Cows grazing on hillside pastures are a stereotypical – if often true – image of Switzerland. The Swiss are proud of their mountains and their pristine Alpine countryside. They’re also pretty serious about promoting homegrown food products.
One of the country’s leading supermarket chains, Co-op, sells a line of branded Swiss food products – milk, yogurts, [...]

It’s been almost a week since I had the chance to visit an Ontario berry farm at the height of strawberry season…and since I’ve been travelling, it’s been hard to find time to get this blog post put together. But better late than never…and certainly before the end of strawberry season!

Most of us in agriculture have the same gripe. Whether we farm or whether we work for or with farmers, our common complaint is that agriculture is misunderstood.
The general public doesn’t “get” what we do because they don’t know. And we’re often a little amazed at how much people don’t know, especially about things [...]

The following editorial was published in the Guelph Mercury on May 27, 2010
These days, factory farming is a term used liberally when people talk about agriculture.
Its definition seems to vary depending on who is asked, and I’ve often wondered what it actually brings to mind when people hear it. I talk to people in the [...]

Wind farming is blowing up controversy in many parts of Ontario these days.
On the one hand, it is being promoted as a green alternative to traditional energy sources that we desperately need to lessen our dependence on less environmentally-friendly supplies we have been relying on to date. It is also credited with bringing good [...]

My husband and I went to the movies on Friday night – and during the ever longer pre-movie showcase of commercials and ads, I was quite pleasantly surprised to see one featuring the Holland Marsh and Ontario farmer Jason Verkaik.
Verkaik owns Carron Farms near Bradford, where he grows a wide variety of vegetables, although specializes [...]

When it comes to meat, Ontario consumers want protein that is lean and low in saturated fat – yet is still tender and flavourful.
This was the finding of a market research survey conducted recently by the Ontario Veal Association (OVA) to determine consumer perceptions and knowledge of veal and its health benefits.