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 […]
Read MoreAs 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 […]
Read MoreA series of global trends will change everything about the way we eat, says the head of Canada’s largest grocery chain. And that means both adjustment and opportunity for those involved in food, Galen Weston of Loblaw Companies Limited told attendees at the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s annual meeting in Guelph recently.
Read MoreBy 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 […]
Read MoreImagine a world where pavement doesn’t disintegrate and potholes don’t exist. Imagine a product that can reduce the negative environmental impact of asphalt, cut costs for cash-strapped municipalities and offer new market opportunities for farmers. Some might consider this a utopian dream, but thanks to a new asphalt preservation product, this dream could soon be […]
Read MoreThe Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) has long been a popular program but when the annual cost-share funding for 2009 was fully allocated in just over two months, program representatives were both surprised and pleased at the demand. One of the things driving the uptake of cost-share is the awareness that is developed through the EFP […]
Read MoreI feel the need to get something off my chest this morning. It seems to be popular in the urban media at the moment to bash farmers, especially those who grow corn and soybeans. These horrible people – or so the theme goes – are ruining the environment by growing large volumes of these crops […]
Read MoreA series of hiking trail signs highlighting environmental accomplishments by farmers are being unveiled today in the Greenbelt. The signs have been installed along popular hiking trails in the Greenbelt – an area of permanently protected farmland, forests, wetlands and greenspace in southern Ontario – as a way of showcasing the many environmental advancements made […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
Read MoreAs printed in the Guelph Mercury, June 4 2009: We have attempted to tell our story for years — but for the most part, people haven’t been interested in food and farming. After all, from the average Canadian’s perspective, there was safe food and plenty of it, so what else was there to know? But […]
Read MoreCorn uses too much water and too much fertilizer to produce, its critics often charge, making it a bad environmental choice. Yet millions of people around the world depend on corn as a staple of life – as food for themselves, as feed for their livestock and as a renewable fuel alternative. And that demand […]
Read MoreIt has a long and proud history – and now, seemingly, also an exciting future that may help make a green industry even greener by solving some major issues facing Canada’s horticultural sector. The new Vineland Research and Commercialization Centre is what is evolving out of the old horticulture research station once run by the […]
Read MoreFrom the Guelph Mercury, Friday April 24, by Lilian Schaer: We must face up to the true costs of the things we consume The annual marking of Earth Day seems a natural choice for many of us to assess our environmental footprint and how we might be able to do more with less. This is […]
Read MoreHow 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.”
Read MoreFarming – should we be focusing on food, feed, fuel or fibre? That’s a question many are grappling with these days as agriculture spreads into areas beyond traditional production of food for people and feed for animals. Can we do it all? How can we do it sustainably? On a global scale, yet locally?
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