I am a lazy vegetable gardener and an enthusiastic cook. Both efforts have mixed results, but I confess to an obsession with local food. In the summer I buy from Veg In Yeg, operated by U of A grad student Nicole Spring. Both my kids work at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. I follow farmers on social media with the same fascination that some people reserve for Kardashians. All of this, even though I can’t name a single ancestor of mine who might have been involved in agriculture. The one thing I know about farming is that, as with any other business, you neglect to innovate at your peril.
A hundred years ago, most Albertans had a close relative involved in farming, Lisa Szabo, ’16 BA, writes in “The Future of Beef is Resilient.” Now, if you have a historical tie to agriculture at all, it’s likely three-plus generations ago. Yet we are more interested in our food than ever. That’s why the New Trail magazine team assembled a package of three food innovation stories for the Spring 2021 issue, which you can find in a mailbox near you. Lisa’s story takes a close look at beef and the roles U of A researchers and alumni have in making our protein production more efficient and sustainable.
But how do our groceries even get to our plates? Whether you have a fuller larder because of COVID-19 stockpiling, or possess a new interest in the provenance of your greens, eggs and ham, the knock-on effects of the pandemic mean that the circuitous path your groceries take to your house has changed since 2019. Writer Alexis Kienlen harvests the expertise of Sven Anders and Ellen Goddard in “The Future of Food Delivers.” They look at the perils of supply chain specialization and make predictions about our complicated and changing networks of grocery supplies.
Stan Blade, ’81 BSc, dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, recently validated my preoccupation with home-grown food. “There’s a reason why agriculture and food stories are above the fold in the business section these days,” he told writer Therese Kehler in her piece, “The Future of Farming is Smarter.” The reason is that the business of feeding ourselves has never been more complicated, a fact that the pandemic brought into sharp relief. Therese’s article looks at some truly cool and innovative ways that the ag sector is using artificial intelligence and new tech to face climate change and other challenges. (Drone pollinators or aquaponics, anyone?) Whether your interests lie in tech, farming, business or just dinner, you’ll find something to chew on in this package of stories.