Organic farmers had until late July to comment on proposed new Canadian standards that would open the door to products such as municipally-derived struvite fertilizer — but would also crack down on lapses in organic management.
Tag Archives organic farming
Producers wrestle over organic standards draft
Canada’s organic farmers had until late July to comment on new organic standards that would open the door to products like municipally derived struvite fertilizer, but would also crack down on lapses in organic management
Science Brief: Plants adapt genes to farming methods
Farming practices can trigger genetic adaptions in plants, according to research at the University of Bonn. The 23-year project started in the late 1990s, when a research group led by Jens Léon started an experiment into how farming conditions affect plant genetic material. Researchers first increased genetic variation by crossing high-yield barley with a wild […] Read more
Organic growers push for recognition in federal agriculture strategy
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.
Organic farmers invited to soil health benchmarking study
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.
Organics: Planting decisions still to be made
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.
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
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
Organic operators down, acreage up: new industry stats
Total organic sales in 2022 was $10.26, billion up from $9.35 billion in 2021
The number of Canadian organic producers and processors fell by nearly 300 in 2022 according to the latest industry stats. “There’s people coming in and there’s people going out,” said Tia Loftsgard, executive director of the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA).
Redefining agricultural production
Organic, regenerative, sustainable. What do all of these new terms mean?
Agricultural production used to be basically divided into two camps; conventional and organic. The two production styles have clear delineations and are pretty much exclusive of each other. Today the lines between these systems are being blurred as farmers are beginning to embrace sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. All of these different terms can be […] Read more
Comparing mechanical weed control options
Considering adding a mechanical option to your herbicide rotations? Try these
Mechanical weed control is not anything new. Farmers have been using harrows and various tillage tools to control weeds for centuries, and for organic farmers mechanical weed control remains the only option. What is new is the technology that is available to help make mechanical weeding more efficient and effective, like GPS or camera-guided systems […] Read more
What exactly is sustainability?
There are many ways to farm sustainably, and many ways to discuss the issue
A lot of recent farm press talks about sustainability. When I look up “sustainable” in Webster’s it says: ‘… a method of harvesting or using a resource so that resource is not depleted or permanently damaged…” The first time I remember that term used with respect to agriculture was when a respected farmer on Sceptre […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
