Reading Time: 5 minutes In Canada’s northern regions, where the growing season is so short it can seem non-existent in any agricultural sort of way, fresh food from California and Mexico is not only expensive due to the transportation costs; all too often, it is no longer fresh. After experiencing first-hand how the high cost of fresh, healthy food […] Read more
Grow food anywhere
New Canadian startup Growcer already has 50 “vertical farms” in place in Canada. Get ready for a whole lot more
The ginger difference
What’s the best strategy to market a product no one thinks you can grow? The Mueller farm perks things up
Reading Time: 7 minutes For Cindy and Ron Mueller, who run Fisherville Greenhouses near Lake Erie an hour south of Hamilton, the farm business was ticking along. It felt like they had it pretty much figured out. The couple had started their farm careers by growing tomatoes for sale through a wholesaler. Then, when the market changed, they adapted […] Read more
Bold strides through diversification
The Cebulak family searches for new revenue streams that will grow the farm for the next generation
Reading Time: 4 minutes This five-part series features farm families leading change through bold decisions on family planning, new ventures, revenue diversification, innovation and business operations. Read parts one and two here. Cebulak Family Farms is a fruit, vegetable and cash crop farm owned and operated by brothers Blaine and Leonard Cebulak alongside their next generation: Nathan, Andrew, Derek and […] Read more
Changing places
There’s a new kind of farm in Calgary — yes, it’s right in Calgary — and it’s surging ahead with its business plan to make money, be environmentally conscious, and destroy the import market
Reading Time: 11 minutes We’re a long way from hippies in ponchos and bare feet. Urban agriculture has graduated. Today, it’s all about serious professionals who know that growing food is a business before anything else. A way of life? Only if it turns a profit. And there’s something else that’s curious too, especially for operations designed as vertical […] Read more
Aurora buys control of major B.C. hothouse veg firm
Bevo Farms to take over Aurora Sky cannabis production site
Reading Time: 2 minutes A major player in B.C.’s greenhouse vegetable sector is about to expand its operations into an Alberta cannabis grow facility — backed by a major investment from the plant’s owner. Aurora Cannabis on Aug. 25 announced a subsidiary is buying a 50.1 per cent stake in Bevo Agtech, the parent of vegetable and ornamental plant […] Read more
Produce prices spike in flood-hit Pakistan as food crisis looms
Flooding wrecks crops, hampers logistics
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lahore | Reuters — Vegetable and fruit prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, an early sign of how the worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of financial crisis. Pakistan’s 220 million people are already facing rampant inflation, with consumer prices up […] Read more
Italian court upholds veto against Syngenta purchase of seed producer
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rome | Reuters — An Italian administrative court ruled that a government veto of the purchase of seed producer Verisem by Chinese-owned Syngenta was valid, the agrochemicals giant said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Mario Draghi blocked the proposed takeover in October, the second time he used the special “golden power” rules to ward off an […] Read more
Prizes put up to develop year-round berry production in Canada
Weston Foundation's new challenge backed with $33 million
Reading Time: 3 minutes A philanthropic foundation focused on improving public health now wants to improve diets by finding ways to juice up Canada’s home-grown fruit supplies. The Weston Family Foundation on Tuesday pledged $33 million over six years for what it calls the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, a prize challenge pitting ideas against ideas with the goal of extending […] Read more
Quebec leads indoor urban agriculture trend
Guide Canada: LEDs plus cheap electricity opens new opportunities
Reading Time: 7 minutes Quebec is already a leader in urban agriculture. It has many small urban farms and a number of community-led rooftop gardens, and is home to the world’s first commercial rooftop greenhouse operation, Lufa Farms, which recently expanded into a new 163,000-square-foot greenhouse atop a former Sears warehouse in the St-Laurent area of Montreal. The Quebec […] Read more
High food prices hurting India’s poor
Inflation pain expected to persist for months yet
Reading Time: 2 minutes New Delhi | Reuters — India’s retail inflation may stay elevated for at least three more months after hitting a six-year high in October, as excess rain has damaged standing crops and seedlings, while edible oils that the country imports have become expensive. The high prices are a particular cause of concern for India’s hundreds […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
