Organic farming Archives - Page 4 of 22

Organic industry pushes back on regulatory changes

Sector spokespersons say moving rules governing organic production under a  larger regulatory framework will limit market opportunities and create  needless new certification requirements

By Lorraine Stevenson May 9, 2017

A spokesperson with Canadian Organic Growers (COG) says the organic industry is confident it’s made a strong case against having its rules shifted into a larger regulatory framework. At issue is the migration of the Organic Products Regulation (OPR) into the Safe Foods for Canadians regulation. In 2012, the passage of the Safe Foods for

Comment, Crops

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

It’s sustainability, not one production system or the other, that is the real solution

By David R. Montgomery April 18, 2017

One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the world. Other agricultural myths hinder recognizing the potential to restore degraded soils to feed the

News

Organic food industry feels shortchanged by government

One industry association says conventional food gets plenty of support on standards and inspections

By Alex Binkley April 5, 2017

Canada’s organic sector says it’s not getting its due. Canada is the fifth-largest organic market in the world as well as leading exporter of several organic commodities but gets little assistance from government, says Tia Loftsgard, executive director of Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA). “Canada’s organic sector should be positioning itself as a world leader,”

Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: Family feud

By Gord Gilmour March 23, 2017

Everyone has that cousin, uncle or sibling. You love them, they’re family after all, but sometimes you just don’t like them much. Maybe it’s their insistence on talking about their controversial politics over Christmas dinner. Perhaps it’s the way they can’t just talk about how much they like their new tractor without running down yours.

University of Manitoba professor, Martin Entz says tensions between conventional and organic producers appear to be softening.

Crops, Local news

Organic agriculture no panacea: study

Too many uncertainties exist to say it’s the only solution

By Ron Friesen March 23, 2017

Organic agriculture has benefits but it is not a silver bullet for global food security, a new study says. Too much scientific uncertainty exists for organic agriculture to be considered a better alternative to conventional farming, says the study by two University of British Columbia researchers. “(O)rganic agriculture cannot be the Holy Grail for our

Crops, News

Profitability could be easier to achieve through organic: 2017 COP analysis

Per-acre profitability is markedly different compared to conventional,  provincial estimates of production costs show

By Lorraine Stevenson January 31, 2017

Organic farmers potentially have a shorter road to profitability than their conventional neighbours in 2017, according to provincial costs of production budgets released recently. The most promising crops between the two systems are radically different and there’s marked difference in per-acre profitability, according to numbers shared by a Manitoba Agriculture farm management specialist at an

Wanting to preserve the nature of their farming business and safeguard their family heritage, Suzanne Dufresne and Daniel Gosselin display one of their cheese varieties produced in their cheese-making facility built on their farm to add value to their milk.

Country Crossroads, Dairy cattle

Specialty cheese maker exemplifies robust organic sector in Quebec

The farm is also one of the few to maintain the Quebec tradition of producing cheese from raw milk

By Lorraine Stevenson December 15, 2016

During the summer, Daniel Gosselin’s and Suzanne Dufresne’s cows graze on pastures seeded to more than a dozen carefully chosen flowering plants. In winter, they move back indoors to a warm, spacious barn and switch over to a diet of dried fodder. The cows’ seasonal diet is the secret ingredient imparting the distinctive flavours of

Canadian Organic Trade Association head Dag Falck says agriculture needs to understand it’s consumers driving the conversation, not organic growers.

Crops, News

Telling people they’re wrong won’t win their trust

Organic farmers have an opportunity to be leaders in agriculture

By Laura Rance-Unger December 5, 2016

The organic sector must tread carefully or risk getting caught in the crossfire in the growing debate over social licence in agriculture, the president of the Canadian Organic Trade Association says. Dag Falck told the recent Organic Connections conference in Regina that while organic farmers are rarely targeted by consumers who have concerns over how

A healthy soil that’s high in carbon can make your farm a more efficient user of nutrients.

Crops

Carbon key to building resilience on farms

Building soil carbon supports soil biota  and makes for a healthier farming system 

By Laura Rance-Unger November 21, 2016

Farmers often see themselves as feeding the world, but farmers attending the Organic Connections conference here recently were told the first step towards that goal is feeding the “starving and homeless” micro-organisms in their soil. “Your job is to feed them and maintain their habitat,” Kristine Nichols, the chief scientist with the Rodale Institute told

It might look like a wild sunflower, but it’s actually a plant used in Cuba as a cover crop in between the rows on avocado and banana plantations, according to agronomist Scott Day.

Comment, International news

Cuba looks to adopt conservation agriculture

A recent UN-sponsored summit invited farmers and agriculture professionals to share their adoption experience

By Scott Day November 9, 2016

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in Cuba, along with 20 other visiting farmers, scientists and agronomists, meeting with 80 Cuban agriculture experts and officials. The meetings were made possible by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that was hosting the first-ever Conservation Agriculture Summit for Cuba, on Oct. 16-22

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

Organic industry pushes back on regulatory changes

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

Organic food industry feels shortchanged by government

Editorial: Family feud

Organic agriculture no panacea: study

Profitability could be easier to achieve through organic: 2017 COP analysis

Specialty cheese maker exemplifies robust organic sector in Quebec

Carbon key to building resilience on farms

Cuba looks to adopt conservation agriculture

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