|  Curious about where our food comes from? Wondering about hormones, antibiotics, GMOs and other things linked to modern agriculture? Worried about environmental impacts of agriculture? Looking to connect the dots between the food we eat and our health?
A new national publication promises the answers to all these questions and more as it tackles the issues head on and unveils the “real” dirt on Canadian farming – straight from Canada’s farmers. Continue reading Unveiling the “real” dirt on Canadian farming  That’s our count down to the kick off of the 2011 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ annual congress.
In case you’re wondering why I’m interested – I’m co-chair of this event and we’re going to be hosting it in Canada, Guelph and Niagara Falls to be exact, for the first time in over 40 years! As part of our marketing efforts, my colleagues Kelly Daynard and Sarah Andrewes, Chairs of the Registration and Promotions committees respectively, have launched a monthly newsletter about the event full of great info, facts and tidbits about Canadian food and farming. Continue reading Only 336 days to go! I’m not usually one for shameless self-promotion, but in this instance, I can’t help but share some very good news. I was totally thrilled to learn this past weekend that I was the winner of not one but two writing awards at the Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) annual banquet on Saturday night. Continue reading Awards from the Canadian Farm Writers Last month, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) annual congress, which took place in Belgium and Luxembourg. Much to my satisfaction – as one who really loves to eat – food and drink played a key role in this gathering of those who write about food and farming. Not only did we enjoy consuming it, we were also quite keen to take photos of what was placed before us, as you can see here: Continue reading An IFAJ congress in food and drink  There was a bit of deja-vu in the air along with the ash as I read in the news this morning that an airport-closing plume had made another appearance in Britain.
It seems a bit like old news now – but a few short weeks ago, the impossibly-named volcano in Iceland that had somehow managed to send global air travel into a tailspin was making headlines around the world. I had a unique perspective on that particular story as I arrived in Europe to participate in the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists’ (IFAJ) Congress in Belgium a day before the now infamous eruption.
Continue reading Return of the ash Two long-time Ontario agricultural journalists were honoured for their contributions to farm writing by the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) at its annual meeting last week. Glenn Powell and Jim Romahn became Life Members, a designation awarded by the ECFWA to agricultural journalists who have made outstanding contributions to agriculture, to the ECFWA, to the journalism profession and to their communities. Continue reading Ontario farm journalists honoured  There’s a new leader at the helm of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA). Clare Illingworth, a communications specialist with Syngenta Crop Protection, became president of the organization at its annual meeting this week.
Illingworth, who has served on the ECFWA board for several years, first as a director and most recently as Second Vice President, takes over from outgoing president Kelly Daynard, program manager with the Ontario Farm Animal Council. Continue reading Farm writers elect new president | |
