Meat that isn’t meat may be coming to a plate near you. Biting into the relatively stable market of animal protein, a.k.a. meat, is technology using plant-based proteins that mimic the look, feel, smell and taste of meat. Such manufactured food products are providing consumers with more selection to satisfy wide-ranging palates, vegan and vegetarian […] Read more
Farm Living
Mission: less emission
Alberta dairy farm joins international research study to examine feed efficiency and lower methane emissions in cattle herds
When the Brouwer family was approached to take part in landmark research for dairy improvement, they jumped at the chance. Sunalta Dairy at Ponoka, Alta., has become part of the international efficient dairy genome project to study feed efficiency and methane emissions in thousands of dairy cows. The Canadian-led study runs from 2015-19 and is […] Read more
Why plant proteins may be the next best thing since burgers
The recent news that a German company wants to build a pea protein plant in Moose Jaw, Sask. was no surprise to Dennis McKnight. As far as he is concerned, the potential for vegetable proteins, particularly from pulse crops, is unlimited. McKnight, who has been a futurist, market researcher and food-marketing expert, suggests people will […] Read more
The hungry planet
The world’s population is expected to surge to nearly 10 billion people by 2050. How will farmers manage to feed everyone?
The premise of this year-end edition is that increasingly sophisticated science and technology will be applied to agricultural production in the coming years. This development will be driven in part by humanity’s natural inclination to improve and evolve — to get bigger and better. However, another driver will be the inescapable reality that the world’s […] Read more
Please just step into my (mobile) office
Seeing it rolling down the highway, you might think you’re seeing the modern day Partridge Family or David Suzuki’s tour bus. But this big and colourful vehicle is a more serious operation, “35,000 pounds of fun, in terms of getting research done,” said Peter Jones, director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals […] Read more
Promising research for perennial plants on the Prairies
Researchers say commercial perennial crops suitable for prairie production could be available in as little as 15 years. It’s already been about 90 years of work, but the finish line is in sight, said Doug Cattani, a plant breeder at the University of Manitoba. He is working mainly on developing a perennial intermediate wheat grass, […] Read more
Charcuterie gets a kick start
Sometimes you need to kick start pigs to make them fly, which is what entrepreneur Tina Windsor had in mind when applying for Kickstarter funding to help grow her charcuterie. The word charcuterie dates back to the first century and refers to a butcher shop devoted primarily to sausages, hams, bacons, pates and other prepared […] Read more
Change is in the air for food sustainability
There are many innovative products and services available to Canadian crop producers that could help improve sustainability. However, the global food sector is struggling to find ways to reward growers who adapt sustainable technologies and techniques. Big food companies have made public commitments to source ingredients that are better for the environment, and more opportunities […] Read more
Forever changed by loss, women reach out to help others
When Maggie Van Camp of Blackstock, Ont., and Angie Fox of Eddystone, Man., met in the summer of 2015, they had an instant connection. Both their husbands were killed in farming accidents just shy of Christmas, leaving them with young families and busy farm operations. “I decided I wasn’t going to let the moment my […] Read more
CP’s holiday train helps food banks
Canadian Pacific Railway’s annual Holiday Train program helped to raise more $1.2 million in donations in 2016 and nearly 115,000 kilograms of food in support of food banks across North America, the company announced this week. The annual program, now in its 18th season, has now raised more than $13 million and collected more than […] Read more
