Insect-based pancake mix, anyone? Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Next Millennium Farms in Norwood, Ont., is betting on a future where eating insects is no big deal. Jarrod Goldin, who runs the operation with his two brothers, told the Toronto Star that "we want Next Millennium Farms to be the first company on the stock market that is a wholesaler of insect protein." The company, which was founded in the fall of 2013, is one of a very small number of farms in North America that breed, raise and process insects for human consumption. Their website lists products such as meal worm flour, insect-based pancake mix and flavoured roasted crickets. They also sell insects as animal feed. A 2013 UN report entitled "Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security" points out that many nations around the world already include insects in their diet. And for those that don't? Well, when the world's population reaches nine billion by 2050, they might have to. Insects, the paper argues, are an excellent source of protein with a very low environmental impact. Crickets can produce the same amount of protein as cattle with 12 times less feed. They also require much less water, and take up a whole lot less space. Joining the Goldin brothers in the race for insect-snack dominance is Big Cricket Farms in Youngstown, Ohio. They have partnered with insect-food startup Six Foods from Boston to make "chirps" – tortilla chips made from ground-up crickets. BF Kashi products are no longer 'natural' Behind the Lines - August/September 2014
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The 2025 Early Career Research Award was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded... Read this article online