February 22nd, 2010

Open cage fish farms are a common sight on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.  On Vancouver Island, 29 of them are owned by a single company from Norway, where fish farms were first invented.  As I mentioned in my post last August, there are a couple of major concerns with open cage fish [...]

Continue reading about The new farmed fish disease – ISA

February 18th, 2010

The University of Guelph has been working on a new type of pig that they have trademarked “Enviropig” but just how ‘enviro’ is this new pig?
According to BetterFarming.com, “The Enviropig is a genetically enhanced pig with the capability of producing the enzyme phytase in the salivary glands. In the mouth, this enzyme mixes with cereal [...]

Continue reading about Genetically modified pig waits for approval

February 17th, 2010

A farmer from Dryden, Ontario was given a suspended sentence last week for attempting to transport 20 cattle for his neighbour to Winnipeg, a four hour drive away.
It is illegal for farmers to haul their commodities using farm plated vehicles.
“We have no way to get our crop to market. I’m not trying to make money [...]

Continue reading about Local farmers need mobile abattoirs

January 21st, 2010

Milk in Canada is getting more expensive to buy and more expensive for cheesemakers and others in the dairy industry.  Why is this a concern?  Food security is a green issue.
Currently, Canada does not have a national framework to deal with the dairy industry.  Unlike the U.S., Canada has a quota system which used to [...]

Continue reading about Goodbye to Canadian Milk Producers

Contrary to popular belief, Europe does buy genetically modified (GM) canola – referred to as rapeseed oil.
The European Union did relax the moratorium on genetically modified canola, and at least one freighter of gm canola was bound for Europe from Canada in October.
In Australia, Gene Ethics has been trying to pressure processing companies like Grain [...]

Continue reading about Europeans buy more genetically modified canola

January 10th, 2010

Farmers in western Canada felt the effects of cool, wet weather last fall, causing them to delay harvesting by at least three weeks.
In November, Saskatchewan Agriculture reported that nearly 40 percent of oats, 30 percent of canola, 22 percent of spring wheat, and 14 percent of barley was still on the field. In Alberta, a [...]

Continue reading about Cool wet weather delayed prairie harvest

January 4th, 2010

The city of Sa’na inYemen could be the first capital city in the world to run out of water.  Why?
Lack of rainfall and wasteful irrigation practices are some of the factors to blame.  Others blame the lack of action on the country’s addiction to chewing qat leaves (also known as gat).  The qat trees are [...]

Continue reading about Who is drinking Yemen Dry?

October 30th, 2009

Canola farmers across Canada are urging the federal government to do something about China’s decision to ban the import of Canadian Canola seed used to make vegetable oil.  China has said that it will block Canadian Canola seed as of November 15th unless unless there is a certificate proving that the canola is free of [...]

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October 22nd, 2009

A few years ago, there were a couple of recalls of fresh leafy vegetables as a result of bacteria being found in the packages.  Remember the e-coli found in fresh spinach in 2007?  As a result, the Department of Agriculture set up a subcommittee to study the situation and recommended the Agricultural Marketing Service to [...]

Continue reading about Leafy green law or scorched earth policy?

October 8th, 2009

The Slow Money Movement is just getting started and it’s already gaining momentum.  The idea behind slow money is similar to the idea behind the slow food movement – stick to what is important and you’ll reap the benefits in the long term.  In the case of slow money, you would be helping independent organic [...]

Continue reading about The Slow Money Movement