PathoScan can do quick plant disease testing

PathoScan is a new piece of equipment that can test for crop diseases and have results within an hour or two instead of days.

Farmers and custom spray companies like it because the results come so fast that they can hit a disease before it inflicts more damage.

Ethan Done is the chief operating officer and co-founder of Saskatoon-based startup PathoScan Technologies. He and co-founder Tayab Soonro havei invented PathoBoxf which uses a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) .

 

Mitacs is providing funding.

 

Mitacs is, in turn, funded by Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon as well as Innovation PEI and Research Manitoba.

Done decided to make and sell the system after farmers showed enthusiastic support when he demonstrated how it works during farm events.

Orton appointed to appeals tribunal

 

Ruth Orton, a lawyer from Windsor, has been appointed to a two-year term as a vice-chair of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Appeal Tribunal.

The tribunal’s agenda includes a number of appeals over municipal drainage works and a major issue for the dairy industry over the diversion of milk among producers.

Trump asks for $11 billion for farmers

 

United States President Donald Trump is asking Congress to add $11 billion to the $12 billion already allocated for income support subsidies to farmers.

Ten of the $11 billion would go to producers of row crops and specialty crops to compensate for cost increases related to his war on Iran.

If politicians approve the request total direct federal payments to American agricultural producers are projected to hit an unprecedented 55.4 billion dollars this year. 

That would represent a third of projected net income for the year, said the United States Department of Agriculture.

Maybe Canada could raise the possibility of countervailing duties to these subsidies if CUSMA trade talks stall.

Beef Farmers of Ontario helping families

 

Beef Farmers of Ontario is helping with Ronald McDonald House Charities locations across Ontario by providing beef for meal programs and volunteer service to help nourish families staying close to their children while receiving medical care.

Beef Farmers of Ontario said it is making a significant financial commitment to the four Ronald McDonald House locations in London, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. 

BFO board directors and staff will volunteer time preparing meals for families through RMHC meal programs at all four Ontario Houses throughout the summer.

“This partnership reflects the values of Ontario beef farmers and our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve,” said Jason Leblond, president of Beef Farmers of Ontario. 

“As farmers, we understand the importance of caring for others and the role a nutritious meal can play in bringing comfort and connection. 

“We are honoured tos upport Ronald McDonald House Charities and the families who rely on 

these Houses during some of the most difficult times in their lives. "Through this initiative, Ontario beef farmers are proud to provide not only high-quality Ontario beef, but also our time and support.”

Each year, Ronald McDonald House Charities supports thousands of families by providing a place to stay close to their hospitalized child, helping ease the emotional and financial burden of accessing medical care away from home.

duBreton adds two label claims

 Quebec-based duBreton pork-packing company is adding two more label claims: no gene editing and no cloning.

It is Canada’s biggest organic pork processor.

“Consumers want to know how

the food they eat is produced,” said Vincent Breton, president of duBreton, in a news release. 

“We do not participate in cloning or gene-editing technologies, and we believe shoppers deserve transparency that allows them to make informed decisions for themselves.”

In addition to Organic, duBreton labels include Certified Humane Raised & Handled.

Monsanto wins labeling case

The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Bayer and its Roundup weed killer.

Missouri passed a law requiring Roundup labels to include a warning of the risk of cancer.

The Supreme Court ruled that the labels required by the federal government’s Environmental Protection Agency are all that is needed.

The EPA labels do not require any mention about a risk of cancer.

The National Association of Wheat Growers welcomed the decision.

“This decision is a win for farmers and the broader agricultural community,” said Sam Kieffer, chief executive officer of the National Wheat Growers Association.

“Farmers depend on clear, predictable, science-based regulations and continued access to effective crop protection tools. Today’s decision reaffirms that EPA’s label, based on a rigorous process of scientific review, is the law. NAWG continues to support a regulatory system grounded in sound science, transparency, and consistency.”

Pesticides ok for national security

 The federal government’s budget bill included provisions for cabinet to over-rule Health Canada’s Pest Management Review Agency to allow farmers and foresters to spray products banned by the agency so they can deal with economic and national food security threatened by a “seriously detrimental infestation”.

