BIG AG GOES ORGANIC (COME AGAIN?)

Source: Western Farm Press
There’s a trillion dollars riding on the global produce market and Big Ag is moving toward a much larger share, going new school with old school breeding techniques... (read more)

PASTORAL ICON OR WOOLLY MENACE?

Source: New York Times
You don’t have to look far to see the woolly influence of sheep on our cultural lives. They turn up as symbols of peace and a vaguely remembered pastoral way of life in our poetry, our art and our Christmas pageants... (read more)

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL LAUNCHES LEADING INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN ABORIGINAL PEOPLES’ FOREST RIGHTS

Source: FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is pleased to announce a landmark new initiative to help strengthen Aboriginal Peoples’ rights in Canada by rigorously applying free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) to FSC’s Forest Management Standards... (read more)

CANADIAN AG PRESENT ON WORLD STAGE

Source: FCC
Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz met last week in Berlin, Germany with key trading partners while attending the 6th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture during International Green Week... (read more)

GOAT IN ONTARIO TESTS POSITIVE FOR SCRAPIE

 Source: Canadian National Goat Federation
On December 19, 2013, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed to the Canadian National Goat Federation (CNGF) that a goat from an Ontario goat herd had tested positive for scrapie. Scrapie is a reportable disease in Canada as well as many other countries... (read more)

DIGITAL WELLNESS – TIME SPENT ONLINE CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Source: NSFA

A recent stat says Canadians spend about 45 hours a month online – almost double the global average. That's a lot of time – but not surprising when you think about it... (read more)

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING PROGRAMS ACT CONSULTATIONS

Source: CFA

On Tuesday, January 7 CFA staff took part in a preliminary consultation on the amendments made to the Advance Payments Program in the recently tabled Agricultural Growth Act. As identified in the earlier analysis of these amendments, the changes include a number of administrative adjustments that should create better program access and minimize administrative burden for producers and program administrators... (read more)

DAVOS: FRACKING TO BOOST UK ECONOMY

Source: BBC

Shale gas extraction through fracking can boost the economy and encourage businesses to come back to the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron is to say. Cameron, who is attending the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, will say fracking is already “flooring” energy prices in the U.S., and could be a “fresh driver” of UK growth... (read more)

BEE DEATHS MAY STEM FROM VIRUS

Source: New York Times

The mysterious mass die-offs of honeybees that have wiped out roughly a third of commercial colonies each year since 2006 may be linked to a rapidly mutating virus that jumped from tobacco plants to soy plants to bees, according to a new study... (read more)

SCOTSBURN SELLS FLUID MILK DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Source: The Telegram

Where it has become more difficult for regional players to remain competitive in Atlantic Canada, this transaction will accelerate Scotsburn’s growth... (read more)

GRASS-FED REGIONAL MEETINGS

Source: ThinkFarm

Perennia and the Department of Agriculture are pleased to be bringing Dr. Allen Williams back to Nova Scotia by popular demand! Williams will speak on forage quality, selecting cattle for grass-fed production, marketing grass-fed beef, and his personal story. .. (read more)

PEI 2014 WINTER WOODLOT TOUR

Source: Island Farmer

Watershed organizations from the Wheatley River, the Hunter-Clyde and the West River and the PEI Model Forest Partnership invite the public to attend the 4th Annual Winter Woodlot Tour on February 1... (read more)

RANDOM LENGTHS LUMBER MARKET REPORT

Source: Random Lengths

Trading in various framing lumber species was more active in studs than in random dimension. Trading was mixed geographically, as well. Buyers in the Upper Midwest were held back by winter weather, while sales in warmer markets generally picked up... (read more)

PAPER PLANT TO JOIN ELECTRICITY PILOT PROJECT

Source: The Chronicle Herald

Port Hawkesbury Paper has received the green light from the provincial regulator to join a Nova Scotia Power pilot project involving large industrial electricity users. The Utility and Review Board ruled Monday that the Point Tupper paper mill can be included in a program aimed at reducing the number of service interruptions some large customers experience when the utility has to temporarily reduce load... (read more)

WHOLE FOODS BANS PRODUCE GROWN WITH SLUDGE. BUT WHO WINS?

Source: NPR

If you’ve ever shopped at Whole Foods, you’ve probably noticed that some of the foods it sells claim all kinds of health and environmental virtues. From its lengthy list of unacceptable ingredients for food to its strict rules for how seafood is caught and meat is raised, the company sets a pretty high bar for what is permitted on its coveted shelves... (read more)

ENERGY CROPS WORKSHOP

Source: ThinkFarm

Are you interested in growing energy on your farm? There are opportunities emerging in Nova Scotia for the production of hay, specialty grasses (e.g., Miscanthus), and short rotation woody crops (e.g., hybrid poplar) for sale to energy producers. Attend ThinkFarm’s free information session on February 19 to learn more about whether energy crop production would be a good fit for your farm... (read more)

2014 4-H ANNUAL PROVINCIAL SHOW

Source: AtlanticFarmer.com

The Princess Louise Park Show Centre in Sussex, N.B. will host 4-H members and volunteer leaders from around the province to compete in the 2014 4-H Annual Provincial Show from August 26-28.  This is the 34th annual 4-H show and appropriately will be held in Sussex, the birthplace of 4-H in New Brunswick back in 1916. This event will combine fun activities and competition for 4-H members. Selections will be made... (read more)

PLAN AFOOT TO MOVE, FENCE IN HERD OF WILD HORSES

Source: The Chronicle Herald

The group involved in leading a herd of wild horses to a new Hants County, N.S. location is brainstorming about when and how the move will occur. “Right now, we’re still working out the details of the plan and trying to get everybody in one place at one time who’s going to be involved,” Jackie Morash said in an interview... (read more)

HOW FOOD HUBS ARE HELPING NEW FARMERS BREAK INTO LOCAL FOOD

Source: NPR

Lots of consumers are smitten with local food, but they’re not the only ones. The growing market is also providing an opportunity for less experienced farmers to expand their business and polish their craft... (read more)

DID THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BREAK THE LAW WITH GENETICALLY MODIFIED SALMON APPROVAL?

Source: Ecojustice 

Ecojustice lawyers have filed a lawsuit, on behalf of Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society, against the federal government for permitting the manufacture of genetically modified salmon in Canada. This would be the world’s first genetically modified food animal to go into production and we believe it’s important that the government's assessment of this organism be done in a comprehensive… (read more)