Innovative system helps Canadian hort industry to compete Friday, January 2, 2009 by SUSAN MANNThe Canadian horticultural industry is developing a markets information collection system that’s unlike anywhere else in the world.Parts of the system will involve collecting information electronically. Even the United States Department of Agriculture still gathers market information manually. “They do it with a large army of market reporters,” says Ian MacKenzie, a spokesman for the Fresh Produce Alliance, which is spearheading the initiative.The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) collected market information for decades, MacKenzie says. But recently, as the CFIA shifted its priorities to human, animal and plant health and safety, the information became out-of-date and sometimes erroneous. Both the old and new reports can be found on Agriculture Canada’s web site – Infohort. There are: storage holdings for apples and potatoes, wholesale and retail prices on the terminal markets, the shipping point prices of commodities from packing plants, plus the tracking of weekly shipments.The Alliance hired consultants to work with the industry to build different collection mechanisms. For example, apple and potato grower organizations throughout the country collect the storage holding numbers each month from November to the marketing season’s end and post it on the Infohort web site.The organizations “see a benefit for their growers if they’re able to collect this information and record it,” MacKenzie says.The Ontario Apple Growers compile comparisons of storage holdings in Ontario to other provinces and countries. “They can monitor the usage of apples in places that compete with them at the same time,” he says.Other grower organizations are generating graphs and studies so their farmers have a better idea of market trends.The new system started in November 2007. Including fresh vegetables is the next step. This is the last crop year CFIA plans to do the information collection for fresh vegetables, MacKenzie says.The Alliance is lobbying Agriculture Canada to share the costs of maintaining the collection system. The government benefits from having storage holdings information, MacKenzie says. So far, it has obtained $1.3 million through the federal Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food program and in-kind donations of staff time from industry organizations.To collect wholesale market prices, the Alliance has built a database that’s compatible with participating wholesales’ computer systems. The new system should be in place for the Toronto market by the end of January followed later by the other terminal markets, such as Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.The software extracts sales data from the wholesales’ invoicing systems and streams it to products and package sizes the industry wants reported. An average weighted price for commodities will be made available to the wholesaler participants. Only the high and low prices are to be posted on the Infohort site.Another phase of the project involves developing an electronic collection system of shipping point prices of commodities at the packing plant and weekly shipments. Software for this phase is still being developed with the goal to have a new system working by the end of March. BF Behind the Lines: January 2009 No fee increase and some new directions
Be ready for your next flat tire Friday, May 30, 2025 By Braxten Breen Farms.com Intern The Andersen Hitches Rapid Jack is a three-in-one tool - a tire jack -- that can also be used as a post block or a wheel chock. Its main purpose is to help change tires on trailers, and this cool tool is made in the USA. It is an innovative Tire Jack... Read this article online
An Ontario Foodbelt? Two MPPs want to see it happen Friday, May 30, 2025 Ontario has a Greenbelt and a Whitebelt, and if two MPPs are successful with a piece of legislation the province’s future will include a Foodbelt. Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner (Guelph) and independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady (Haldimand-Norfolk) tabled Bill 21, the Protect Our... Read this article online
Livestock Research Innovation Corporation welcomes new board members Thursday, May 29, 2025 Two new board directors have joined the leadership of Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC). Mohamad Yaghi with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Sonya Fiorini from Burnbrae Farms both fill appointed director positions on the LRIC board. Yaghi replaces Franco Naccarato from Meat and... Read this article online
Canadian Farm Income Sees Sharp Decline Thursday, May 29, 2025 In 2024, Canadian farmers experienced a significant financial setback, with realized net income dropping by $3.3 billion, or 25.9%, to $9.4 billion according to Statistics Canada. This marks the steepest percentage decrease since 2018. When cannabis is excluded, the drop stands at... Read this article online
Did you Know you can Experience IPM 2025 in the Comfort of Your RV? Thursday, May 29, 2025 The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is making a grand return to Niagara this fall for the first time in nearly a century. Visitors can now stay close to the excitement by booking a spot at the official IPM 2025 RV Park. Located just steps away from the main action, the... Read this article online