Senator Rosa Galves is pushing back.

She said it would keep Canadian farm products out of markets such as the European Union who would not accept crops that may have been sprayed with pesticides it bans.

Galves is considered an expert in pollution and its effects on human health.

She said Prime Minister Mark Carney “is saying that we must absolutely find other clients” outside the United States “and this is non-coherent with that.”

“We cannot let politicians make the decisions that science should be doing,” she added. “It’s very dangerous.”

Rose Galves, left, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

CFIA cancels Stelcore’s licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has cancelled the licence for Stelcore Retail Ltd.

It said it cancelled the licence because Stelcore provided false and misleading information in its Canadians licence application.

The company is based in India and has an office in Vancouver.

Its website says it assists international businesses with VAT/tax compliance, market entry strategies, customs compliance, and sales channel diversification.  

Hutterite colony opens fertilizer plant

Beiseker Hutterite Colony near Okotoks, Alta., has opened a fertilizer pelleting plant and said that by the third quarter it expects production to hit at least 1,000 tonnes per month.

The company, called Replenish Nutrients Holding Corp., further expects average pricing of approximately $600 per metric tonne and gross margins of 25 to 35 per cent.

These margins are expected to flow directly to the company's bottom line, contributing to increased profitability and cash flows beginning in the third quarter this year, it said.

Replenish's partnership with the Beiseker Hutterite Colony is a natural fit, with strong alignment on soil health and sustainable farming practices, said a news release.

As generational landholders, Hutterite colonies are dedicated stewards of the land with a particular interest in soil health and long-term productivity. 

Replenish's regenerative, soil-health-focused fertilizer not only advances these goals but also strengthens farm economics over time by restoring key mineral nutrients, critical biology, and a diverse microbiome to the soil. In turn, these benefits support stronger crop yields, better soil water retention, higher plant nutrient density, and improved plant and soil resilience to pests and disease. 

And while Replenish has not yet quantified the specific impact, healthier soil is generally understood to be more capable of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere than soil that is depleted and lacking in important biological activity.

According to 2024 census data, Hutterite colonies manage approximately four million acres across Canada and the United States with roughly 75 per cent of those acres located in Canada and 25 per cent in the U.S. 

Four million acres represent approximately four per cent of Canada's agricultural land base. Alberta is particularly notable, with Hutterite colonies accounting for approximately 1.7 million of the four million total Hutterite acres in North America.

Given these figures and Replenish's natural alignment with the sustainable farming practiced by generational Hutterite colonies, the Company sees significant opportunity to expand partnerships of this kind across Alberta, into other Canadian provinces, and ultimately into the U.S.

                      

 

Guelph lands two Lacombe researchers

The University of Guelph has landed two pork industry researchers from the Lacombe, Alberta, research station the federal agriculture department is closing.

Óscar López-Campos and Nuria Prieto will join the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) for two-year terms. The news release did not say when they begin work in Guelph.

Prieto’s research has focused on determining points of product differentiation without increasing costs in the meat sector.

López-Campos examined carcass merit, post-mortem muscle metabolism and strategies to enhance meat quality and yield.

 

“Their expertise is vital to Canada’s agri-food system, and I am very much looking forward to having them on campus and seeing the impact of their work for producers, processors and consumers across the country,” said OAC dean John Cranfield in the release.

The Ontario Agricultural College is currently working on developing a protein research initiative.

AAFC Lacombe has been a major site for cow-calf forage and grazing research, meat science, grading and food safety research.

Rare farm for sale

A rare farm on Salt Spring Island that produces extra virgin olive oil is up for auction on Aug. 12.

Bidding will start at $2.9 million each for two parcels of land totaling 74 acres.

After years of research showed the only climate in Canada mild and dry enough to support a commercial olive farm was in Salt Spring Island's Fulford Valley, Sheri Braun and her late husband George Braun, looked for years in numerous locations before settling here, planted olive trees and set up a processing facility. 

Today, the farm and its 750 trees produce a highly prized extra virgin olive oil used by chefs nationwide that retails for $625 per litre, said a company news release

Popcorn a hit at fireworks

Ron and Jean Nugent and son Thomas set up shop at the annual fireworks display at the river between Windsor and Detroit to cater to thousands who turn out to watch-

The fireworks have been a joint-cities event since 1959.

