Roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices

Your daily cup of java is getting a little more expensive as roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices.

Climate change has been the biggest contributor to the ongoing surge in bean prices, as coffee crops are very sensitive to temperature changes, said Michael von Massow, food economist at the University of Guelph.

"We've seen some increases in disease and some decreases in yield that have lowered supply, and basic economics 101 — when supply goes down, prices go up," he said in an interview on Monday.

Coffee prices have remained high amid concerns of dry weather in Brazil, a major coffee-producing country.

Trump’s trade battle with China puts US soybean farmers in peril

MAGNOLIA, Ky. (AP) — The leafy soybean plants reach Caleb Ragland's thighs and are ripe for harvest, but the Kentucky farmer is deeply worried. He doesn't know where he and others like him will sell their crop because China has stopped buying.

Beijing, which traditionally has snapped up at least a quarter of all soybeans grown in the U.S., is in effect boycotting them in retaliation for the high tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese goods and to strengthen its hand in negotiations over a new overall trade deal.

It has left American soybean farmers fretting over not only this year's crop but the long-term viability of their businesses, built in part on China's once-insatiable appetite for U.S. beans.

“This is a five-alarm fire for our industry,” said Ragland, who leads the American Soybean Association trade group.

What to know before you try foraging for edible plants and mushrooms in backyards or public spaces

BOSTON (AP) — Amid renewed interest in foraging for edible wild plants, mushrooms and other foodstuffs, experts caution aspiring foragers to prioritize safety, plan carefully and learn proper identification. Here are some things to consider before venturing out to gather food from forests, urban landscapes and elsewhere.

Confirm plant identification

It's critical to avoid accidental poisoning. If you have even the slightest doubt about a plant’s safety, don't touch or taste it. Relying solely on photos from a quick online search also can be dangerous, as those are often misidentified, said Iris Phoebe Weaver, a longtime herbalist and foraging instructor in Massachusetts.

Know toxic look-alikes

Foraging revival: How wild food enthusiasts are reconnecting with nature

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Standing barefoot in a grassy patch of dandelions, Iris Phoebe Weaver excitedly begins listing the many ways the modest plant can be used medicinally and in cooking.

“I just picked a bunch of dandelion flowers yesterday and threw them in vodka with some orange peel and some sugar, and that’s my dandelion aperitif,” Weaver said. “That will make a lovely mixed drink at some point.”

A longtime herbalist and foraging instructor in Massachusetts, Weaver takes people on nature walks that transform their relationships with their surroundings. Lately, she's been encouraged by the uptick in interest in foraging, a trend she sees as benefiting the environment, community and people.

“There is just an amazing amount of food that is around us,” Weaver said. “There is so much abundance that we don’t even understand.”

Prairie harvest a mixed bag as tariff strife casts shadow over healthy crop

CALGARY - Gunter Jochum can easily tell which parts of his farm got rain and which parts the clouds passed over this year.

He and his brother-in-law grow wheat, canola, oats and soybeans on 2,500 hectares west of Winnipeg, much of that on long tracts hugging the Assiniboine River.

"Some showers that came through this summer during the growing season when things were really, really dry didn't even cover the whole field," said Jochum, president of the Wheat Growers Association.

The quality of the crop Jochum has harvested so far this year has been excellent, but yields for his oats and wheat have varied field to field.

Livestock producers mull support amid dry spell

Though rain has fallen, pockets of livestock producers continue to struggle for feed and water — and future government support is being considered.

“With climate change, it’s more than likely that this will not go away,” said Richard Chartrand, reeve of the RM of St. Laurent. “We have to look at being proactive.”

St. Laurent declared a state of agricultural emergency in July. Interlake municipalities including Armstrong, Coldwell and Woodlands enacted similar statuses as drought hit local farmers.

A group of municipal leaders met Manitoba government officials to discuss short- and long-term solutions last month. Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn attended.

Adaptability key in climate change crop fight

Higher food prices and a significant drop in production of wheat — one of Manitoba’s most prominent crops — could come by the century’s end due to climate change, a new study suggests.

Meanwhile, Manitoba wheat farmers are taking measures to adapt their practices and produce greater yields amid changing conditions.

A report published in Nature this week projects Canada, China, Russia and the United States — when grouped together — could lose 30 to 40 per cent of wheat yields if the Earth warms roughly 4.3 C by 2100.

Canada alone could see a 20 per cent reduction, according to the study’s lead author.

En 2025, des Jardins St Léon encore plus tournés vers le local

Les Jardins St-Léon, le marché extérieur situé sur St Mary’s, ouvre ses portes au public ce 30 avril. Colin Rémillard, copropriétaire, fait le point sur la saison qui s’en vient.

Même si la création des Jardins St-Léon remonte à 1979 par Lise Mulaire et Denis Rémillard, l’excitation est toujours la même quand la date de l’ouverture est connue. Cette année 2025 ne fait pas exception au regard de toutes les réactions enchantées sur les réseaux sociaux quand la compagnie a annoncé son retour pour ce 30 avril.

À l’image des internautes, Colin Rémillard, copropriétaire des Jardins St-Léon a hâte d’accueillir le public et travaille avec son équipe de 55 personnes sur les dernières préparations.

