Reading Time: 2 minutes Amidst trade tensions, the Canadian organic sector has opportunities to expand into many markets but needs support and investment from the federal government to be competitive, say industry representatives.
Trade, competitiveness, investment among organic sector’s election priorities
How these Canadian farms thrive
Like a roadmap, these farms are setting goals to make sure they end up at the right destination
Reading Time: 8 minutes Every January business partners DJ Wassenaar and Matt Bergman take a day to set goals for the coming year. It’s a practice that’s proven successful for their partnership and an integral part of their planning process. “We always need something to aim for, and whether the goal is attainable or not, giving ourselves a direction […] Read more
Most organic commodity prices remain firm heading into the holidays
Reading Time: 2 minutes Organic grain prices held steady in December, as industry participants reflected on the past year and considered what a new administration in the United States could mean for the North American markets in 2025. “(Prices) are in a holding pattern until we know what’s going to happen with the U.S. situation,” commented Harro Wehrmann of […] Read more
Summer Series: Manitoba couple reinvents their farm
[Change Management] What does it take to survive when you run into a production problem so serious it threatens your whole farm? The Hoffords were about to find out
Reading Time: 11 minutes At first, going organic seemed the perfect choice for Ryan and Amy Hofford, a young couple intent on taking over the family farm after the early passing of Ryan’s father. Organic had everything going for it. The young couple could cash-flow its low-input approach, they’d excel at its hands-on marketing and they’d be on a […] Read more
Feds fund organic development groups
Reading Time: < 1 minute MacAulay pledged up to nearly $$1,175,841 for the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) over three years via the AgriMarketing program and up to $985,985 over three years to the Prairie Organic Development Fund via the AgriCompetativeness program.
Organic growers push for recognition in federal agriculture strategy
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Organic Growers are pushing the federal government to recognize their sector in the federal Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, set to be published later this year.
"The [Sustainable Agriculture Strategy] is and can be a big opportunity, and organic and regenerative have a lot to offer," said Katie Fettes, COG's director of policy and research, in an online presentation yesterday.
Organic farmers invited to soil health benchmarking study
Reading Time: < 1 minute Organic farmers across the country are invited to measure the benefits of soil management practices on their farms as part of a study led by Prairie organic organizations.
Organic sector tables petition in Parliament
Groups call for recognition, incentives; supportive policy and programming
Reading Time: < 1 minute A petition calling for greater federal support of the organic sector was presented in Parliament this Tuesday. “The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to give Canadians better and more affordable access to the foods they want by establishing bold policies and programs that would encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic,” said B.C. MP Alistair MacGregor, who tabled the petition.
Organic group send petition to federal government
Feds asked to establish policies and programs to help organic producers meet consumer demand, create sustainable food systems
Reading Time: 2 minutes The petition says that Canadian consumers are driving strong demand for organic food, and asks the federal government to establish policies and programs to “encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic to meet the market opportunity,” and to “meaningfully recognize and incentivize sustainable resilient food systems, such as organic, across all departments that relate to Canadian food policy.”
Organic operators down, acreage up: new industry stats
Total organic sales in 2022 was $10.26, billion up from $9.35 billion in 2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes The number of Canadian organic producers and processors fell by nearly 300 in 2022 according to the latest industry stats. “There’s people coming in and there’s people going out,” said Tia Loftsgard, executive director of the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA).
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
