Many Strands Make a Strong Food Web Darcy Smith Farm-to-fork has come to embody the eating ethos of people seeking a deeper connection to healthy, local food—and Urban Harvest has been putting the “to” in farm-to-fork for the last 20 years. Lisa McIntosh co-founded the Okanagan-based organic home delivery service with her partner at the… Keep Reading
Planning In Your Thirties and Beyond Karen Fenske Developing a well-balanced financial strategy at each stage of life promotes peace of mind. The wealth and retirement planning strategies outlined below are relevant for young farmers, whether you will own property or not. The need for supplemental income component has historically been a reality for many… Keep Reading
Lucy Sharratt There is a lot of excitement about “gene editing,” or genome editing, in the media and research community. In the farm press, genome editing techniques are being widely described as precise and, in some cases, non-GMO. Neither is correct. Genome editing techniques can be used to alter the genetic material of plants, animals,… Keep Reading
Devon Cooke On April 15th, I uprooted myself from my Burnaby basement suite, packed as much as I could into my hatchback, and hit the road. Pandemic lockdown plan: go to where the food is. Destination: Amara Farm in the Comox Valley. I had negotiated what I thought was a pretty sweet deal. Amara Farm… Keep Reading
Empowering the Human Micronutrient Supply Chain from the Soil Up Marjorie Harris I have long accepted that the saying “Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants, Healthy people” fully explained the human nutrient supply chain. Turns out, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, the mineral requirements for healthy plants, animals, and people are quite different. During organic… Keep Reading
Canadian Organic Trade Association’s 11th Annual Organic Week Karen Squires Canada’s National Organic Week is the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming, and products across the country, and this year marks the 11th anniversary! The celebration is a collaboration between the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) and its members and partners to grow awareness of… Keep Reading
Corinne Impey Tucked into the wilderness of the Fraser River Canyon, water flows from a glacial-fed creek on Ashala Daniel’s off-grid five-acre organic farm, Solstedt Organics. Living with a palpable link to the land, Ashala applies low-energy practices and sustainable farming techniques that minimize the dependence on machinery in the garden. She has fruit trees… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer We have no cattle on the farm this year. This is not an ideal situation for a biodynamic farmer. Rudolph Steiner’s lectures are specifically reverent about the bovine influence. Very simply, their manure is important, and their manner is to be admired. We never set up as ranchers, but the two cows were… Keep Reading
The Lasser Legacy: Raising Healthy, Nutritious, Environmentally-Friendly Cattle Jolene Swain Charlie Lasser’s plan was to retire at 100. Just three weeks short of his 89th birthday, he’s been considering extending that to 110—there’s so much to learn and so much knowledge to share when it comes to raising cattle, and he’s just not quite finished.Farming… Keep Reading
New Organic Farmers on Leased Land Tessa Wetherill Spring on an organic produce farm looks like baby greens, tiny radishes, overflowing seedling greenhouses, and freshly turned soil. Everything feels precious and new and brimming with possibility. Touring around Loveland Acres in Salmon Arm with farmers Robin and Maylene, those feelings were especially palpable and poignant… Keep Reading
