and cropping practices. Now, an Alberta insurance plan is proposing to reward farmers who maintain high levels of organic matter in their soils. It’s a science-based strategy that benefits us all.
Photo: UCDavis.edu

Farmers could actually profit from ‘decarbonizing’ the agri-food system. But they can’t do it alone. It will call for more cooperation in trading relationships along the value chain. Image: Value Chain Management International.

Better nutritional labelling on alcohol is the aim of health advocates in the U.S. who are suing the U.S. Treasury and Secretary Janet Yellen, to draw attention to their cause. Is calorie and ingredient information likely to moderate peoples’ consumption? It seems unlikely. Photo: cbc.ca

Farmers have traditionally marketed their harvests on freshness and taste. But new research results show nearly 80 per cent of consumers surveyed believe the right foods can keep them healthy – and that’s what farmers can deliver. Image: freshproduce.com

King Charles has been long been an environmental advocate when it comes to farming, and believes that regenerative agriculture is the future of food production. In his new role, he has a chance to intensify his focus on sustainable food systems, and convince other world leaders to do the same. Photo: theguardian.com

Farmers need to get out in front of public anger over rising food prices. They’re an easy target, especially when most consumers don’t realize just how much the price of fertilizer and energy – both major expenses in food production – have sky-rocketed. Photo: FarmandDairy.com

U.S. agriculture ecretary Tom Vilsack is pumping about $1 billion in USDA funding into pilot projects designed to move food production closer to net zero emissions, without reducing yields. More than 1000 prorojects have been submitted to-date. Vilsack says he expects to see “enormous opportunities” come out of this initiative. Photo: usda.gov

McCain Foods Limited and MacDonald’s Canada are putting up $1 million to show potato farmers how to adopt regenerative growing practices that are good for the environment. Encouraging growers to reduce tillage and chemical applications and increase biodiversity are positive moves. But although the environment comes out a winner, consumers are losers when sustainably grown potatoes are turned into fast-food french fries.

When it comes to school lunchboxes, keep things simple with fruits and vegetables. There’s plenty of great information available on every food topic, but what’s most important is that kids enjoy eating what you’ve sent and it’s good for them too. Photo: Food-Guide-Canada.ca