“Tout se passe bien, nos étagères sont déjà bien remplies et nous continuons de les remplir. On a quelques nouveaux employés, mais aussi beaucoup de retours d’anciens, ce qui est toujours un bon signe. La météo a l’air de bien s’annoncer. L’année dernière a été plus occupée que l’année précédente et l’on verra ce qui va passer cette année.”

‘Time is now’ for new Cereals Canada HQ

Scientists have baked bread, created noodles and processed flour in a tower above the iconic Portage and Main intersection for years.

However, Cereals Canada has been calling for a new, modernized research facility for nearly two decades. As of Thursday, the long-sought project is one step closer: the Manitoba government injected $13 million as a “down payment.”

“If all goes well, we’re going to be there for one-third of this,” Premier Wab Kinew promised.

He stood inside Cereals Canada’s 11th-floor pilot bakery. Delegates from Japan, Britain and Italy, among other countries, have walked through the site, observing how Canadian cereal grain crops could work in their products.

Sirop d’érable, le trésor de Saint-Pierre-Jolys

L’incontournable Festival du Temps des sucres se prépare à revenir au village de Saint-Pierre-Jolys les 5 et 6 avril. Prenant place dans la Cabane à sucre, une extension du musée, les visiteurs pourront festoyer et célébrer ce fameux sirop local aux teintes ambrées.

Le temps se fait plus doux dans le village de Saint-Pierre-Jolys où les récoltes de sirop d’érable ont doucement commencé depuis la semaine du 17 mars.

En effet, des gelées la nuit combinées à des températures plus élevées le jour créent les conditions propices à la saison des récoltes. Ce type de météo permet d’exercer une pression à l’intérieur de l’arbre favorisant ensuite l’écoulement de “l’eau sucrée” comme aime l’appeler Roland Gagné, le gérant de la Cabane à sucre du village.

“Grâce à Mère Nature, l’eau remonte des racines jusqu’en haut de l’arbre. Ça permet de nettoyer les veines de l’érable et ensuite le liquide s’écoule.”

Nova Scotia group wants a court to declare a First Nation’s lobster fishery illegal

HALIFAX - A commercial lobster fishing group in southwestern Nova Scotia is seeking a court to have a lobster fishery run by a First Nations community declared illegal.

The United Fisheries Conservation Alliance says it also wants the court to define the scope and limits that should apply to a fishery operated by the Sipekne’katik First Nation in St. Mary’s Bay.

The group’s lawyer, Michel Samson, says a notice of action was filed Thursday with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Samson says the alliance is suing because a separate court case — filed by Sipekne’katik First Nation against the federal and Nova Scotia governments — was paused in order to mediate a resolution.

Kindness crops up in harvest for hungry

NEAR LANDMARK — Grain dust billowing in their wake, eight combines drove back and forth across a 100-acre field near Landmark on Tuesday to bring in a harvest for hungry people around the world. The combines were there to take off a crop of wheat for the Landmark Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing project — the first fall harvest for 41 such projects across Manitoba communities. “The field looks good,” said growing project organizer Randy Plett, who farms oilseeds and grains near Landmark. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS Foodgrains regional representative Gordon Janzen (centre right) and Landmark growing project coordinator Randy […]

Greenhouse sprouts in inner-city neighbourhood

AN inner-city greenhouse will soon burst with plants and people, and tackle food insecurity and unemployment.

The Spence Neighbourhood Association unveiled its community greenhouse at 689 Maryland St. Wednesday.

“In our neighbourhood, food access is a big issue,” said Mandalyn Unger, a co-ordinator with the non-profit.

The group regularlys accepts input from locals about their vision for the neighbourhood.

Veggie Van to bring fresh produce to inner city residents

A farmer’s market on wheels is hoping to put a dent into the problem of food deserts in Winnipeg’s inner city

Fireweed Food Co-op has launched its new Veggie Van pilot program, which brings subsidized local produce into Winnipeg’s inner city neighbourhoods through a mobile market on Thursday afternoons. The West Central Women’s Resource Centre was the first stop on the Veggie Van’s inaugural tour last week.

“We have zucchini, beets, yellow onion, carrots, sweet corn,” says Fireweed’s food hub delivery co-ordinator Janelle Wride, while standing behind a table piled high with colourful vegetables. “Those are most of the basic items that we have available from the producers right now and each week it’ll change a little bit.”

The goal of the program, she says, is to combat food insecurity by offering cheap, nutritious produce for sale in underserved communities.

Chef wants to keep on trucking while she puts down permanent restaurant roots

Tara Hall is just getting started.

The 40-year-old chef is the owner of Winnipeg’s Aboriginal Fusion food truck and she has her sights set on opening a restaurant — sans wheels — focused on the foods she grew up eating.

The elevator pitch is “traditional Aboriginal foods with a fine-dining twist,” Hall says. “We don’t have enough of that here.”

She was born in Vancouver and grew up with her great-grandparents and grandpa on Pinaymootang First Nation in the Interlake. Hall watched her elders and aunties closely in the kitchen and learned to make staples, such as bannock, fried pickerel and saskatoon berry jam, at a young age.