By Robert Arnason Glacier FarmMedia staff If you feed the micro-organisms in the soil, they will feed us. Many soil experts believe a healthy population of soil bacteria is critical for a healthy and productive soil. If farmers reduce tillage, grow cover crops and minimize the use of chemicals, the soil micro-organisms will thrive. A […]
American Society of Agronomy – Soil organic matter has long been known to benefit farmers. The carbon in this organic matter acts as a food source for soil microbes, which then provide other nutrients to the crops grown. Microbes, insects and small soil critters produce materials that can improve soil structure and water retention. It’s […]
By Robert Arnason Glacier FarmMedia staff In 2013, organic agriculture in Western Canada was suffering. The industry was losing producers and struggling to attract new entrants. The suffering is now over. Since hitting a low of 1,170 organic crop producers in 2013, the industry has been booming. As of 2018, there were 1,756 organic crop […]
By Allan Dawson Glacier FarmMedia staff Better regulations are needed to prevent contamination from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). That’s what the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) and the SaskOrganics’ Organic Agriculture Protection Fund committee (OAPF) concludes in a report called GM Contamination in Canada: The failure to contain living modified organisms – incidents and impacts. […]
By Laura Rance Glacier FarmMedia editorial director Saskatoon – Organic farmers are mistaken if they think they will be spared from the clubroot infestation making its way across the Prairies because they don’t grow canola, a crops extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture says. Brent Flaten warned growers attending the SaskOrganics annual conference March 29 the […]
By Alexis Stockford Glacier FarmMedia staff The University of Manitoba’s farm-based organic wheat-breeding program is ready to start towards commercialization, but the body responsible for recommending new genetics to the CFIA says there is still work to be done. Jamie Larsen, chair of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT), says a […]
Farmers are pushing the boundaries of roller-crimping winter rye and direct seeding soybeans behind Planting soybeans into a just-terminated cover crop of winter rye is gaining popularity among Ontario’s organic community, as farmers strive to introduce minimum-till strategies into their rotations. No-till planting has so far not become common in any other crops under organic […]
Farmtario – A four-year, multi-location study aims to find organic soybean varieties suited for Ontario and Manitoba. The study, funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), will help find varieties better to grow under organic conditions. “There is still strong demand,” said Rob Wallbridge, organic specialist with Thompsons Limited. Wallbridge was joined by a number […]
By Gord Gilmour Glacier FarmMedia Staff 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 […]
Cornell University – Apple orchards surrounded by agricultural lands are visited by a less diverse collection of bee species than orchards surrounded by natural habitats, according to a new Cornell University-led study, published in the journal Science. In turn, apple production suffers when fewer, more closely-related species of bees pollinate an orchard. Production improves in orchards […]
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