MELFORT, Sask. – Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) recognized a well-known educator and researcher with the 2023 Canola Award of Excellence.
Michael Eskin, a Food and Human Nutritional Sciences professor at the University of Manitoba, started studying canola oil in 1968.
MCGA president Chuck Fossay said Eskin’s involvement in canola oil research throughout his career is what made him stand out.
“From his early involvement in the development of canola oil, to his efforts in solving problems associated with the oil over the years, to his current work with colleagues looking at some of the antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of the phenolics in canola, Dr. Eskin has a long list of accomplishments and MCGA is thrilled to recognize him with this award,” Fossay said.
Eskin said his role was to look at the composition, stability, and performance of the oil that would become canola.
“We were commissioned by the Canola Council of Canada to prepare the first major booklet on canola oil, to promote its science and technology to health professionals, and food industry people around the world,” Eskin said.
The 82-year-old Eskin continues to teach, publish, and supervise students at the U of M.
In 2022, Canada exported 2.6 million tonnes of canola oil, valued at $6.2 billion. Domestically, canola oil has become the number one edible oil in Canada, representing more than half of all vegetable oil consumed in the country.
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A new agtech product is giving farmers personalized sales recommendations.
GrainFox founder & CEO Mark Lepp said it’s the only product of its kind in North America.
“GrainFox’s ability to deliver personalized farm wealth solutions around the clock to producers through Smart AdvisorTM is going to be a game changer for the agricultural industry,” Lepp said.
GrainFox’s Smart Advisor provides recommendations based on how the sale of each crop in a farmer’s portfolio interacts with one another. Lepp said it incorporates historical and current market data, along with producers’ cash flow goals, storage constraints, and risk tolerance to deliver comprehensive, unbiased, personalized sales recommendations.
“In these times of heightened volatility and uncertainty in the markets, personalization has never been more important to a producer’s sales strategy,” he said.
GrainFox also provides a suite of farm wealth tools, including a return-on-investment calculator, a cash flow planner, a sales and inventory tracker, and a resource containing useful market analysis and geopolitical commentary.
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A farmer’s market in Wolfville, N.S. is participating in a national week of discussions about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Community-supported agriculture is a farm membership system that allows consumers to sign up to receive a season’s worth of a farm’s products over several weeks.
The Wolfville Farmer’s Market is inviting people interested to join an online conversation under hashtag CSA week.
The online chat will discuss how they can support local agriculture through the program.
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