The Nugents have owned Popper’s Kettle Corn of Harrow, Onr., for six and a half years.

Everything they sell is grown or made in Ontario, including the popcorn bags.

Canada tariffs veggie imports

In a highly unusual move, the federal Finance Department announced a 10 per cent tariff on low-priced processed vegetables from a limited number of countries.

It will not apply to products from the United States, Mexico, Israel, Chile and developing countries.

It is classified as a safeguarding measure which has only been used once in the last 20 years.

The safeguarding inquiry was launched at the request of the Canadian Association of Vegetable Growers and Processors.

It is opposed by the Retail Council of Canada which speaks for the dominant supermarket chains.

The tariff will last a maximum of 20 days while the inquiry continues.

There have been substantial increases in imports from Thailand (179 per cent), Turkey (159 per cent) and Peru (85 per cent).

They may have come to Canada because the United States hit them with higher tariffs.

Nortera Foods Inc. of Quebec has in recent months made plans to close two plants, citing concerns about import competition. It announced the closure of its Lethbridge, Alta., plant in March, and its Saint-Césaire, Que., plant in October. 

Sharman appointed to development board

Danielle Sharman of Rockwood has been appointed to a three-year term on the province’s Rural Economic Development Advisory Panel.

She is a senior policy advisor at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, specializing in agriculture and rural economic development.

She is a board director on the Greenbelt Foundation and sits on various committees for the Economic Developers’ Council of Ontario.

She is a certified economic developer with a master’s degree in local economic development.

She, her husband and three children live on a grain farm in Rockwood.

Wow! What great qualifications for this job!

Yet another lawyer appointed

The province has appointed Harouna Sidibe Saley Sidibe to a two-year term on the Animal Care Review Board.

He joins a board whose membership is already mostly lawyers. 

They deal with appeals from farmers and other animal owners who have been accused of animal abuse.

Twenty-six of the 29 members are lawyers or are employed in legal administrate systems. Their qualifications outlined in the provincial appointments registry show no experience with livestock or poultry.

Sidibe holds master’s degrees in international law and business law and a doctorate in law. 

He is currently completing a Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall Law School and holds a Certificate in Law from Queen’s University. 

He has more than 10 years of professional experience in real estate law, insolvency law, medical liability law, and insurance law, including experience with French law firms and insurance groups. He is able to work in delivers services in French and English and has basic knowledge of Spanish.

Drone spraying gets ok

 

The federal health department is granting permission to use drones to spray fields.

The permission applies to pesticides and crops already approved for aerial applications.

The permission came in the form of a letter Health Canada issued to the Canadian Agricultural Drone Association.

Health Canada – i.e. the Pest Management Review Agency – said this is an interim measure.

“Previously there were no agricultural pesticides approved by PMRA to apply by drone at all, so there was literally nothing that could be applied legally,” said Markus Weber, president of the Canadian Agricultural Drone Association.

Alberta farmer urges ban on blood plasma

Jake Waldner, pig manager for Hartland Colony in Alberta, thinks porcine epidemic diarrhea virus can spread in blood plasma used as an ingredient for nursery pig rations.

He said he can’t be certain the Hutterite colony’s disease outbreak came from blood plasma, but said there were too many links pointing in that direction.

He was speaking at the annual meeting of Alberta Pork.

Several other producers had strong words of criticism for allowing blood plasma to continue to be a nursery feed ingredient.

One said the issue was raised 14 years ago and a number of times since.

One said it’s like playing Russian roulette.

Alberta has had only this one outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus since 2922.

Province tweaks farm machinery regs

 

The province is proposing minor changes to the Farm Implements Act and Regulation 369 to reduce paperwork.

 New farm machinery dealerships and new dealer-distributorships will no longer need to regisste3r with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

The Ministry will retain the dealer requirement  as a permit by rule, whereby a farmequipment dealer is required to notify OMAFA through the existing registration form.

