Food and Farming Canada » meat

Keeping tabs on where the cows are

Lilian — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:12:45 +0000

RFID tags are placed in an animal's ear

Many modern-day pet owners microchip their four-legged companions.

This is to help identify them should they become lost, injured or otherwise harmed in some way.

Farmers are doing a similar thing with their beef cattle.

They’re using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to keep track of their animals as they move [...]

As cows live and eat

Lilian — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:59:02 +0000

Here’s the third in a series of guest posts I’ve been writing for the Canadian Beef Blog.

Last month, I described some of the different cattle breeds and how to tell the difference between a dairy cow (one that gives milk) and a beef cow (one that is raised for meat).

Now we’re going to take a quick [...]

Cows of many colours

Lilian — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:11:43 +0000

Here’s another guest blog I wrote for Canadian Beef Blog recently:

A cow is a cow is a cow, right? Not exactly.

Yes, they’re all the same type of animal but there are many different breeds. For example, even though they’re both dogs, there aren’t a lot of similarities between a small white Bichon Frise and a large [...]

Retailer supports sustainable farming

Lilian — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:27:37 +0000

Cows grazing on hillside pastures are a stereotypical – if often true – image of Switzerland. The Swiss are proud of their mountains and their pristine Alpine countryside. They’re also pretty serious about promoting homegrown food products.

One of the country’s leading supermarket chains, Co-op, sells a line of branded Swiss food products – milk, yogurts, meats, [...]

Where your Thanksgiving turkey really comes from

Lilian — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:30:32 +0000

Most of us have very little knowledge of where our food comes from or how it is produced. As a result, misinformation is widely circulated in many different forms – so to get to the real scoop on what’s going on, I’m a firm believer that there’s no one better to ask than a farmer himself.

I [...]

Tasty and delicious asparagus pork tenderloin

Lilian — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:56:14 +0000

I’ve already talked about my love for fresh Ontario asparagus in a post a couple of weeks ago…but it’s still in season and I’m still enjoying!

Tonight I combined it with another favourite – Ontario pork – and ended up with a delicious meal. It was surprisingly easy to make and great to grill on the barbecue, [...]

Survey says: consumers seek lean, tender, flavourful meat options

Lilian — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:08:14 +0000

When it comes to meat, Ontario consumers want protein that is lean and low in saturated fat – yet is still tender and flavourful.

This was the finding of a market research survey conducted recently by the Ontario Veal Association (OVA) to determine consumer perceptions and knowledge of veal and its health benefits.

The study also showed that [...]

Research needed to meet local food demand

Lilian — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:36:15 +0000

There is a growing demand for Ontario rabbit meat, which means opportunity for Ontario farmers to fill a local food niche.

But there is very little research to help farmers improve and increase their production, according to a literature review commissioned by Ontario Rabbit. In fact, there are North America-wide gaps in meat rabbit research and [...]

Meeting consumer demands for marbled pork

Lilian — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:46:37 +0000

Consumers are looking for the full flavour of marbled pork and work is now underway to bring such products to the Ontario market.

Ontario Pork has taken the lead in working with farmers, retailers and processors to determine the level of marbling consumers want, evaluate different swine genetics and feeding regimens and assess the quality and consistency [...]

A KFC chicken post follow up

Lilian — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:25:33 +0000

One of the most read posts on this blog continues to be one that I wrote about a year and a half ago, called “The true story of KFC chickens”.

I had been a part of an annual food writer tour run by AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council of a farm in the Ottawa [...]