Ottawa Invests in Mustard, Sunflower Seed Industries

May 13, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Canadian mustard and sunflower seed growers received support from the federal government to increase export sales abroad.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz made the $230,000 funding announcement to the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA). In a release it says the money will help boost international trade efforts.

"The multi-year Agri-Marketing funding will enable Canada's special crops industry to deliver innovative, healthy and sustainable foods consistently and reliably to markets around the world,” Gordon Bacon, CEO of the Canadian Special Crops Association said in a release.

Specifically, the industry will focus on two projects directed by the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission and the National Sunflower Association of Canada. The initiative purpose is to improve variety options for mustard and sunflower seeds, focusing on health and nutritional benefits.

According to the release, the Canadian pulse and special crop industry had an export value of more than $3 billion in 2013. The investment was made through the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriMarketing Program, offered under the Growing Forward 2 policy framework.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.