Organic Archives - Page 3 of 11

Organic growers push for recognition in federal agriculture strategy

By Geralyn Wichers May 31, 2024

The Canadian Organic Growers are pushing the federal government to recognize their sector in the federal Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, set to be published later this year. "The [Sustainable Agriculture Strategy] is and can be a big opportunity, and organic and regenerative have a lot to offer," said Katie Fettes, COG's director of policy and research, in an online presentation yesterday.

Crops, News

Organic farmers invited to soil health benchmarking study

By Geralyn Wichers May 15, 2024

Organic farmers across the country are invited to measure the benefits of soil management practices on their farms as part of a study led by Prairie organic organizations.

Photo: Stephen Waycott/iStock/Getty Images

News

Organic sector tables petition in Parliament

Groups call for recognition, incentives; supportive policy and programming

By Geralyn Wichers May 10, 2024

A petition calling for greater federal support of the organic sector was presented in Parliament this Tuesday. “The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to give Canadians better and more affordable access to the foods they want by establishing bold policies and programs that would encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic,” said B.C. MP Alistair MacGregor, who tabled the petition.

General

Organic group send petition to federal government

Feds asked to establish policies and programs to help organic producers meet consumer demand, create sustainable food systems

By Geralyn Wichers, GFM Network News April 10, 2024

The petition says that Canadian consumers are driving strong demand for organic food, and asks the federal government to establish policies and programs to “encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic to meet the market opportunity,” and to “meaningfully recognize and incentivize sustainable resilient food systems, such as organic, across all departments that relate to Canadian food policy.”

A tomato harvest from planter boxes in Winnipeg.

Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Tomatoes and onions in gardens everywhere

Part 7 of a series: On all farms, tomatoes should go into ground not previously used for tomatoes

By Ieuan Evans April 8, 2024

Tomatoes Tomatoes originated in South America from wild plants with grape-sized fruit. They were developed by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. They were first brought to Europe in the 1540s, to Italy in particular by the 1550s. North Americans were slow to pick up on tomatoes, regarding them as poisonous until almost the year […] Read more

Crops, Markets

Organics: Planting decisions still to be made

By GFM Network News April 1, 2024

In the midst of dryness in Western Canada and an organics market stuck in a standstill, organic growers are making decisions on what to plant in the coming weeks. Chances are, they may be dictated by their own rotations.

Insect frass is derived from the excrement, exoskeletons and discarded feed materials. Shown here is cricket frass produced in Aspire’s London, Ont. cricket rearing facility. Photo: SureSource Agronomy

General

Ontario company launches first-in-Canada biofertilizer made from cricket frass

SureSource Commodities debuted pelleted formulation at Guelph Organic Conference

By GFM Network News February 28, 2024

SureSource Agronomy is rolling out a line of crop nutrient products derived from the excrement, exoskeletons and discarded feed materials of crickets.

A “little potato” crop at six to nine tons an acre in central Alberta does not need the same extra moisture as seed potatoes and can be planted directly into standing canola stubble in the spring.

Columns, Crops

‘Sustainable’ ag systems for Prairie croplands need clearer definition

By Ieuan Evans January 23, 2024

The word “sustainable” has become one of the most misused words in agricultural information systems. What we have to realize on Canada’s Prairies is that “sustainable” really means farmers maintain the status quo for good, achievable, economic agricultural practices on their cropland. What may be sustainable agricultural systems for Eastern Canada or the north-central United […] Read more

John Gehrer delivers up to 1,000 litres of diesel per day with an electric car.

Features

Searching for sustainability in agriculture

A southern Manitoba farmer’s quest for a “greener” farming system has left him with more questions than answers — and feeling a bit hypocritical

By John Gehrer January 18, 2024

In 1888 Bertha Benz drove her homemade car on a 212-km round trip to Mannheim and Pforzheim in Germany. The fuel tank was 4.5 litres, and there were no gas stations along the way. There were probably no paved roads either and the reliability of the car was unproven. It might have been easier to […] Read more

A chickpea and flax intercrop mix on Colin Rosengren’s farm at Midale, Sask.

Columns, Crops

Cover crops: enough already

The benefits are often 'blown up' while the challenges are understated

By Les Henry January 2, 2024

Cover crops is a topic with a lot of ink spilled in many farm publications in recent years. Some scribblers seem to imply that a farmer is a laggard and an environmental hazard if she/he is not using cover crops on a regular basis. Cover crops actually include a wide variety of cropping sequences, and […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. grains: Soybeans set 15-month high on U.S.-China trade deal hopes

Feed Grain Weekly: Prices to stay steady, says broker

U.S. livestock: Feeders continue to fall; live cattle level out

Organic