Dr. Laura Van Eerd awarded in the extension category, Henry Denotter wins in the producer category By Diana Martin Glacier FarmMedia staff Two soil health contributors were recently honoured with Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) 2021 Soil Champion Awards. “This year we are lucky enough to be able to award two worthy nominees,” […]
Category: Profiles
Alberta couple find an organic connection
Donovan and Lisa Kitt produce 90 per cent of their own food and sell the surplus directly to customers By Doug Ferguson Glacier FarmMedia staff Donovan Kitt had to travel the world to find out what he really wanted was what he’d always had at home. “I matured and realized that there’s a lot more […]
Saskatchewan family strives for healthier food
By William DeKay Glacier FarmMedia staff The Witzaneys love to grow food for local customers. That’s the niche market they have moved into after starting New Life Organic Foods to market their homegrown produce, which includes beef, sheep, pork, poultry, eggs and milled grains. “We really found that connection to growing food for families when […]
Manitoba researcher looks to explore cover crops
By Robert Arnason Glacier FarmMedia staff Agronomists and soil scientists like to talk about cover crops. At farm meetings and field days they tout the benefits of cover crops, such as reducing soil erosion, suppressing weeds and improving soil health. All those claims may be valid, but are western Canadian producers actually using cover crops […]
Entz receives Leadership in Organic Science Award
University of Manitoba – 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 […]
Neighbours milk cows in organic partnership
Two Danish producers have been working together successfully for more than 20 years, and they now milk 900 cows between them By Chris McCullough Glacier FarmMedia staff Two dairy farming neighbours in Denmark have been milking cows together for more than 20 years and say the partnership model works well for them. Kjartan Poulsen, chair […]
Northern Alta. agronomist tackles organics
Julie Bernier has been hired to help producers in Mackenzie County solve their problems and improve production By Jeremy Simes Glacier FarmMedia staff Julie Bernier has become the go-to person for organic producers in Alberta’s Mackenzie County, helping them deal with problems they might have on their farms. She’s the new agronomic consultant for the […]
Organic label doesn’t tell the full story
Purdue University – The label on organic, fair-trade coffee and clothing doesn’t always tell the full story. In some cases, companies are working behind the scenes to provide more than just higher earnings by helping marginalized farmers secure land and protect it from logging, mining and large-scale agriculture operations. This is true with organic coffee […]
UK seed vault banks on wild crops to feed a warming world
By Kim Harrisberg England | Thomson Reuters Foundation – “You are standing in the world’s most biodiverse location,” proclaimed a yellow poster at the door of the largest global collection of wild plant seeds, sunk in an English hillside. The underground concrete vault in West Sussex is part of the Millennium Seed Bank, where rows […]
Ontario farm draws on trust, vision and teamwork to raise organic hogs and crops
By Ralph Pearce Glacier FarmMedia staff Brett Israel is looked upon as a young, entrepreneurial producer with one eye firmly fixed on the road ahead, while honouring and respecting those who have come before him. It can be a bit of a tightrope walk for Israel, whose family has been farming on the same concession […]