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 [...]

Farmers can safely dispose of their obsolete pesticides, unused animal health products and used sharps at collection sites across Ontario this week.
The CleanFARMS blitz program starts tomorrow and will run until October 22 as part of an Ontario government-supported Great Lakes Basin water quality initiative that offers farmers a free, safe way to recycle and [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

The following article was printed in the Ontario Corn Producer, December 2008.
By Lilian Schaer
These days, it seems hard to predict what may happen with any degree of accuracy three months from now, let alone three years into the future. But although we live in volatile times, there are some fairly safe bets on what may [...]

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 [...]

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, Bill 64 [...]