|  Southwestern Ontario’s burgeoning agri-food sector received a boost earlier this month with the launch of the Ontario Food Cluster.
My alma mater, University of Guelph, along with the City of Guelph and others are partners in this new initiative designed to attract more foreign investment and creating more businesses in our agri-food sector. In addition to being home to some of Ontario’s best farm land and farmers that produce a multitude of field crops like corn, wheat and soybeans, as well as over 100 different fruits and vegetables – not to mention a wide array of meat, dairy and poultry – the Greater Toronto Area, Guelph-Wellington and Waterloo Region together boast more than 2,500 food and beverage companies. Continue reading New cluster promotes Ontario food and farming  It’s become almost like an unofficial kick off to summer, sort of like our Victoria Day long weekend – an early anticipated milestone that marks the start of warm, sunny days. For me, that’s asparagus season.
Asparagus is one of the first crops of the new growing year that hits the market for consumption. Here in Ontario, that’s usually sometime in May. This year, I managed to score my first couple of bunches early last week – the store that had them sold out pretty quickly as demand was high and supply still rather limited as the crop was only just starting to be ready for market. Continue reading Wait for local Ontario asparagus is over!  Soybean varieties developed for specific food and health applications represent a key future growth opportunity for the Canadian soybean industry. Different types of soybean protein can be ideally suited to specific food applications, which can lead to new food products and processes, says a University of Guelph scientist who is involved in research in this field.
Continue reading Unlocking the potential of soy proteins
The following is a guest post by University of Guelph student Rebecca Hannam, who recently participated in a student exchange with agricultural communications students at Oklahoma State University. Members of CanACT, the Canadian Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow at the University of Guelph who visited Oklahoma State University (OSU) earlier this semester were featured in this blog a few weeks ago. Recently, these students participated in the second part of their campus exchange program and hosted OSU students in Guelph. Continue reading Students showcase Canadian food, farming  Grain and oilseed crops like soybeans and canola are increasingly starting to replace traditional petroleum-based product ingredients, lessening our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and creating new market opportunities for growers.
One market that is growing rapidly is that of bio-based lubricants and industrial fluids, which includes everything from hydraulic and transmission fluids to greases, motor oils and fuel additives, said Soy 20/20 President Jeff Schmalz at the winter meeting of the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre held recently in Guelph. Continue reading Oilseeds find industrial niches  The following is a guest post by University of Guelph student Rebecca Hannam, who recently participated in a student exchange with ag communications students at Oklahoma State University.
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 Members of CanACT, the Canadian Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow at the University of Guelph visited Oklahoma State University (OSU) recently and learned that Oklahomans are proud of more than just their boots – their agricultural communicators are in style too!
Continue reading Boots, buckles and excellent editing
 As demand for “green” products increases, more and more technologies and opportunities for bio-based products are emerging alongside to meet those needs.
Crops like corn, wheat and soybeans are starting to replace traditional petroleum-based ingredients in these new bio-products, making them easier on the environment and lessening our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. They’re also creating new market opportunities for farmers.
Continue reading Soybeans in motor oils and lubricants | |
