If you haven’t noticed vanilla is everywhere & in everything. Since the 19th century, vanilla transitioned from a rare and exotic flavour profile to a staple of modern food and fragrances. With our growing demand and limited production, the future of vanilla from vanilla is becoming more and more questionable. In the future, will we be able to continue our gluttonous use of vanilla?
Come rain or shine or snow, October is Ag. Month As many of you may be aware, October celebrates agriculture month in Saskatchewan. For us Saskatchewanians, it shouldn’t be hard to see why our government would dedicate a whole month to celebrating one industry. Agriculture and land was the original Read more…
Why growing farm sizes are normal Frequently when I tell someone I’ve just met that I’m an agricultural economist, the conversation almost always involves some version of ‘aren’t big farms bad?’ My answer is usually a sigh and a ‘No’. But why do people ask this question about farm size? Read more…
The need for organ transplants is growing at a rate that needs to be urgently addressed In 2016, 18 of every 100,000 Canadians needed an organ transplant. Of these 6,700 individuals, 260 died waiting for transplants, 409 withdrew from the list, 3,135 went into 2017 awaiting a transplant and 2,903 Read more…
Food has historically brought us together, but will 3D food printing cause us to lose those connections? The development of 3D (three-dimensional) printer technology has led to some spectacular things from customized tools to cars. The process of printing layer on top of layers has turned regular 2D paper printers Read more…
Will disease devastate spud production? The ease of growing and storing potatoes allowed it to spread around the world and onto our cultural menu. The delicious spud, McDonald’s #1 selling items are their French fries (and Big Mac, together accounted for 75% of worldwide sales in 2007), reached European cuisine Read more…
We forgot to ask a staple crop how it was doing, and now we have damage control to do! Are you familiar with Cassava? You may know cassava as yuca, manioc, mandioca, and you may have eaten it if you’re a tapioca fan (YUM!) or have ever tried a bubble Read more…
400 new micro-breweries are started every year in North America What’s in a beer? Behind every beer, there’s a great story of what it’s taken to get the product to you. Like many of our favourite foods and beverages, there’s a lot of hard work and time that goes into Read more…
Mary, Mary, on the Prairie, How does your garden grow? With pesky weeds and heirloom seeds, Each row eaten by a white tail doe. It doesn’t matter what type of garden you sow, whether you use organic seeds or use fertilizers and chemicals, as long as it makes you happy! Read more…
Canadian’s newest beef with chain restaurants is nuts! When Earl’s Restaurant chain announced they were moving to use humane certified beef and A&W advertised their use of hormone-free beef, many of us were highly critical over the sourcing of non-Canadian beef. Their marketing suggested that these ‘alternative’ means of production Read more…