MEADOWBROOK FARMS WINS GILBERT R CLEMENTS AWARD … BIOMASS DESTRUCTION ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE … POSTPONED: MANAGING RAINWATER ON YOUR PROPERTY … ARE FARMERS MARKET SALES PEAKING? THAT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR FARMERS … NOVA SCOTIA CAPE BRETON ISLAND CANIRON X … OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

MEADOWBROOK FARMS WINS GILBERT R CLEMENTS AWARD
Source: Island Farmer
A Winsloe farm is the 2015 recipient of the Gilbert R. Clements Award for Excellence in Environmental Farm Planning. Meadowbrook Farms, nominated by the Ellen’s Creek Watershed Group, received the award at the PEI Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting January 30. This award, named after the late Environment Minister, is given annually to a farm which is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible in the production and/or marketing of high quality food from a sustainable system. (read more)

BIOMASS DESTRUCTION ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE
Source: The Chronicle Herald
In a Jan. 9 (CH) story about damage to our forests as a result of the need to feed the giant new Nova Scotia Power biomass generator in Port Hawkesbury (“Biomass project raising green concerns”), Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Allan Eddy suggested that these negative impacts were simply unintended consequences that “couldn’t have been predicted before the plant opened.” This is simply wrong. There were plenty of warnings that the proposed biomass project was too big to be sustainable and it strains the limits of credibility to suggest that the department responsible for managing our forests was unaware of the potential negative impacts. (read more)

POSTPONED: MANAGING RAINWATER ON YOUR PROPERTY
Source: Ecology Action Centre
This is a quick note to let you know that due to poor weather and driving conditions, Thursday’s (Feb. 5) workshop “Managing Rainwater on your Property” in Porter's Lake has been postponed until Thursday, March 12. We will provide more details on the new date and time for the workshop in the next Coastal and Water news. (read more)

ARE FARMERS MARKET SALES PEAKING? THAT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR FARMERS
Source: NPR
After more than a decade of explosive growth, local food sales are slowing. A January report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that while more farmers are selling directly to consumers, local food sales at farmers markets, farm stands, and through community supported agriculture have lost some momentum. (read more)

NOVA SCOTIA CAPE BRETON ISLAND CANIRON X
Source: CBBA
CanIRON is Canada’s national blacksmith conference. It is held every two years, travelling from west to east across Canada. In 2015, CanIRON will makes its final eastern stop on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, before heading back to the western provinces. The event will be hosted by the Cape Breton Blacksmiths Association (CBBA), July 2-5. As 2015 is Canada’s Craft Year as well as the 10th anniversary of the CanIRON conference, the CBBA is setting out to make CanIRON X an extraordinary event that will inspire blacksmiths across the country and the world with what can be achieved in the blacksmith craft, while raising public awareness of the vibrancy of blacksmithing in Canada. (read more)