New Program to Help Food Processors Recalibrate for Domestic Market

Mar 21, 2025

Protein Industries Canada (PIC) on Thursday announced a new $3-million program to help Canadian food and ingredient companies remain competitive in the wake of the ongoing uncertainty around trade with the US.

The program will “support the development of new, or the reformulation of existing products, for the domestic market,” a PIC release said.

“Now more than ever, it is vital that we support our Canadian ingredient manufacturers and food processors. Their ability to remain viable is key to Canada’s agriculture and food sector, and Canada’s domestic supply chain,” CEO of Protein Industries Canada Robert Hunter said. “This program will help our manufacturers and processors create or reformulate products for the Canadian market, using Canadian ingredients.”

The Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain Program will reimburse up to 75% of eligible costs to a maximum project cost of $200,000. To be eligible, projects must include at least one of the following:

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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.