Canada is now green on global maps shown at the World Seed Congress in Rotterdam. There’s regulatory certainty for gene-edited crops after regulations were announced in April. That means Canada can play a part the rapid growth of innovation around the world.

Gene editing race, illegal seed use in crosshairs at World Seed Congress
European Union pushes for alternative seed coatings in a bid to reduce microplastics

World Seed Congress addresses global supply chain challenges
The World Seed Congress is on in Rotterdam, Netherlands with a discussion of the major issues facing the seed and crops sector. The major issues on the agenda include the challenges that the decline in free trade and globalization brings to major suppliers of seeds, the acceptance of gene editing and the technology involved in that process.

New program focuses on data literacy for cow-calf producers
Case studies and mentoring will help give farm data decision-making power
The Data Literacy for Cow-Calf Producers project aims to give farmers and ranchers the chance to discuss best practices and learn from experts and peers about how to use data to make better business decisions.
Data management has varied adoption in the cow-calf sector.

Ag tech venture capital stays on sidelines
Entrepreneurs need patience, more plan to achieve profitability to unlock investment
Agriculture venture capital investment was an outlier in 2023, as it increased slightly over 2022, according to the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA). However, that news belied pessimism on the state of ag tech at the recent Agri Tech Venture Forum in Toronto. The forum heard that the availability of capital for agriculture technology entrepreneurs has dried up significantly compared to the heady days of investment growth during the pandemic years.

VIDEO: Ag-tech venture forum kicks off in Toronto
John Greig, Glacier FarmMedia’s senior technology editor, talks about what he expects to learn at the AGRI Tech Venture Forum in Toronto, May 1 and 2, 2024.

At Ag in Motion: New tester monitors bull fertility
Glacier FarmMedia – Slow-swimming bull sperm will have no place to hide. A Scottish company, Dyneval, has created a new semen analyzer that measures a wider range of concentrations of semen than previous testing methods. This will allow veterinarians, beef and dairy producers to have more control over semen quality. The Dynescanl analyzer is also […] Read more

At Ag in Motion: Water trough monitoring made easier
Glacier FarmMedia – Imagine being able to run to the lake without worrying about water trough levels for grazing cattle. That’s the scenario that drove Katlin and his brother Dustin Lang, of Vibank, Sask., to found a company to provide a water trough monitoring system. Designed for troughs that are connected to solar systems out […] Read more

New meat recall prolongs Ryding-Regency shutdown
Ryding-Regency Meat Packers remains shut down, making an already tight processing capacity situation event more challenging for Ontario farmers. The Toronto company, along with St. Ann’s Food, announced a recall Tuesday of a long list of its products because of concerns with E. coli O157:H7. More products were added to the recall on Thursday. The […] Read more

Food, farming not expected to be big election issues
Canadians don’t think that food and agriculture will be a significant issue in the current federal election. A survey conducted Sept. 9 and released Tuesday by Angus Reid Global with the support of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab shows 31 per cent of Canadians believe food and agriculture will be a prime electoral issue during […] Read more

Dairy farmers to get direct cash payment as trade compensation
Canadian dairy farmers will be getting direct cash compensation after the government gave up dairy market access to other countries in recent trade deals. The compensation follows promises by the Trudeau government — and the Harper government before it — that dairy farmers would be compensated in some form for the loss of market. Why […] Read more