OVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND MANITOBA ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS AND FARMERS' MARKETS

Developing New Marketing Options Will Strengthen Distribution Network

 

The governments of Canada and Manitoba will be supporting a project, which will allow local food producers and farmers’ markets to sell their products online, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen announced today.

 

“Farmers and food processors across the agri-food value chain are working hard to make sure Canadians continue to have access to their high quality and affordable food. Our government, along with of our provincial counterparts, is working step by step to support our producers as they provide an essential service to all Canadians,” said Bibeau. “By creating a centralized online platform for Manitoban producers to sell their products, we are increasing flexibility in the supply chain during a very challenging time.”

 

“Increasing access to Manitoba’s diverse selection of foods grown or processed in the province will build resiliency in our food system and proactively address concerns about food insecurity,” said Pedersen. “Developing new marketing options at a time when important outlets such as restaurants, retail and farmers’ markets are disrupted will help strengthen distribution of local food to Manitoba customers.”

 

Canada and Manitoba will be providing a total of $160,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to Direct Farm Manitoba to purchase a software platform that will allow Manitobans to order food online from local producers and farmers’ markets. The funding will also go toward the development of a network of pickup and delivery options to connect consumers with their orders, and the development of COVID-19 safe handling and packaging practices for producers and processors.

 

“Canadians have always been able to count on farmers for good, healthy food. It has never been more important for our food supply to be reliable and diverse,” said Phil Veldhuis, president, Direct Farm Manitoba. “We have been working hard to connect consumers directly to local farmers. We appreciate this investment to reinforce our local food system at this time of crisis.”

 

The five-year, $3-billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes $2 billion for cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories and $1 billion for federal programs and services. 

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.