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Expanding greenhouse sector means more home-grown veggies

Plenty of room to expand in controlled environment agriculture, but investment needed says FCC

Canada continues to rely heavily in imported fruits and vegetables, especially during its long winters but different types of controlled environment agriculture like greenhouses are expanding and changing the balance says Farm Credit Canada.


Cooking Canadian, part 1: Rediscovering cabbage

Cooking Canadian, part 1: Rediscovering cabbage

First We Eat: As Canadian food staples go, cabbage is cheap and plentiful

Cabbage and its bitter cousins — brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli — can be eaten raw, roasted, grilled, braised, stir-fried, steamed or simmered, best with something equally pungent, like garlic and onions, or salty, like anchovy or bacon.

Fresh basil still in the garden.

Harvest, part 1: Garnishing summer greens

First We Eat: In the dog days of summer, salads with protein can help dial down the heat needed for food prep

We’ve been in deep summer heat for weeks now after a rainy spring, and every plant in my yard — including the quack grass and chickweed — is consumed with the green fuse of growth. The result is a cornucopia of everything. The scarlet runner beans and snow peas twining around their bamboo stakes tower […] Read more


canola in alabama 2015

Canola in the U.S. South

Practical Research: Introducing massive acreage of new crops in established growing areas can put both new and established crops at risk

Every so often I hear about how farmers in the southern states of the U.S. will soon be growing millions of acres of canola. Of course, what would be grown would be winter canola, since crucifers such as cabbage, collard and broccoli all can survive the Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee winters. They get […] Read more

Ration-balancing tools can help cattle feeders make changes to their rations to include alternative feed types.

Do your homework on alternative feeds

What looks to be another dry year will mean added emphasis on byproduct feeds

Alternative or non-conventional feeds, such as grain screenings, cull potatoes or distillers’ grains, can be an economical means for beef cattle producers to supplement forage and grain inventories while continuing to meet animal nutritional requirements. However, due to variability in supply, nutrient composition and quality of these feed ingredients, there can be pitfalls if not […] Read more