|  One of the things I enjoy a lot about my job as a freelance food and farm journalist and corporate writer is the chance to learn about really cool new things.
The story below about soybeans, which I originally wrote for Ontario Grain Farmer and is published in the May/June 2010 issue, is one of these examples. It’s all about how the hulls of soybeans, leftover after the oil has been extracted from the bean, could be used to treat industrial waste water. Check it out: Continue reading Finding markets for the whole soybean – even hulls  As demand for “green” products increases, more and more technologies and opportunities for bio-based products are emerging alongside to meet those needs.
Crops like corn, wheat and soybeans are starting to replace traditional petroleum-based ingredients in these new bio-products, making them easier on the environment and lessening our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. They’re also creating new market opportunities for farmers.
Continue reading Soybeans in motor oils and lubricants By 2025, farmers need to double their food output to feed an estimated global population of eight billion. That’s a startling statistic and what it means is something we all need to start thinking about. I came across it in a report on the Colorado Ag Classic, a convention of Colorado wheat, seed, corn, sunflower and sorghum producers that was held this past week. Ag experts from the United States Department of Agriculture and Colorado State University talked about the challenges farmers will face in trying to meet future food demands. Continue reading Feeding the world without destroying it?  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 example: Continue reading Take action for the environment – by learning from farmers  How about marking Earth Day with some environmentally friendly clothing?
Check out the latest in trendy knickers – soy panties from a company called Uranus. No kidding. In fact, their slogan is “Help save plant earth starting with Uranus.” Continue reading The latest in green underwear I happened to catch TVO’s The Agenda on Monday night as I was flipping through the channels and noticed that it was the final installment of their “on the road” series. This one focused on the innovation economy and was hosted in Waterloo. Normally I wouldn’t really pay much attention to that, but this time was different because I had participated in their show back in January that focused on the agricultural economy. Continue reading TVO’s Agenda focuses on innovation economy The following column I wrote was printed in the Guelph Mercury yesterday. Agriculture proving its worth in today’s economy There’s a lot of worrying and hand-wringing going on in Ontario these days about the economic mess we now find ourselves in – and just as much hand-wringing and worrying about how we’re going to pull ourselves back out. But the answer could be right in front of us: farming. Continue reading Farming – solution to economic woes? | |
