Premier Ford’s had a reasonable track record of supporting Ontario agriculture “ particularly when it comes to research investments aimed at improving productivity. But his election promise of a new highway 413 makes it clear that transportation trumps food production, at least in the GTA. Which leads local farmers to ponder how much longer they can hold onto their land. Image: enviromentaldefense.ca
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Canada’s ethnic make-up continues to change, and there are new market opportunities for non-traditional foods and agricultural products. The federal government has announced funding to five national industry organizations. It will help them encourage the growth of more diverse products and people in Canadian agriculture. Photo: gardenerspath.com
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An Ontario-based ag strategist and communications specialist says the province’s food production and processing sector is well positioned to lead the agri-food agenda in this country. With wide consumer support for Canadian food, and the industry’s rapid adoption of modern technologies, it could potentially become the sector of the future.
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Many of us took up vegetable gardening during the pandemic, but learned we’d be hard pressed to grow enough to feed ourselves. By contrast, Ukrainians have always raised livestock and crops on plots large and small – knowing it could be a necessity, not a novelty, in times of conflict. Photo: Fao.org
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Statistics Canada released its 2021 report on farm numbers last week. (The survey is done every five years.) The agency cautions against comparisons with past reports because it has redefined what constitutes a farm. Still, some of the trends since 2016 might surprise you. Image: census.gc.ca
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Owen Roberts is an agricultural journalist and communications instructor based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a trustee on the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and an associate editor (communications) for the Journal of Agromedicine. Previously, Owen was president of the International Forum for Agricultural Journalists, an agricultural communications faculty member at the University of Illinois, and research communications director at the University of Guelph. His programs and research papers have been recognized through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.