BEE ATTENTIVE: CAPE BRETON GROUP PLANTS SEEDS OF INTEREST . . . TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK HIKE IS THE PLACE FOR “INCREDIBLE EDIBLES” . . . FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVESTS $1.5 MILLION IN METAL DETECTION GEAR FOR POTATOES. . . N.B. OPEN FARM DAY 2015 . . . MAKE HAY WITH A SCYTHE: FREE HANDMOWING WEEKEND JULY 4 & 5 . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

BEE ATTENTIVE: CAPE BRETON GROUP PLANTS SEEDS OF INTEREST
Source: The Chronicle Herald
Strong winds and cool temperatures Saturday made for challenging conditions for bees and for those looking for the little pollinators among the wildflowers of Whitney Pier. But there were bees to be found and organizers of the first Pollinators Field Trip hope the event has planted seeds of interest in the participants. “You don’t get seeds without pollination, so that’s why we’re here," said Michelle Smith, a farmer in Skye Glen, Inverness County, and secretary of Seeds of Diversity Canada, a national organization dedicated to preserving heirloom and endangered food crops. (read more)

TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK HIKE IS THE PLACE FOR “INCREDIBLE EDIBLES”
Source: CBC.ca
It’s my first time in Terra Nova National Park and it’s hard not to gawk out at the spanning landscape. But on the Incredible Edibles hike, people are asked to look at the forest floor, instead. Starlen Thistle leads a small group of hikers – including myself – along the Goowidy Trail. Every once in a while she stops, walks off the beaten path, and bends over to show us some plants. One is Labrador Tea; the other is Lambkill or Goowidy. “Just going to pick a couple of leaves here. All of these plants at first glance looks a lot alike … one is actually edible, the other is poisonous.” (read more)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVESTS $1.5 MILLION IN METAL DETECTION GEAR FOR POTATOES
Source: FCC The federal government says it will spend $1.5 million to buy metal detection equipment to help find foreign objects in P.E.I. potatoes, a persistent problem that first attracted police attention more than eight months ago. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, MP for the Island riding of Egmont, made the announcement Monday in Charlottetown. The funding will be used to purchase and install detection equipment, while an extra $500,000 from the province will be used for on-site security assessments and training. There have been several cases of metal objects being found in potatoes in Atlantic Canada, with most coming from a farm in P.E.I. (read more)

N.B. OPEN FARM DAY 2015
Source: NB AG Alliance
We are looking for more participants who would help host Open Farm Day 2015, Sunday, September 20, 2015. Perhaps you or your neighboring farms would like to learn more about providing a one day farm exposure for people who are interested in learning more about agriculture. (read more)

MAKE HAY WITH A SCYTHE: FREE HANDMOWING WEEKEND JULY 4 & 5
Source: Harrison Lewis Centre
Join Maritime champion hand mowers Peter and Hélene Redden for a weekend sponsored by Rural Delivery magazine learning and perfecting how to mow grass with a scythe. Whether it’s to make hay for small livestock or to clean up your lawn, yard, field, or ditch, imagine being able to hear what’s going on around you (and smell the flowers and fresh air instead of gas fumes) as you mow. Come to the Harrison Lewis Centre in Sandy Bay, N.S., next door to Thomas Raddall Provincial Park, to learn and share knowledge using and maintaining scythes, as well as other implements for harvesting hay and grain. Bring your own scythe if you have one. We have at least two school scythes. With the generous support of Rural Delivery we are able to offer free instruction; and accommodation (meals, a bunk, or tent site) for $60 and some help preparing and cleaning up after meals. Musicians bring your voices and instruments for evenings around the campfire.
Email HLC@eastlink.ca to book your place or for more information.