Feeding a Hungry World: A Summit for Animal Agriculture

Event Details

Time: October 17, 2011 to October 18, 2011
Location: Delta Ottawa City Centre Hotel
City/Town: Ottawa
Website or Map: http://www.farmcarefoundation…
Event Type: summit
Organized By: OntAG Admin
Latest Activity: Sep 14, 2011

Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)

Event Description

Summit registration form (PDF)

Full Summit Program

Why we urgently need to focus on animal agriculture?

Conventional agriculture, especially animal agriculture, is in danger of losing its social contract – the public support needed to profitably serve society through food production.

Many children don’t know that ham is a pork product. Most families are at least one generation removed from farm roots. They are losing appreciation of the importance of conventional agriculture in their lives. They take affordable food for granted, and increasingly don’t support agriculture-friendly public policies.

We need to urgently rebuild agriculture’s social contract with Canadians. Our industry must meaningfully address such issues as sustainability, animal welfare, and food safety. The public’s support for conventional agriculture is critical if the industry is to remain sound and capable of meeting the world’s food needs in the twenty-first century and beyond.

Objectives of the summit:

To provide a unique opportunity for leaders in the agri-food sector to collectively discuss the future for animal agriculture in Canada, within a global context.
To increase awareness of the role of animal agriculture in many areas, with a goal to “make it a priority” in Canada.
To discuss and develop communication strategies and options for members of Canada’s agri-food sector to proactively and effectively work together on a “social contract”.
To develop a follow up plan for ongoing action and discussion with options for attendees to implement after the session.

Download the Summit Backgrounder [PDF]

How do we grow more food with fewer resources under increasing public scrutiny?

Agri-food industry leaders from across Canada have been inspired to come together to coordinate the first Feeding a Hungry World: A Summit for Animal Agriculture at the Delta Ottawa Centre this October. The Summit will be a unique opportunity to start the conversation and help shape the direction animal agriculture needs to work towards for a sustainable future.

The Summit goals include discussing key industry issues, developing a strategy for a strong social contract and agreeing on an action plan to increase animal agriculture’s profile. The Farm Care Foundation, a new charity working to enhance public trust and confidence in Canadian food and farming, is hosting the Summit.

map and directions to hotel

Comment Wall

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Which Farmer’s Almanac Is Going Out of Print?

it’s not the iconic yellow-covered Old Farmer’s Almanac that’s closing its doors. The Farmers’ Almanac, based in Lewiston, Maine, will publish its final edition in 2026, marking the end of a 208-year legacy.

USask horticulture student honours peace by growing poppies

The display is a project of the heart for University of Saskatchewan (USask) horticulture student Corporal Fikret Ükis, who has been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 2018. “I thought it would be meaningful to have real poppies growing here on campus. They’re such a powerful symbol; simple, but deeply emotional,” Ükis said. It has been more than 100 years since the First World War and 80 years since the Second World War, and the world continues to see terrible conflict, he noted. “People sometimes forget that the freedoms and sovereignty we enjoy today were paid for by the sacrifices of those men and women,” he said. “It’s sad to see how fragile peace can be. The Ukrainians know this better than anyone right now; their sovereignty is currently under threat. Here in Canada, we take peace for granted, and we’ve forgotten how hard people had to fight during the First and Second World Wars, and how hard we still have to fight, to protect it.” Ükis said the poppy is a delicate

USask graduate investigates gene to improve the health of barley

Feeding the world requires healthy crops that can resist plant disease. Barley is the world’s fourth largest cereal crop in terms of production. This important crop is at risk worldwide from the fungus, Ustilago hordei, which infects barley with a disease called covered smut. This fungal infection starts on the surface of barley seed and causes the kernels of the barley plant to be replaced by masses of brown spores. Fan Yang’s research sought to identify a gene that can prevent barley yield loss from covered smut and thus improve economic returns to farmers. “My research focused on identifying a resistance gene, called RuhQ, within the barley genome that provides long-term resistance to covered smut,” said Yang. “I investigated how the pathogen infects barley seedlings and reduces grain quality and yield. I also explored which defense pathways are activated by the RuhQ gene to help barley defend against covered smut.” In July 2025, she successfully defended her PhD thesis, A study

Pulse Market Insight #286

Another Headwind for Yellow Peas The first quarter of the 2025/26 marketing year is now over and the pea market’s performance can be described as good, considering China’s 100% tariffs on Canadian pea imports, but not great. According to the CGC, farmers’ pea deliveries through 13 weeks were 1.13 mln tonnes, below the 5-year average of 1.21 mln and last year at 1.37 mln tonnes. Licensed pea exports totaled 865,000 tonnes, slightly above the 5-year average of 855,000, but trailing last year’s strong pace of 1.05 mln tonnes. In a “normal” year, this movement of peas wouldn’t be a big concern but the 2025 pea crop is nearly a million tonnes larger than last year, including 700,000 tonnes more yellow peas. Canada needs to export more peas, not less, in 2025/26 to avoid a large buildup in ending stocks. Unfortunately, the Indian government’s recent announcement of a 30% import tariff on yellow peas (from all origins), effective November 1, won’t help the situation. Several months ago, In

FVGC executive director plans to retire

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) president, Marcus Janzen, has announced that Massimo Bergamini will begin a transition from his role as executive director as he moves toward retirement. The Board is grateful for his leadership and for the organizational achievements made during his tenure.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service