boost for food exports
The Canadian Food Exporters Association is receiving $2.1 million to boost international sales for the food processing industry.
The goal is to increase the number of small to medium-sized food, beverage and ingredient companies that export their products. This will increase export sales for Canada’s agri-food sector.
The funding will help the association attend international food trade shows, lead outgoing missions in prime markets such as Asia and organize in-store food promotions in the Middle East.
The food and beverage processing industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada, with 6,200 food and processing establishments.
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Distinguished 2015 agrologist
Kim McConnell, founder and former chief executive officer of AdFarm, was named the Alberta Institute of Agrologists’ distinguished agrologist for this year for outstanding accomplishments in advancing agriculture.
The award recognizes members and other individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of agrology in the province.
Under McConnell’s leadership, the agricultural communications and marketing firm was recognized for three years as one of Canada’s 50 best managed companies and by Canadian Business magazine as one of the best places to work in Canada.
He is a director on a number of company boards. McConnell was named to the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2012.
Food-grade soybean competitiveness boosted
Agriculture Canada scientists at the Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre in Harrow, Ont., will receive $225,000 in federal funding to help boost the global competitiveness of food-grade soybeans.
The project will evaluate Canadian soybean suitability for soy milk production. It is targeted mainly at the Asian soy food market, which was estimated at $880 million last year.
The researchers will work with the soybean industry to develop quality control tools to help ensure that crops meet the specific quality attributes that are in demand for soybeans in global markets.
Soybeans are the fourth-largest crop by seeded acreage returning $2.4 billion to Canadian farmers.
Agribition honours two individuals
Canadian Western Agribition recently announced Ward Mortenson and Jim Smalley as the 2014 CWA Hall of Fame Inductees.
The award recognizes individuals for their longstanding service and outstanding contributions to CWA.
Mortenson farms at Govan, Sask., and has been instrumental in the development of the swine show at Agribition. He was recognized at Agribition’s 40th anniversary as one of the exhibitors who had shown every year since the show began in 1971.
Smalley attended Agribition in 1975 after becoming the first farm news director at CKCK radio and television. Over the 40 years of covering CWA, he has raised the CWA’s profile with his stories of exhibitors and visitors.
Smalley is the first news media personality to be recognized with the award.
