Government of Canada invests $2.6 million to help improve safety of agri-food workers in Nova Scotia

Mar 22, 2021

Kentville, Nova Scotia – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, Kody Blois, announced support of up to $2.6 million through the Emergency Processing Fund for 40 food processing companies in Nova Scotia.

The announcement was made alongside Kentville-based Ocean Crisp Apple Company Inc., one of the largest single suppliers of premium variety apples in Nova Scotia, which is receiving up to $100,000.

With this funding, recipients are adopting measures to help keep employees safe. This includes making adjustments to enable social distancing, purchasing reuseable personal protective equipment (PPE), installing protective barriers and developing employee training.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian food producers and processors have stepped up to deliver quality food for Canadians. From the outset, the Government of Canada has helped food processors invest in safety measures and maintain their capacity to keep up with demand. The Government of Canada will continue working with food processors to protect the health and well-being of workers in food processing plants across Canada and strengthen our food supply chain.

Source : canada

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.