Excellence award available to students
Farm Management Canada and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs have launched the 2017-18 Excellence Award for Agricultural Students.
The award is designed to encourage students to improve their critical thinking, communication and leadership skills through a national competition.
Three winners will receive scholarships toward furthering their education in agriculture. First place stands to win $1,500.
The award is designed to help students develop their communication skills by having the opportunity to voice their opinion on a subject related to farm management.
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Students are asked to submit a multimedia presentation, a video, a Twitter chat, a blog or a Wiki, responding to the following question:
What aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement should be addressed and amended in the current negotiations that will benefit Canada’s agriculture sector?
All applications must be received no later than May 6.
Further details are at fmc-gac.com or by calling Mathieu Lipari at 888-232-3262 ext. 24, or emailing mathieu@fmc-gac.com.
New opportunitiesIn mushrooms
The federal government is investing up to $265,375 to help Mushrooms Canada promote and educate Canadian consumers on the nutritional benefits of fresh mushrooms and to conduct a market development assessment of the Japan.
Mushrooms Canada has joined with beef producers to further the Blend and Extend campaign, which promotes incorporating mushrooms in meat dishes to bring another serving of vegetables to the plate.
The investment also allows Mushrooms Canada to study Japanese market potential for Canadian mushrooms in addition to increasing domestic consumption.
Canada is among the world’s top exporters of mushrooms totalling more than $220 million in 2016.
Cattle industry receives federal funding
The federal government is investing $4.4 million to help farmers innovate, expand markets and manage their business risk.
As part of this investment, Ottawa has committed $2.2 million to projects that will help support the cattle industry in Alberta and across Canada.
The projects include:
- $839,485 for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to explore the use of remote sensing as a tool to insure forage crops
- $901,240 to help the Alberta Beef Producers develop satellite data to help improve forage insurance
• $255,000 to help the Canadian Angus Association develop tools that will improve breeding cattle• $205,500 for the National Cattle Feeders Association to develop and implement a national feedlot animal care assessment program
The remaining funds will support market development, emergency planning, pricing, animal-care assessments and farm software development.
