Governments Partnering to Boost Innovation in Food Production

Aug 29, 2024

TORONTO – The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $22.6 million, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), to expand production capacity and boost energy efficiency in the agriculture and food sector.

The Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative is supporting 319 farming and agri-food businesses to help them invest in innovative technology, equipment or processes that will expand production capacity or enhance efficiency. This government support combined with cost-shared investments by the sector is expected to generate up to $61 million in production investment improvements in the industry.

“There’s a growing demand for the top-quality products being produced here in Ontario,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “With support through the Sustainable CAP, this funding will help provide farmers and the agri-food sector with the tools they need to boost productivity, increase efficiency, and keep feeding the world.”

“Our government knows that supporting innovation in Ontario’s agriculture and food sector is key to it reaching its potential, while securing our collective ability to achieve the ambitious goals in our Grow Ontario Strategy,” said Rob Flack, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “These investments will allow established and emerging businesses to speed up efforts to optimize their operations and support growth for our agriculture and food sector.”

Some examples of investments made through this initiative included:

Up to $49,000, for Roelofsen Nursery, in Norwich, to purchase an electric self-propelled sprayer for field nursery crops.
Up to $45,000 for Byler Enterprises Ltd., in Algoma District, to install reverse osmosis equipment for maple syrup production that concentrates sap, reducing boiling time and required energy, while improving syrup quality.
Up to $100,000, for Solmaz Foods, in Etobicoke, for a refrigeration and freezer investment to enhance energy efficiency and capacity.

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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.