Seed of the year finalists announced Monday, July 2, 2012 by SUSAN MANNTwo soybean varieties, a forage seed and a navy bean variety are in contention for this year’s eighth annual Eastern Canada Seed of the Year competition.The entries are: Dividend VL Orchard Grass, Ex Rico 23 Navy Bean, OAC Bayfield and DH 410. The varieties and their breeders will be honoured at the Eastern Canada Seed of the Year recognition event at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto in November. The winner will be announced then too.The competition is sponsored by the University of Guelph and SeCan with additional support from the Ontario agriculture ministry and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.Martin Harry, spokesman from SeCan, says he’d characterize this year’s entries as “all winners. They all have the potential to win.”Formed in 1976, SeCan is the largest supplier of certified seed to Canadian farmers.Through the Seed of the Year application process breeders are encouraged to highlight their research accomplishments in developing a new field crop, forage, fruit, vegetable or herb variety. Any publicly developed Canadian variety is eligible to compete.Entries were evaluated on innovation, presence throughout the value chain, sustainability, marketability and overall impact on the Canadian agri-food industry. BF Former CFFO general manager calls it quits Ontario wheat producers offered advance
Saskatchewan Startup Unveils Portable Device to Detect Crop Diseases in the Field Friday, May 29, 2026 With global crop losses from pests and diseases reaching as high as 40 percent annually, a Saskatchewan-based startup is working to equip farmers with faster, more practical tools to protect their yields. PathoScan Technologies, founded in Saskatoon, has developed a portable... Read this article online
Falling Behind on Direct Alcohol Shipping Deadline Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s small alcohol producers are growing increasingly frustrated as a promised timeline for direct-to-consumer (DTC) alcohol shipping reforms approaches with little visible progress. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling out federal and provincial... Read this article online
Rural Canada Is Critical to Trade, Food Security and Economic Recovery Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada is facing global instability, affordability pressures and growing urgency to rebuild its economic foundations. Rural Canada is one of the country’s most important economic assets. Although only about 16% to 18% of Canadians live in rural communities, leaders say those regions... Read this article online
Feds say Provinces Need to Act on Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s federal government is intensifying pressure on provinces and territories to complete negotiations and implement direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, a move expected to benefit agricultural producers, small businesses, and consumers across the country. The statement comes out... Read this article online
$15.1M to Scale Whole-Cut Plant-Based Protein Wednesday, May 27, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced a $15.1 million co-investment in a multi-partner project aimed at scaling advanced manufacturing technology for whole-cut protein alternatives and strengthening Canada’s domestic agri-food value chain. The initiative brings together NS/TX... Read this article online