Organic grain price discovery hub launches

The often data-starved Prairie organic sector has launched a new price-discovery and marketing tool for farmers. “Organic grain producers in Canada have few resources to help them navigate the local and international marketplace,” said Marie-Eve Levert, director of business development for the new Organic Grain Hub, in a Sept. 21 news release. “There is a[...]

Organic price discovery tool funded

A digital marketing tool to help organic farmers find buyers and discover prices for their crops is one of five projects funded in the first dispersal from the Manitoba Organic Development Fund. Five grants, totaling nearly $51,000, were announced Feb. 23. This marks the first time funds were designated since organic farmers voted for a mandatory organic checkoff[...]






Organic grains snapshot

With timely rains, organic farming could be a good place to be in 2022 — but it may not be enough to drive expansion of organic acres, said Laura Telford and Stuart McMillan. In a talk during the Prairie Organics Conference on February 9, Telford, the provincial organic specialist, and McMillan, an organic farmer and organic inspector, shared[...]


Organic sector launches national action plan

National organic groups want to get a bigger space at the table when it comes to federal policies and the work of departments like Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The goal is part of a proposed national organic action plan launched in September. Organic industry groups say their products are gaining popularity among consumers and government[...]



Organic farmers more likely to leave space for biodiversity, study says

Organic farmers leave more semi-natural vegetation in their fields than their conventional counterparts, according to a recent study out of Dalhousie University. Out of 71 organic and conventional field pairs mapped in a Saskatchewan-based study, the organic fields contained just over nine per cent mixed perennial, or semi-natural, vegetation whereas conventional fields contained about six per[...]

Lack of data hampers organic sector

A lack of good data makes it hard to prove the value of Canadian organic food to business leaders and government officials, say sector leaders. “I don’t think there’s a bigger [issue in the sector],” said Laura Telford, organic sector development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. The data dearth encompasses imports and exports, sales, prices, crop[...]