The legislation provides protection for dealers from unjustified terminations of dealership agreements and buy-back requirements when the dealership agreements end. The Act also improves farm implement safety through supporting the development of farm implement safety standards.

Chick sexing technology launching soon

 

Technology that can identify the sex of chicks before they hatch is set to launch late this year.

It would reduce costs and eliminate the animal welfare issue of killing newborn males.

Canadian Egg Technologies is working with the Egg Farmers of Ontario marketing board and the Egg Farmers of Canada national supply management agency to bring technology from Denmark’s Sanova Technology Group to Canada.

 MatrixSpec Solutions of Quebec is also involved.

The group’s platform uses hyperspectral imaging, via MatrixSpec’s MSE3000 scanner, to gender-type the eggs as early as the fourth day of incubation, according to a June 17 news release. It said this is earlier than other, similar technologies.

Hatcheries will benefit by freeing up space to incubate only female-producing eggs.

Empire profits increase

 

Empire reported a 22.5 per cent increase in profits for its final quarter, a total of $212 million.

Its financial statements did not reveal revenues.

The company said it is pushing back on supplier’s surcharges for fuel costs and price hikes.

Empire owns Sobeys, IGA, Farm Boy and Costco supermarket chains.

Farmers refuse Alto overture

 

Five general farm organizations are refusing to sign “collaborator” agreements with Alto, the organization planning to build a high-speed railway linking Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa.

“These Collaborator Agreements were the equivalent of non-disclosure agreements,” said Josh Suppan, president of National Farmers Union - Ontario. “Signing would have severely limited what we could share with our members, curtailing our ability to advocate in the best interest of food producers. Attempting to silence the voice of agriculture is not how consultations should be done.”  

The five farm organizations said they are willing to talk, but it needs to be “meaningful consultation”.

The five are the NFU-O, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, L’Union des producteurs agricoles, and L’Union des Cultivateurs Franco-Ontarien.

“We view Alto as a net negative for farmers and for agricultural and environmentally-sensitive land throughout Ontario and Quebec,” said Suppan.

The estimated $90 billion budget for the Alto project will almost certainly ensure that over the next generation our public transit will become even more underfunded, said NFU-O.

Canadians cannot know the project’s true costs or financial implications, because Alto has not publicly released any verifiable cost estimates, feasibility studies, or calculations behind their much-publicized overall price tag, it said. 

We have also received little evidence to support the expected ridership, or the supposed environmental and economic benefits, it said.

Hubers lose tribunal appeal

 

James and Gerdie Huber have lost their tribunal appeal against the Dairy Farmers of Ontario marketing board.

They lost their licence after the marketing board found their premises failed standards.

That led to bankruptcy and a receiver taking ownership of the farm.

The marketing board argued, and the tribunal agreed, that the Hubers lack authority to file an appeal since they no longer own the farm.

Chicken board open to newcomers

Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board has opened applications for people who want to acquire a licence and quota to become a chicken producer.

The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m.on October 30, 2026.

Board chairman Murray Opsteen said “the Ontario chicken sector is strong, vibrant, and continues to grow}

He said board members’ production supports more than 30,000 jobs and contributes $6.3 billion to the Ontario economy,.

“For individuals interested in pursuing a career in chicken”arming, the CFO New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program provides a valuable opportunity to enter the sector and build a successful farming operation.”  he sad,

Fifty families have joined the chicken business since 2012 through the CFO New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program. 

Those chosen into the program gain a wide range of supportive services and educational resources. They also benefit from a 15-year repayment period involving quota holdings – all in support of the successful transition into Ontario’s chicken farming business.  

“The Ontario chicken sector continues to be strong, resilient, and well-positioned for the future, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to our vision of leading a trusted, prosperous, and sustainable chicken sector,” said Denise Hockaday, the organization’s chief executive officer.

VTL Foods loses its licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended its licence for VTL Foods Trading Ltd. of Mississauga because of serious breaches of the Canada Safe Foods Act.

The CFIA said it lacked import controls, misdeclared imported products and imported meats from countries lacking CFIA approval.

The suspension puts VTL Foods out of business until it can satisfy the CFIA that it can and will comply with the law.

