New ag collaboration workspace opens in Edmonton

Feb 07, 2018

Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta opened its Food Central Cowork at the end of January

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

Agri-food entrepreneurs looking for a space to set up shop now have one in Edmonton, Alta. thanks to the Agriculture and Food Council (AFC).

The Food Central Cowork consists of about 50 office spaces and meeting rooms. Businesses can rent part of the space to showcase their products while AFC provides administrative supplies, IT support, marketing support and other services.

The space is targeted to businesses that offer value-added services or products for the ag industry, according to Cassandra Rasko, project coordinator with AFC.

“We’re trying to build a collective community in the agri-food industry that is making food products, beverages or services and technologies,” she told Farms.com today. “We’re trying to get accountants and other resources here so everything is under one roof for the people who need it.”

Many start-ups often face the same kinds of challenges and the collaborative space gives entrepreneurs a chance to network and exchange ideas with their peers, she said.

“There’s coworking going on in every business, but there’s nothing really specific to agri-food,” she said. “So this is a great opportunity.”

Current occupants of the space have found the experience beneficial, and those waiting for an opening are excited about the possibilities.

Parmiss Mojir Shaibani and her husband own Roshan Water Solutions and are developing a product to test the safety of water and raw food products. The entrepreneurs are currently working out of the University of Alberta.

But having a spot in the Food Central Cowork would be invaluable, she said.

“To have people (in the co-work space) who are focused in agriculture and food, you get experience how to deal with those kinds of businesses (and) how to talk to people who are in the food business,” she told Global News on Sunday.

Top photo: Food Central Cowork
Photo: David Marvin/Twitter

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.