Locavore News – Canada by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: April 8, 2010
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
- Financing the Co-operative Movement – For better or for worse?
- Canadian young farmers being asked to ‘Step Up’
- Clear Channel
- Chickens may soon be welcome in Calgary coops
- Alberta Sustainable Agriculture Apprentice Program
- Best Locavore Experience near Toronto
- Your own goat = homegrown dairy
- Toward better milk, healthier cows
- McDonald’s Canada thinks small
- Kettle Valley Food Co-Op Receives Funding From Canadian Government
Perspectives on good food and farming
April 8, 2010
Financing the Co-operative Movement – For better or for worse?
Faced with banks and agencies that expect profits to override other concerns, the co-operative movement is beginning to look within for solutions, but challenges remain. Co-operatives seeking to build an organization that redistributes resources and decision-making to their members or their community are faced with the awkward situation of seeking funds from institutions that will steer them towards values opposed to their own. Amanda Wilson writes in The Dominion, news from the grassroots.
Canadian young farmers being asked to ‘Step Up’
A nationwide program is looking for young Canadians serious about farming as an occupation. Offered through the Canadian Farm Business Management Council, Step Up pairs experienced farm managers with young farmers who are just starting their careers. Once the young farmer is enrolled, he or she is matched with a mentor. Today’s Farmer story.
Clear Channel
Everyone wants local food, but is the current distribution channel set up for it? A recent CRFA survey of Canadian chefs revealed that the number 1 trend in foodservice today is local and sustainable food. But while chefs want to create local menus and customers want to order those dishes, there are significant challenges inherent in the current distribution channel that’s making it tough for everyone involved. With that in mind, F&H asked some key industry stakeholders to talk about sourcing and distributing local food. Not surprisingly, all had strong feelings on the subject. Food Service World story.
Chickens may soon be welcome in Calgary coops
Urban chicken farms could soon be coming to a backyard near you. The city has dropped all charges against anyone who raises chickens in the city in favour of a pilot project to see if backyard chicken coops can really fly. Paul Hughes was supposed to appear in court Thursday to support another woman charged with raising chickens in her backyard, instead he is at home celebrating a victory. Hughes is president of the Canadian Liberated Urban Chick Klub or CLUCK and has been fighting for a year for the right to keep chickens on city property. Calgary CTVÂ story.
Alberta Sustainable Agriculture Apprentice Program
The Alberta Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship Program supports people interested in getting into sustainable agriculture by providing on–farm experience and training through an apprenticeship style program. Becky Lipton, founder and coordinatorinterview.
Best Locavore Experience near Toronto
One of Canada’s most maddeningly elusive chefs just got a little more accessible. Star chef Michael Stadtländer left Toronto in 1993 and moved to Eigensinn Farm, two hours outside the city, where he made dinner twice a week for just a dozen diners a night. But it’s easier to get a place at the table now that he’s opened Haisai, a 28-seat restaurant and bakery down the road. Stadtländer’s daily set menu is an ode to self-sufficiency. It might include red-wattles ham from a beast more boar than pig; he raises the animal, butchers the meat, then cold-smokes it for six months and air-dries it for five more. Stadtländer designed and built much of the solar-powered restaurant himself. Food and Wine Magazine story.
Your own goat = homegrown dairy
There are dog people and cat people. And then, there are dairy-loving goat people. Shelley Hess is one of the latter. In a fenced area at the end of her driveway, the resident of North Saanich, B.C., keeps three goats named Kalinga, Poppy and Nikki. They serve both as pets and a source of dairy for her family. Globe and Mail story.
Toward better milk, healthier cows
The Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute in New Brunswick wants to build an $8.5 million expansion in order to improve the quality of milk. The privately owned, non-profit working farm with more than 50 cows is the province’s only research station for the dairy industry. Executive director Wiebe Dykstra said its work includes improving the quality of the feed in order to increase the quality of the milk produced by the cows. “Enhance it by maybe making it so there’s more omega-3 in it and less saturated fat,” he said. CBC Newsstory.
McDonald’s Canada thinks small
Downsizing is impacting the menu even at one of the world’s largest restaurant chains, as McDonald’s Canada announced the national debut of McMini sandwiches. McDonald’s Canada first launched the item as a limited-time offer in Quebec, where it received a lot of positive feedback, the company said in a news release. McMini sandwiches are served on mini bakery-style baguettes with a choice of crispy or grilled all-white chicken breast and two gourmet sauces, Spicy Thai and Pesto. Menu price is $1.99. MeatingPlace story.
Kettle Valley Food Co-Op Receives Funding From Canadian Government
In the name of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Minister of State (Agriculture), The Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway announced that the Government of Canada is supporting local food production with $17,700 in funding for the Kettle Valley Food Co-op. This project, funded under the Government of Canada’s Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI), will develop tools to recruit and train member producers and consumers. “Co-operatives are used to address a variety of community needs,†said Minister Day. “They have a successful track record of lowering costs and opening markets – a great benefit to rural communities.â€Â The Boundary Sentinel story.
AND if You Have Time
Meat meets meat in KFC’s no-bun sandwich
KFC is putting its chicken where its buns were. Today, the nation’s largest chicken fast-food chain announced plans to nationally roll out a breadless chicken sandwich that uses two boneless chicken fillets as the bun — then squeezes two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese and some sauce in between. USA Today story. KFC press release.