Organic farming Archives - Page 2 of 22

A lot of trust left to build for organic growers, says marketing expert

Total openness about food’s ‘life story,’ company purpose becoming the expectation

By Geralyn Wichers February 28, 2022

A little more than half of Canadians say they trust the organic label — which should worry the sector since trust is critical currency with consumers. It’s what justifies the higher price of organic food, said marketing expert Jo-Ann McArthur. That’s based on Canada Organic data, which says 54 per cent of Canadians say they

David Rourke (right) takes a closer look at a green manure blend during an organic field tour near Boissevain this summer.

Crops, News

Field work gap means spring shifts for organic growers

Organic farmers are starting from behind this spring after little field work got done last fall

By Alexis Stockford April 7, 2020

Organic farmers are gearing up for a more complicated start to the growing season after missing much of their field work last fall. Last year’s “harvest from hell” is still sending shocks through Manitoba operations, with wet weather leaving many farmers with unharvested acres and incomplete fertilizer applications. For the organic sector, that same delay

Visitors to Brooks and Jen White’s farm, Borderland Agriculture near Pierson, Man., got a closer look at adaptive grazing with bison in summer 2018.

Farmit Manitoba, Livestock, Other

Can regenerative agriculture products find a premium niche?

“We have a product that we should be able to demand a premium from. I just don’t know how to do it,” says Brooks White

By Alexis Stockford January 29, 2020

Pipestone’s Brooks White needs no convincing about the biological value of regenerative agriculture. His fields of cover crops, annual stands grazed by bison, and adaptive pasture system speak for themselves of his commitment to this way of farming. And for that commitment he’s been rewarded — in the form of lower inputs, higher soil organic matter, more and better feed for his livestock and

Local news, News, Other

Entz honoured by Organic Trade Association

Plant scientist recognized for contributions to organic agriculture

By University of Manitoba October 4, 2019

Dr. Martin Entz, Professor in the Department of Plant Science, was honoured by the Canada Organic Trade Association with the Leadership in Organic Science Award during the 10th anniversary Organic Week Celebration in Toronto on Sept. 11, 2019. The Organic Science Award is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated a significant impact through their research

Plenty CEO and co-founder Matt Barnard (right) says his company is now competitive with organic  competitors but critics say vertical farms are simply too expensive to run.

Farmit Manitoba, News, Other

Are vertical farms ready for prime time?

Indoor farm companies say they're scaling up, but many question their business model

By Jane Lanhee Lee August 27, 2019

INNOVATION Indoor farm companies say they’re scaling up,  but many question their business model

Reuters — Leafy salad greens grown under banks of LED lights, with mist or drips of water are having their day in the sun. Several top U.S. indoor farms say they are boosting production to a level where they can now supply hundreds of grocery stores. Plenty, Bowery, Aerofarms and 80 Acres Farms are among young companies that see a future

Part of Travis Heide’s motivation for converting a large farm to organics is the fact that many people don’t believe it can be done.

Crops

Too big to be true?

Can really large organic farms stay true to the spirit of the sector?

By Gord Gilmour February 26, 2019

Travis Heide knows many look at One Organic Farms in Waldron, Saskatchewan and wonder if it’s really an organic farm. The question isn’t whether it technically qualifies — the farm meets all the required standards and ticks all the right boxes. It’s whether it hews to the spirit of organic farming, long known as a

Manitoba Agriculture’s Roy Arnott says organic production has a strong business case for the farmers who go this direction.

Crops, Local news

Organic production an economic winner

The latest cost-of-production estimates for organic crops paint a picture of resilience

By Gord Gilmour February 8, 2019

Manitoba Agriculture has released its latest organic crops cost-of-production figures and once again the production system is stacking up well against conventional agriculture. Higher production costs are typically met by higher prices, which more than offset the production lag organic growers can experience, Roy Arnott, a farm management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture’s Killarney office, told

Elie-area farmer Alex Boersch has been inspired by nutrition farming techniques and is now trying them out on his family farm. In the background is specialized equipment the farm now uses for solubilizing and mixing dry fertilizers or soil conditioners such as humates.

Crops, Local news, Other

‘Nutrition farming’ techniques key to Elie farm operation

Alex Boersch sees potential in the soil-building approach to make farming more profitable, sustainable and even more fun

By Lorraine Stevenson November 28, 2018

An Elie-area farm family didn’t know exactly what they were in for when they signed up for a short course on ‘nutrition farming’ a couple of years back. But the Boerschs, who farm a 5,000-acre commercial grain farm, figured there had to be something to it. Their son, Alex, who’d recently left his grain trading

Manitoba’s organic growers got a close look at composting windrows at Boundy Farms near Boissevain July 21 during an Organic Producers Association of Manitoba field tour.

Local news, News, Other

Breaking down the basics of organic compost in windrows

Organic producers got some expert advice on composting during a July 21 field tour near Boissevain

By Alexis Stockford August 13, 2018

Organic farmers may want to refine that manure before spreading it. Dale Overton, CEO of Overton Environmental Enterprises, urges organic farmers to add a composting step to their fertility programs, something he says will provide better long-term organic matter gain, fight off weeds and save money on fertilizer. Overton’s arguments echo advice from provincial Agriculture

Kate Storey, Manitoba Organic Alliance chair, seen here at the MOA annual meeting last October, says a recent report is hopeful for Manitoba’s organic industry.

Crops, Local news

Organic acres up, farmer numbers stable

The Prairie Organic Grain Initiative says a survey shows lots of new organic acres, but just a handful of new organic farmers

By Alexis Stockford May 17, 2018

Manitoba and Saskatchewan couldn’t match Alberta’s explosion of new organic producers in 2016, but local experts say their gains have been in acres, not farms. Alberta gained 82 certified producers (counting livestock operations) from 2015-16, according to the 2016 Organic Agriculture in the Prairies report. Saskatchewan and Manitoba, meanwhile, only added 16 producers each. Acres,

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: CME cattle tick lower in thin pre-holiday trade

U.S. grains: Wheat extends gains on short covering, war risk

Prairie forecast: Plenty more chances for snow over Holidays

Tag Archives Organic farming