More dairy products (especially cheese) labelled Product of USA could show up in Canadian supermarkets shortly. It’s the result of a recent US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement ruling that said Canada has been unfairly keeping American dairy out of this country’s retail food market. Now it will be up to Canadian consumers to decide what they put in their shopping carts. Photo: pinterest.com

Mid-size farms, like middle class families are declining in numbers. They’re giving way to smaller, specialized operations where food is more expensive to produce. That’s unfortunate because mid-size farms have been the stalwarts of Canada’s food production system – efficient,
competitive and environmentally sustainable.

Agricultural suppliers point to the supply chain as the source of escalating food prices. But who’s driving those costs? It’s not farmers, who are paying up to twice as much for inputs such as fertilizer this year. It’s suppliers themselves. Photo: globalnews.com

Farmers have a lot of credibility with the public. And as the New Year advances, you can expect to see more of them in the media, communicating with consumers about how they produce food. Kudos to Ottawa and to the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council for their participation in this effort. Image: agriculture.canada.ca

Lowly lettuce never gets much mention when we talk about healthy eating. But that may be about to change. Scientists have grown lettuce with proteins that can neutralize the COVID-virus, and they’ve incorporated it into chewing gum. Could that mean this least-likely vegetable will rocket to the front of the pack, with a whole new importance? Image: nbcnews.com

Statistics Canada just released figures showing the Farm Product Price Index increased nearly 25 percent in September 2021, compared to the same month last year.
Canadian agriculture ministers have their work cut out for them to mitigate issues such as labour shortages and supply chain interruptions that are contributing to these runaway costs throughout the industry.

Consumer spending reaches a peak around the holidays, so although we spend more, we’re also increasingly conscious of money going out the door. We’re turning an eye towards food prices, and so are farmers. Their costs are skyrocketing, and they point the finger at the mega multinationals that now control food production supply chains, giving them fewer options to operate profitably. Image: nfu.org

Ontario’s rural residents have stories unique to living life ‘in the country’. Now there’s a chance to read and share those experiences in a new, online space called the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario, thanks to a University of Guelph professor and the Rural Ontario Institute. Image: ruralontario.org

The Ottawa-based lobby group, Farmers for Climate Solutions says action on climate change should be the #1 priority for federal and provincial agriculture ministers. And it seems the decision makers were listening.

Urban agriculture is small-scale commercial farming, bringing food production to consumers’ doorsteps. Durham College has just received a $5 million gift to create a centre for sustainable urban agriculture. Strategic partnerships with the University of Guelph could multiply its impact for both urban and rural farming.

According to a national farm equipment association, Americans are moving to rural areas in record numbers. But until broadband providers pick up the pace of their upgrades, the potential for success by rural enterprises will be stifled. Image: csnbc.com

Global warming and environmental issues made the ‘top five’ list (for the first time) of Canadian consumer concerns about food production, according to a national survey. Food company profits and consumer affordability were up there too. The food industry would do well to better explain rising food costs, and the link between profits and sustainability. Image: canadiangrocer.com