Much of Austria is covered in pastoral mountainside fields – beautifully scenic but largely unsuited for agriculture.
But in the mountainous northern regions of the Austrian province of Styria, some entrepreneurial farmers are not only making a living by farming on the alpine pastures, they’re also revitalizing rural communities and keeping ancient traditions alive.

No matter how good a trip has been, there’s always something special about coming home. Now comes time to unpack, sort through all the materials we’ve gathered over the last week and finish downloading and filing all the pictures.
Japan was a wonderful experience – the people were warm and welcoming, and always helpful, even when [...]

Five Canadians were present at this year’s annual IFAJ congress in Japan (from left):
Kim Waalderbos, winner of the 2007 Canadian Farm Writers Federation travel bursary (sponsored by Monsanto)
Owen Roberts, IFAJ Vice President of Professional Development and co-chair of the 2011 IFAJ congress in Canada
Lilian Schaer, President of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association and co-chair [...]

Earlier this week, Owen and I gave our first official talk about IFAJ 2011 to the assembly of delegates. Ever since, we’ve been inundated with questions and suggestions by eager farm writers and communicators from around the world keen to experience Canada and all we have to offer.
A commodity has been our gold IFAJ [...]

A visit to the Michinoku Milk Company gave us insights into Japan’s dairy food sector. It’s chief brand name is MegMilk, which can be widely seen on milk cartons and dairy drinks across the country. The company, founded in 1993, is located in Osaki City in the northwestern part of Miyagi prefecture and produces a [...]

Our Japanese hosts were very eager to provide us with as many truly Japanese experiences as possible. One of these was a lunch of traditional foods at a Japanese-style restaurant. Our meal included rice balls, miso soup, vegetables and tofu, all artfully arranged in many small and delicate dishes and prepared by local farm women. [...]

Shoes are very important in Japan – considerable time is spent taking them off and putting them on each day as you enter and leave various premises. This is especially prevalent in rural areas, where old customs and traditions are still heartily embraced and practiced.
Several of our tour stops asked us to remove our [...]