General

Migrant farm labourers have long been part of the picture on the farms of Southwestern Ontario – and the London Free Press reports that local farmers and agriculture groups hosted an appreciation day for 450 workers in the community. Hector Delanghe, the farmer who hosted the event, told the newspaper that the workers, from Mexico […] Read more

The infamous spud that sparked the mid-1800s Irish potato famine is growing this summer in a potato patch run by the University of Guelph. The variety, called “Lumper,” was  among about 120 trial potato varieties shown Aug. 12 at U of G’s Elora Research Station as part of this year’s potato research field day. Called […] Read more

An Indian Head, Saskatchewan agriculture researcher has been selected as a collaborator with the European Space Agency (ESA) on a radar imagery project that could lead to a better way to track crop development. Lafond and University of Regina remote sensing specialist Joe Piwowar will be collaborating on a project that uses the Canadian satellite […] Read more

Not many insects have their own global day declared in their honour. But not many insects cause so much suffering.  August 20 is World Mosquito Day, a day that has been set aside annually since 1897 to raise awareness of the importance of mosquito control. “Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism, and […] Read more

The respected British magazine The Economist is posing the controversial question: “Does ethanol in Iowa cause deforestation in Brazil?” The article cites a 2008 study from the journal Science that when the full “carbon costs” of grain ethanol are taken into account, it’s a losing proposition.  That’s because, in a finite world, when an acre […] Read more

After successfully launching and English-language virtual turkey farm tour in 2007, the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) have now made the tour available to French-speaking Canadians.  The French version of the online turkey farm tour is now available for Francophones and French immersion classes across Canada to enjoy […] Read more

A group of migrant Mexican farm workers at a Portage la Prairie mushroom farm have pulled the plug on their union certification. The 26 employees of Mayfair Farms made history in 2007 by signing union cards and striking a collective agreement.  The historic certification was controversial right from the start, with the employer claiming the […] Read more

A British government report warns that the UK would be unable to feed itself, says a story on the website of the newspaper the Times of London. The report says the UK only produces enough food to meet 75 per cent of domestic needs and suggests the food system is overly-dependent on the global production […] Read more

A study on the benefits of pulses for controlling glycemic levels in people with and without diabetes has been selected as editor’s choice for a European journal on diabetes.The study conducted by Dr. Cyril Kendall from the University of Toronto is in the August issue of Diabetologia, which features a cover picture of the Renaissance […] Read more