There are 1.4 million certified acres and 1,499 organic operations across the three Prairie provinces By Lorraine Stevenson OrganicBiz staff Western Canadian organic acreage appears to be stuck in neutral. Since 2014 the acreage has hovered around 1.4 million acres across the three Prairie provinces, according to Jill Guerra, research and special projects co-ordinator with […]
Alberta Farmer Express – The Canada Organic Trade Association marked National Organic Week in September by releasing new data that shows a “staggering” increase in the number of Canadians who are buying organic groceries every week. An online consumer research study done earlier this year found that organic food is on the weekly shopping list […]
By Lorraine Stevenson OrganicBiz staff The organic food-processing sector is on solid ground in Canada, according to a broad-based report showing most firms experiencing year-over-year growth in excess of 10 per cent. But that growth continues to create its own set of challenges, most significantly an ongoing shortage of raw ingredient supply. Sourcing ingredients remains […]
Cornell University – After a century of markets dominated by a few types of wheat and white flour, ancient and heritage wheat varieties are making a comeback. Restaurants and bakeries that promote organic and local agriculture have sprouted up across the country in the last decade, meeting a rising consumer demand for tasty and nutritious […]
A July 3 editorial from Agweek, published in Grand Forks, North Dakota. U.S. commercial agriculture produces more food than American consumers can consume. We want to send our surplus to the world — frozen chicken, edible beans, soybeans. Conversely, we want agricultural imports. In the Upper Great Plains of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana, we […]
A nationwide study examines governments’ organic policy frameworks John Greig OrganicBiz staff A look at organic regulation across the country by the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) shows a hodge-podge of support, despite national standards in existence for eight years. In a report released Monday, COTA called out Ontario, the largest market by far for […]
OrganicBiz staff Undergraduate students at the University of Guelph will be able to pursue a new certificate in organic agriculture, starting in the fall of 2018. The university, home to the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), recently announced that after consultation with students, it has replaced the organic agriculture major of its bachelor of science in […]
AGCanada.com – A Toronto organic juice processor that bills itself as shunning conventional pasteurization for its products has picked up federal funding to develop a “new-to-Canada” way to extend their shelf life. The federal government on Friday announced a “repayable investment” of up to $6.3 million from the AgriInnovation program for Greenhouse Juice Co. to […]
U.S. Geological Survey – Adding milkweeds and other native flowering plants into midwestern agricultural lands is key to restoring monarch butterflies, with milkweed sowers from all sectors of society being critically needed for success. In a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Arizona and partners, scientists developed potential scenarios for incorporating […]
Commodity News Service Canada – Saskatchewan has lost its position as the province in Canada with the most organic farms — to Quebec. According to Statistics Canada’s latest release from the 2016 Census of Agriculture, Quebec overtook Saskatchewan with 1,268 farms in 2016, compared to 879 in Saskatchewan. From 2011-16, the number of organic operations […]
