Food and Farming Canada » pesticides

What you probably didn’t know is happening on our farms

Lilian — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:06:01 +0000

Here’s a piece I wrote as a guest post for the Canadian Beef Blog.

Every day is Earth Day on the farm. This slogan has long been used by folks in agriculture to highlight how farming benefits the environment. The good news stories don’t get told is a common complaint I hear from the farmers and farm [...]

Reports on pesticide residue may be misleading

Lilian — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:20:41 +0000

We’re in the middle of prime fruit and vegetable season. The heat and sun of the summer bring with them roadside stands, farmers markets and local food stores brimming with fresh, Ontario-grown produce. I, for one, as someone who supports local food production and values Ontario’s farmers, am in my element as I’m revelling in the [...]

Farmers take safe pesticide application seriously

Lilian — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:00:40 +0000

Sometimes I wonder whether we’re actually hard-wired to be instantly attracted to bad news and shocking revelations. I see negativity often dominating our 24-hour news cycle, leaving the less sensational but equally important good news to fall by the wayside.

More and more people are now writing and reporting about food, farming, science and the environment. These [...]

Luxembourg’s green wines

Lilian — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:12:42 +0000

The Moselle region of Luxembourg produces some fantastic wines – which we’ve been lucky enough to sample abundantly during our three day visit to the country this week. The tour was part of the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) congress that is being hosted this week in Ostende, Belgium.

The wines of Luxembourg take many forms, [...]

Take action for the environment – by learning from farmers

Lilian — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:15:52 +0000

The federal government has developed a series of suggestions for Canadians to be more environmentally conscious.

The tips – listed on a website called Take Action for the Environment – cover a variety of areas, but some of them, in my opinion, come directly from agriculture and represent things that farmers have been doing for years. For [...]

Farmers demand science-based policies

Lilian — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:05:45 +0000

The following editorial, from the Ontario Corn Producers Association, is one of several that have been appearing in the media recently asking the Ontario government to focus on science rather than emotion when it comes to making policies that impact farmers.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has been vocal on the issue, as has AGCare and Guelph [...]

Farmers doing more than their share

Lilian — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:08:52 +0000

The following editorial was published in the Waterloo Region Record on Friday August 1.

Farmers doing more than their fair share for the environment August 01, 2008 Lilian Schaer

Food and farming are never far from the collective consciousness of Waterloo Region. After all, we’re home to one of the most diverse agricultural areas in the province and our farmers’ [...]

Solving the food crisis?

Lilian — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:36:40 +0000

An editorial in the Toronto Star today made me stop and think once again about the disconnect between those of us in agriculture and those who aren’t. According to the Star editorial, one of the solutions to the global food crisis is for rich nations like Canada to produce more food.

On the surface, that seems simple [...]

Banning pesticides not the answer

Lilian — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:54:49 +0000

This column was printed in The Grower, June 2008:

This year, April 22 marked the beginning of a new era in Ontario. It was the official unveiling of Premier McGuinty’s province-wide pesticide ban – promised during last fall’s election and somewhat surprisingly both kept and acted upon by the government in seemingly record time.

Basically, [...]

A new gig with AGCare

Lilian — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:49:31 +0000

This week marked the start of my 14-month stint as Executive Director for AGCare.

AGCare provides science-based information and policy initiatives on environmental issues on behalf of Ontario’s 45,000 crop and horticulture farmers – efforts that are sorely needed to represent farmers’ interests relating to hot topic issues like pesticides, water, soil conservation and general environmental [...]