July 20, 2015

BLUEBERRY FARMERS GET $1M BOOST … SESSIONS PLANNED FOR BLUEBERRY GROWERS … NB POWER BAN ON GENERATOR PLUG-IN PUZZLES SOME IN NEW BRUNSWICK … BAN FRACKING ON THE WEST COAST … STAY FOR A WEEKEND (OR MORE), HONE A SKILL (OR THREE)OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

BLUEBERRY FARMERS GET $1M BOOST
Source: The Chronicle Herald
In 1955, Ephraim Mattie led a horse into a former community pasture overgrown with white spruce. With the help of his then young son, John, he cut the branchy spruce off 20 hectares in Monastery, Antigonish County, with a hand-powered pulp saw and hauled, bucked, and burned it. John was one of a few hundred blueberry farmers packed into school buses on a tour of Millen Farms in Great Village on Saturday. (read more)

SESSIONS PLANNED FOR BLUEBERRY GROWERS 
Source: Island Farmer
The P.E.I. Wild Blueberry Growers Association has received funding from Growing Forward 2 for a series of in-field workshops at participating P.E..I blueberry farms. Presenters will discuss key topics that have been identified through recent P.E.I. blueberry crop management programs. There will be time during and after the workshop to talk with presenters, specialists and other growers. (read more)

NB POWER BAN ON GENERATOR PLUG-IN PUZZLES SOME IN NEW BRUNSWICK
Source: CBC.ca
Some New Brunswickers are scratching their heads over a product ban in the province that would allow a generator to power a home during hurricanes and blizzards without having to rewire. GenerLink is a product that allows a generator to plug directly into a power meter during a power outage. Almost every province in Canada has them except New Brunswick.  (read more)

BAN FRACKING ON THE WEST COAST
Source: The Telegram
The proponents and the opponents of fracking for oil and gas continue their arguments in letters to The Telegram. Additionally, there are continuing reports of oil seepage on the west coast, oil that could be coming from deteriorating old exploratory wells or possibly be natural seepage. Reports of oil slicks in the area certainly predate the first well drilling. And all parties await the conclusions of the committee preparing recommendations to the province as to whether we should permit fracking, have a moratorium or ban it outright. (read more)

STAY FOR A WEEKEND (OR MORE), HONE A SKILL (OR THREE)
Source: Harrison Lewis Centre
July 25-26 come to the Harrison Lewis Centre on Nova Scotia’s beautiful South Shore for a nature writing retreat with Soren Bondrup-Neilsen.  A weekend of honing your writing skills, friendship, thoughtful sharing of ideas and insights, good food, and learning to open your eyes and your mind to the natural world around us. 
August 7-9 we are delighted to offer a watercolor weekend with Roger Savage. Participants will join Savage at the Harrison Lewis Centre Friday evening for a full weekend of learning, sharing, and on-site watercolor painting. 
August 15-16 we will host a hands-on women only chainsaw skills and safety course with instructor Patrick Allan teaching bucking, felling, safe use, and maintenance. Participants come away with knowledge and practice to safely and competently use a saw. 
Coming up in September: night sky/day sky at Sandy Bay; developing a Christmas tree plot from a wild fir stand.
HLC@eastlink.ca 

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

CAN ORGANIC EVER CATCH UP WITH CONVENTIONAL?
http://www.producer.com/2015/07/can-organic-ever-catch-up-with-conventional/

CANADIAN INVESTMENT STRENGTHENS RESEARCH INTO ANTIBIOTIC ALTERNATIVES
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/35447/canadian-investment-strengthens-research-into-antibiotic-alternatives/

ONTARIO IN TALKS TO BUY POWER FROM NEWFOUNDLAND
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/ontario-eying-hydroelectricity-from-massive-churchill-falls-developments-in-newfoundland

CANADIAN ANGUS ASSOCIATION SHOWDOWN IN OLDS, ALTA
https://www.facebook.com/CanadianAngusAssociation?ref=br_tf