What started as a fascination with craft distilling and a chance discussion about dumping skim milk has evolved into a tasty new business at Almonte, Ontario. Neal McCarten is director of operations for Dairy Distillery, and it was his family's farm background that led to a discussion with Omid McDonald, founder and CEO, about how... Read More
Category: Local Food
Loblaw Companies Limited today announced it has made a "move into sustainable insect protein," introducing President's Choice 100% Cricket Powder. "With our President's Choice brand we're always looking to bring the new and the next to Canadians," said Kathlyne Ross, VP of product development and innovation, in a release. "By making products like Cricket Powder... Read More
The Liberal government's minimum wage hike will cost Ontario fruit and vegetable growers $297 million over the next two years. The impact on the industry was calculated by professional consultants and presented to all levels of the provincial government, but Premier Kathleen Wynne, Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and senior bureaucrats chose not to listen,... Read More
Canada has a reputation for producing superb food ingredients…then shipping them abroad to be processing into finished goods, which we buy back at a higher cost. We further lose their added value because the processing and manufacturing jobs that are part of creating finished goods are part of someone else’s economy, not ours. Apologies if... Read More
The Ontario Liberal government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2019 is drawing fire from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). In late May, the provincial government announced intentions to increase the minimum wage from the current $11.40 per hour rate. That’s a significant blow for an industry... Read More
With 98 per cent of businesses in Canada employing less than 100 people, it really is true that, cliché or not, small business is the backbone of the country. In Ontario, agriculture and food already employs some 800,000 people. Its presence is clear. But once businesses are up and running, they then have to grow.... Read More
Donald Trump may or may not succeed in building a wall between him and us for what he calls security purposes. But let’s be clear: we appear to be entering a new era of American protectionism. If it’s not a physical structure that comes between us, in the name of saving US jobs and lives,... Read More
As the 2016 NFL season kicks off, the San Francisco 49ers will host their opener tonight at Levi's Stadium — the first professional sports venue to also be home to a farm. Okay, maybe not a 'farm' in the conventional sense, but it qualifies according to Merriam-Webster, which says a farm is 'a piece of... Read More
In one of those rare, happy coincidences, Ontario has made booze available online and said it will increase broadband access in rural areas...on the same day. That day was Tuesday, and the news came in separate announcements less than one hour apart. Both announcements should be good news for rural Ontario, and not just for... Read More
What’s it like to have 2,000 consumers show up for breakfast at your farm? It’s not that big of a deal if you’re organized and have plenty of volunteers, says cash cropper and dairy farmer Evert Veldhuizen. He and his brother, Jan, hosted the latest Ontario ‘Breakfast on the Farm’ event Saturday morning at their... Read More