Research affirms oats' heart healthy effects Wednesday, October 20, 2010 by PATRICIA GROTENHUISAn Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher hopes that new research will increase demand for oats.Study results released this week from an international team of researchers indicates oat bran can lower cholesterol levels. “I am hoping that this project raises awareness of the importance of including oat bran-containing foods in the Canadian diet, and increases demand for oats and oat foods,” says Dr. Susan Tosh of the Guelph Food Research Centre, one of the researchers working on the study.Tosh adds increasing levels of high soluble fibre in diets, such as oat-based foods, lowers heart disease rates.Just what the implications of an increased demand might have on Ontario’s oat crop is difficult to predict, says Susan Murray, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “I can’t speculate about what market demands might be, however Eastern Canadian oats (from Ontario and Quebec) do have a larger share of the market now than they did historically,” says Murray.She attributes the increase in market share to a recent local sourcing commitment by the Peterborough Quaker Plant.Over the past several years, the average Ontario oat crop has been 85,000 acres in recent years. Researchers probed test subjects fed a variety of cereals twice a day for four weeks. Through the course of the study, they determined cereals which contained beta-gluten from oat bran had a lowering effect on LDL cholesterol. The study ran from July, 2007 to July, 2010. Participants were from Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.Other participating researchers were from Australia, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. BF Dairy licence fees to be raised Tribunal orders pepper duties
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Friday, July 24, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Canada Opens Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Thursday, July 23, 2026 A major change to Canada's internal marketplace is set to create new opportunities for wineries, breweries and distilleries after nine provinces signed a landmark agreement allowing direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across participating jurisdictions. The deal is being hailed... Read this article online
Heat and Rain have led to a challenging growing season for Cauliflower Growers in Ontario. Thursday, July 23, 2026 There are only 1,225 acres dedicated to growing cauliflower in Ontario, but they produce 14,545,000 lbs of the vegetable. Growers across key vegetable-producing regions are preparing for increased shipments of locally grown cauliflower to grocery stores, restaurants, wholesalers and... Read this article online
Who Knew so Much Canadian Watermelon is Grown in Ontario Thursday, July 23, 2026 Many consumers may think of watermelon as an exotic fruit, but Ontario grows about2,000 acresof watermelons each year, more than 35,084tonnesof watermelon.Watermelonharvest now is underway. Watermelon originated in northeastern Africa, particularly in the region that today includes Sudan... Read this article online
Ontario Farmers Harvest One of Canada’s Top Carrot Crops Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Carrots are among Ontario's most important vegetable crops, contributing significantly to local food production and year-round fresh produce availability. Ontario grows the most carrots of any Canadian province – 45% of the country’s carrots. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario... Read this article online