Survey finds support for greenhouses

A survey conducted by Campaign Research in Kingsville and Chatham-Kent between April 9 and April 17 has found strong support for the greenhouse industry, but also some concerns about the environment, pollution and resource use. One of the “pollution” issues is night-time lighting.

The survey revealed that 91 per cent of Chatham-Kent residents agree the greenhouse sector provides their community with a net benefit. In Kingsville, the result was 92 per cent.

However, 92 per cent of respondents also think local governments should actively guide and support greenhouse and agricultural development.

"The greenhouse sector is not just an agricultural sector. It is one of the economic engines that helps sustain families, businesses, and community services across the region," said Richard Lee, executive director of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers association.

“As the greenhouse sector continues to expand, we recognize that growth must go hand-in-hand with community dialogue and responsible planning," Lee said.

Competition Bureau targets food supply chain

The federal government’s Competition Bureau is launching a new study announced a new study of the Canadian food supply chain. 

It said it’s in response to recent food price increases and comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced $130 million of increased funding for the Competition Bureau to examine the food industry.

The study will be a “broad examination,” of every step in the food production process, interim commissioner of competition Jeanne Pratt said in an interview. It will look at crop inputs, such as fertilizer and seeds, as well as transportation, distribution and pricing practices at grocers.

“The price at checkout starts a long time before the product gets on the shelves,” she said. 

Pratt said the bureau study will build on its recommendations from a 2023 report that examined concentration of ownership in the grocery business,.

Mike von Massow, an agricultural economist at the University of Guelph, said the study seems to be too broad and the meatpacking business alone is a highly consolidated sector worthy of its own investigation, He said he said 85 per cent of Canada’s slaughter is done at three plents. Two are in Alberta and one in Ontario and they are owned by Cargill and JBS. 

“This is so unfocused. It’s kind of like casting a big wide net and hoping we catch something,”  von Massow said.

The 2023 study recommended changes such as limiting property controls, which have been used by major grocers to restrict what nearby businesses can sell. Investigations into property controls are continuing. 

Only one province – Manitoba – has banned the practice.

The Competition Bureau could notch a slam-dunk win by investigating the two companies that dominate Canada's egg supply chain. 

More than five years ago a whistleblower provided the Competition Bureau with electronic evidence of how the two conspired to control the supply chain. 

It could also examine the history of competition in Ontario's dairy-processing industry, including lobbying in the 1970s by the Ontario Dairy Council against provincial government permission to establish new milk processing plants in Ontario.

There is enough anti-competitive behaviour to keep Competition Bureau investigators working for decades.

            

More startup funding announced

Wittington Ventures – an investment arm backed by the Weston group of companies – is partnering with Breakthrough Energy Discovery of the United States to launch a new funding program that would give two to four applicants $500,000 US each in early-stage capital. 

Agriculture will be a priority for the funding.

The applicants must be headquartered in Canada and be from Canadian research institutions. 

Those chosen will become the first entirely Canadian cohort to join Breakthrough Energy Discovery’s global Fellows program. 

The Weston Group’s main holding is Loblaws supermarket business.

Bee regs to be dropped

 

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness is proposing to drop regulations that require a permit to move beeswax refuse from quarantine zones.

The regulations required permits but have not been used for more than 15 years.

OMAFRA said it will still be able to declare quarantine zones to prevent the spread of diseases.

Livestock drug sales under review

 

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness is moving to counter a federal change in regulations that would make it more bureaucratic to be able to buy livestock medicines.

The federal changes have made it necessary to obtain a prescription to buy medically-important antimicrobials.

To reduce delays, costs, and administrative burden, OMAFA is proposing amendments to the Animal Health Act (AHA) and to the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act (DPRA) that would allow for the use of registration instead of requiring persons who sell livestock medicine to hold licences.

If those amendments are introduced and pass, OMAFA would then propose amendments to O. Reg. 584/20: Licences to Sell Livestock Medicines under the Animal Health Act to replace the current requirement to obtain a licence to sell livestock medicines with the requirement to register with OMAFA before operating.

OMAFA is also proposing to drop the requirement for annual renewals of licences to slaughter cattle or pigs on the farm.

