Feds seeking input on agricultural policy
Agriculture Canada has released a website to collect feedback for the development of the government’s new agricultural policy framework.
Online consultation will give stakeholders the opportunity to share their views about the current Growing Forward and input on what should be included in the next framework.
For more information, visit www.agr.gc.ca.
Organic toll-free number introduced
The Prairie Organic Grain Initiative recently launched a new toll-free telephone number at 800-245-8341.
Read Also
Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
It provides advice to prairie producers who are growing organic crops, transitioning to organic production or interested in doing so.
Organic experts are available to answer questions on organic grain and field crop production, certification, agronomy, marketing, post-harvest handling and transitioning to organic production.
For more information, email info@pivotandgrow.com.
Sask. wheat scholarship recipients announced
The Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and the University of Saskatchewan’s agriculture college recently announced the first recipients of the commission’s graduate scholarships.
Sask Wheat annually provides $100,000 in graduate scholarships at the college to improve agronomics and new breeding tools.
It also provides $10,000 annually to undergraduate scholarships for the college.
The four recipients are full-time graduate students at the university’s plant sciences department. They were selected for their academic merit and the impact of their projects on the wheat industry.
- Gursahib Singh: improved fusarium head blight management in durum wheat
- Tatiana Vera-Ardila: timing of fungicide application and inheritance of resistance to stripe rust in spring wheat
- Gurcharn Brar: integrating host resistance, bio-molecular imaging and fungicide tools for management of fusarium head blight in durum and spring wheat
- Xue Lin: genomic analysis and mapping of the wheat genome
Seeking Youth speaking competition participants
Applicants from 11 to 24 have until June 30 to sign up for Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture.
The inaugural public speaking competition will be held July 13 during the Calgary Stampede. It offers young people an opportunity to share their views in a five to seven minute speech on topics important to the agricultural industry.
Winners could take home a cash prize of up to $1,000 and be eligible to compete in the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition in Toronto.
Topics for the 2016 competition are:
- What is the impact of public opinion on Canadian farmers?
- How would you explain a GMO to a non-farmer?
- What does the next generation of agriculture bring to the table?
- How can we improve the media’s perception of Canadian agriculture?
- Old MacDonald had a farm, but what about Mrs. MacDonald?
For more information, visit albertayoungspeakers.com or email albertayoungspeakers@gmail.com.
Alta. firms attend BIO World Congress
The BioEconomy Alberta Team recently participated in the third annual BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in San Diego, California.
The province’s bio-industrial strengths were showcased, which includes infrastructure, access to renewable biomass resources and research and development system.
Companies were able to gain knowledge on the latest market trends in the bio-industrial sector, attend educational sessions and network.
The event attracted some of the world’s biggest players in the energy, food, automotive and petrochemical industries. They were looking for feedstocks and products derived from bio-based materials.
It drew more than 900 industry leaders from more than 500 companies, 32 countries and 31 states.
Alberta is expected to be a major player in the global bio-economy because of its abundant supplies of renewable biomass resources from agriculture, forestry and municipal waste.
Alberta companies exhibit at Singapore show
Five Alberta agri-food companies showcased their products during the bi-annual Food and Hotel Asia Show in Singapore last month.
Alberta Agriculture’s Alberta Singapore Office and the Canadian High Commission in Singapore collaborated on the event.
Other activities included a food industry networking reception, retail food store tours and market briefing sessions with Canadian trade commissioners from the Southeast Asia region.
The show is attended by all segments of the food and beverage industry and is open to only business and trade visitors.
Show organizers said more than 3,000 exhibitors and 47,000 visitors attended the four day event.
Video features pulses
Pulses take centre stage in a new Agriculture Canada video called Eat Your Pulses.
The short animated video, which teaches viewers about the importance of adding pulses to their diets, coincides with the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses.
