PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND WOODLOT OWNERS ASSOCIATION AGM
 . . .ONTARIO GRAIN FARMERS WANT ONE MILLION ACRES FOR POLLINATORS  . . . GLOBAL DEPENDENCE ON FOOD IMPORTS LEAVES COUNTRIES VULNERABLE . . . NEW NATURAL WEED CONTROL PRODUCTS FOR ORGANICALLY GROWN PRODUCTS . . . 
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND WOODLOT OWNERS ASSOCIATION AGM
Source: AtlanticFarmer.com
The Annual Meeting of the Prince Edward Island Woodlot Owners Association (PEIWOA) will be held at the Farm Center, University Ave., Charlottetown on Saturday, April 18 at 9am. It is open to all woodlot owners on P.E.I. and membership is $25 a year or $40 for two years. Agenda will include presentations on: buffer zone harvesting – pilot project; present market opportunities and trends; Forest Improvement Program for P.E.I.; value-added opportunities for woodlot owners; development of sustainable biomass opportunities; Commodity Association with the PEIFA; and other items. For details and membership info contact John Rowe, 902-940-1933.

ONTARIO GRAIN FARMERS WANT ONE MILLION ACRES FOR POLLINATORS
Source: FCC
By 2018, Ontario’s grain farmers hope to see one million acres of self-sustaining pollinator habitat identified and preserved. In what it calls its Ontario Pollinator Health Blueprint, the Grain Farmers of Ontario says repurposing farmland, private land, and public land for pollinator-friendly habitat would mean continuous blooms throughout the growing season could be available to bees and other pollinators. To that end, the organization wants a registry created in which such habitat could be monitored. The registry would provide a mechanism to know what habitat and programs already exist, and a way to track new habitat and programs. (read more)

GLOBAL DEPENDENCE ON FOOD IMPORTS LEAVES COUNTRIES VULNERABLE
Source: Pork Network
Global grain imports have increased more than fivefold over the past half century, stoking fears that countries have become too dependent on the vagaries of international markets for their food, an environmental researcher said. If prices rise, or wild weather prompts countries to impose grain export bans, as Russia did in 2010, nations heavily dependent on imports could face crisis. More than a third of countries import at least 25 percent of their grains, an increase of 57 percent since 1961, said Gary Gardner, a researcher at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington. (read more)

NEW NATURAL WEED CONTROL PRODUCTS FOR ORGANICALLY GROWN PRODUCTS
Source: Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada
Demand for organic food has grown tremendously throughout the developed world. Weed control remains the most significant agronomic problem associated with organic crop production. There is a need for more effective weed management, utilizing biological and lower-risk products. Developing new natural weed control products with superior weed management to control or effectively suppress weeds will help the organic crop production industry remain competitive and sustainable into the future. (read more)