The spike in farmland prices has boosted the equity of farmers all across Canada. Are farmers leveraging this new-found equity to generate new business opportunities or farm wealth? To explore what farmland values mean for farms and farming across Canada, Country Guide sat down with Pascal Thériault, agricultural economist at Macdonald Campus, McGill University and vice-president of Quebec’s Ordre des agronomes.
Published on: 28 Nov 2023
In answer to a question posed by a reader, La Presse looked into the origins of the Metro group with expert commentary from agricultural economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology program and Senior Faculty Lecturer.
Among the five major players in the grocery field (Metro, IGA, Loblaw, Costco and Walmart), Metro is the only one to have its head office in Quebec. The big decisions are therefore made here, indicated Thériault.
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Published on: 13 Nov 2023
After "shrinkflation," it's now de-qualification drawing criticism from consumers concerned about marketing ploys that give the impression of getting less for their money. The Trudeau government promises to investigate the practice, but experts say immediate action is needed.
In most cases, ingredient substitutions are virtually imperceptible. But recipe changes for certain foods can leave their mark.
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Published on: 9 Nov 2023
The apple is constantly being reinvented, changing with the times and cultures. The Malus domestica species comes in some 7,500 varieties.
"Today, people want crisp, sweet apples. Quebec used to import a lot of Granny Smiths; they're now much less popular because they're very acidic," explains David Wees, a McGill Plant Science lecturer and Associate Director of the university's Farm Management and Technology Program.
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Published on: 11 Oct 2023
Even though she grew up on a farm, Stéphanie Naud had never touched an axe or saw before studying at McGill's Mac campus. As a natural athlete who loved the outdoors and working with her hands, when she heard about our unique inter-university lumberjack club, she was intrigued, she recently told Le journal de Montréal.
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Published on: 2 Oct 2023
With fall officially here, it's time for Lennoxville, Quebec's annual Giant Pumpkin Festival, where people can see pumpkins that weigh as much as 680 kilograms.
The festival — which is taking place at the Amédée Beaudoin community centre Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — is a family event with bouncy castles, a petting zoo, a farmers' market, music and even horse-drawn carriages.
Alexandre Lemire started growing giant pumpkins three years ago after being inspired by festival founder Mike Macdonald's crops. Last year, his biggest pumpkin weighed 704 kilograms.
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Published on: 27 Sep 2023
If you’ve noticed that certain products in the grocery store taste different from how you remember, it’s possible some of their ingredients have been swapped for cheaper alternatives.
Experts say food producers are increasingly changing the ingredients in products to cut costs amid soaring food prices and labour shortages—a practice known as “skimpflation.” Could our health be at stake?
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Published on: 5 Sep 2023
“In Quebec, it hasn't been good this year either. We lose California, there's still Florida, there's still Mexico. We hope that it goes well somewhere because we will pay for it, one day," McGill University agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault told 98.5fm host Luc Ferrandez.
Quebec imports fruits, vegetables, and wine from California.
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Published on: 28 Aug 2023
Although grocery prices continue to rise at a higher rate than inflation, they slowed in July, according to Statistics Canada, and some items are currently on the shelves at the same price as they were in February, La Presse found.
But this summer "respite" could be short-lived, warns agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology program. And it's important to remember that grocery bills remain high, he says.
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Published on: 21 Aug 2023
July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth according to the European Copernicus service and extreme heat and drought are compromising many crops in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government's latest weekly crop report shows that from July 24 to 31, moisture levels in agricultural fields were insufficient in 49% of cases, and very insufficient in 38% of cases.
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Published on: 9 Aug 2023
Un récent rapport indique que 40 % des travailleurs agricoles partiront à la retraite d'ici 2033 et que le pays manquera de 24 000 employés d'ici là. Pascal Thériault, économiste et directeur du programme de gestion et technologies d’entreprise agricole à l’Université McGill, analyse la situation.
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Published on: 20 Apr 2023
Les enjeux dans le domaine agroalimentaire se multiplient et se complexifient. Les programmes de formation doivent évoluer en conséquence. Coup d’œil sur ce qu’il se passe du côté des deux universités qui offrent des programmes en agronomie : l’Université Laval et l’Université McGill.
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Published on: 3 Apr 2023
Le budget fédéral dévoilé mardi prévoit un « rabais pour l'épicerie » sous forme d'aide ponctuelle pour aider les citoyens à composer avec l'inflation. Cette mesure de 2,5 milliards de dollars, qui profitera à 11 millions de personnes, pourra atteindre 467 $ par an pour un couple avec deux enfants.
L'économiste Pascal Thériault, chargé de cours au département des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'environnement de l'université McGill, n'est pas convaincu de l'efficacité d'une telle mesure.
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Published on: 3 Apr 2023
Dairy processor Agropur continues to refocus its activities. After selling its interests in IÖGO yogurts two years ago, in December it sold a Wisconsin-based plant used to manufacture dairy and non-dairy ingredient blends. The sale price was not disclosed.
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Published on: 13 Jan 2023
Food prices have increased by 11% in Quebec in 2022, the largest increase in Canada. In an annual report released on Monday, 26 researchers predict that the upward trend will continue into 2023, but will be less marked. Price increases in Québec in 2023 should be below the national average, around 5%.
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Published on: 7 Dec 2022
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