Ontario’s proposals are open to public comment until July 30.

                           -30-

Activists appeal court’s trespass decision

 

Animal Justice, an organization that seeks the right to trespass to document alleged animal abuse, said it will appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

It originally won a court challenge against a new Ontario law that protects animal owners from trespassers and undercover agents seeking to document animal abuse.

But that was over-turned by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

“I do not agree that the legislation violates the respondents’ Charter rights,” said the Appeal Court’s decision. “What the respondents (Animal Justice and two co-applicants) claim is a right to access the property of others on their own terms and for their own purposes. Freedom of expression does not provide for this.”

                           

Farm efficiency subsidy extended

 

The federal and provincial governments are offering $12 million in a program aimed at helping farmers improve energy efficiency and soil health.

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is offering between $6,000 and $90,000 for projects that support soil health, water quality and energy efficiency improvements, including replacing inefficient on-farm technologies, installing geothermal heating and adopting high-efficiency motor, ventilation, heating, cooling, refrigeration, grain drying and lighting systems. 

This is the fourth intake of the program and builds on the $15.5 million already invested to support approximately 1,000 projects since 2023.

                           

Lawyer to head Animal Review Board.

 

Brian Killick of Sarnia has been appointed to a two-year terms as associate chairman of the Animal Care Review Board.

He is a former staff lawyer with Neighbourhood Legal Services in London and at Community Legal Assistance in Sarnia. 

He is also a former Paralegal Program Professor at Sheridan College. 

The review board hears appeals from owners whose animals have been seized because they were allegedly being abused.

The board membership has many lawyers.

NFU decries Swift Current destruction

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling for an independent audit of organic-farmed plots at the Swift Current, Sask. research station and restoration of the land to organic standards.

The government abandoned the organic-farmed area and planted wheat this year.

The NFU said when the cuts were announced, the government said there would be a careful, 12-month wind-down period to permit the completion of research in progress, transfer of assets and preservation of data. 

But the destruction of the organic research project lands at Swift Current is a betrayal of those assurances, and deeply disrespectful of Parliament, as it pre-empts the government’s official response to the Agriculture Committee report which has not yet been tabled in Parliament.

Farmers made investments in the organic research yet they had no say in the decisions that interrupted ongoing work, and have  made it impossible to go ahead with commitments for planned organic research, the NFU said.

The Organic and Regenerative Agriculture program at Swift Current has supported farmer-led alternative plant breeding and addresses urgent problems of climate adaptation, reduced-input production, disease issues, and others faced by all farmers, organic and conventional alike, the NFU said.

The program held well-attended annual field days to communicate its results to the farming community and other researchers. 

The Organic and Regenerative Research program is needed to develop and share critical knowledge for a strong agriculture sector, a prosperous economy and Canada’s future food security, it said.

After an independent audit and restoration of the land to organic farming standards, the NFU wants “a formal commitment to a multi-year, supervised remediation process required to rehabilitate the soil structure, address the disruption of biological integrity, and mitigate the damage caused by the loss and mixing of distinct treatment, crop, and soil histories so that valid organic research can safely resume in the future.”

Why is the Canadian Federation of Agriculture silent?

Carney offers $1 billion for food terminals

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney was at the Ontario Food Terminal where he announced $1 billion for food terminals, including the one where he made the announcement.

He said two more food terminals will be established to help Canadian farmers market their produce.

He said the $1 billion adds to $2.3 billion being spent to help lower-income Canadians afford food.

It also includes $150 million toward a new food security fund, $100 million for supporting global innovation clusters and a $1-billion Agri-Food Project Finance Fund to be delivered through Farm Credit Canada.

The government aims to increase Canadian consumption of domestically produced and processed food from 70 to 80 per cent and he GDP growth of the food processing industry from 1.6 per cent a year to 2.75 per cent between 2027 and 2035.

It’s not clear whether two food wholesale operations in the Waterloo Region might qualify for some of the.$1 billion.

One is the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperate Inc. which wholesales food from Mennonite farms and greenhouses.

The other is St. Jacobs Foods which was purchased by Richard and Sherri Good and moved to New Hamburg.