DON’T WORRY, HONEY, THE OTHER BEES HAVE YOUR BACK … STRAWBERRY SEASON A SUCCESS DESPITE AN ABSENCE OF SUNSHINE … OPPORTUNITY FOR $500,000 REWARD IN POTATO TAMPERING CASE ENDS SATURDAY … PEI COPC ORGANIC HEMP FIELD DAY … RESULTS FROM THE ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT HANDMOWING … CHAINSAW SKILLS AND SAFETY WOMEN ONLY…
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

DON’T WORRY, HONEY, THE OTHER BEES HAVE YOUR BACK
Source: NPR
If you want to hang out with a bunch of bees, you’d better be prepared for a little pain.
Mario Padilla, a honeybee researcher at Penn State University, can usually tell when his hives are getting agitated. But he’s already been stung three times today. And he’s about to get it again. Padilla is raising these honeybees for researchers like Maryann Frazier, who is studying the effects of pesticides on honeybees. But she says that as much as we rely on honeybees, we almost can’t even think of them as just a species anymore. They’ve become a system – a technology – that we literally pack in boxes, load onto semitrailers. and ship all over the country to do work for us. (read more)

STRAWBERRY SEASON A SUCCESS DESPITE AN ABSENCE OF SUNSHINE
Source: The Chronicle Herald
A long, cold winter meant a little later start to the strawberry season. Growers might have been a little concerned for their crop due to the number of rainy days in July as well, given the fact that the key to a perfect berry is the right amount of water coupled with a lot of sun. Fortunately, the beginning of the season yielded enough sunshine to ensure the berries got a good start in advance of the many days of rain that followed. (read more)

OPPORTUNITY FOR $500,000 REWARD IN POTATO TAMPERING CASE ENDS SATURDAY
Source: Island Farmer
The deadline is this Saturday for tips leading to an increased reward in the potato tampering case. The PEI Potato Board increased the reward offered through Crime Stoppers from $100,000 to $500,000 for a limited period in the hope it would lead to information that could solve incidents of needles and nails inserted into potatoes that occurred last fall and again this spring. Tips received from August 16 until October 31, 2015 will continue to be eligible for the previously announced amount of up to $100,000. Anonymous tips are eligible for the reward. (read more)

PEI COPC ORGANIC HEMP FIELD DAY
Source: PEI COPC
The PEI COPC and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will host an organic hemp field day on August 17 (9 am, AAFC Harrinton research farm), with representatives from Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and P.E.I. presenting on various aspects of producing, breeding varieties suitable for our Island conditions and purchasing requirements. Cost is free and all are very welcome to attend (read more)

RESULTS FROM THE ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT HANDMOWING
Source: Submitted The August 8 event had 26 mowers, 42 swaths mowed. Follow the link to some photos and more stats. It is on Facebook, but you don't need a Facebook account to see it. (read more)

CHAINSAW SKILLS AND SAFETY WOMEN ONLY
Source: Harrison Lewis Centre
This is a hands-on two-day 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. We are taking names for a course in September. Please contact us if you would like to claim on spot in the course.
HLC@eastlink.ca