
Confronting problems with packaging organic products through innovation in the packaging industry with Wellington Produce Packaging. A major value of organics is the production of food in a sustainable, environmentally friendly manner. For an organic farmer to go through the process of obtaining certification and following organic regulations only to end up packaging their product
+ Read More
+ Read More
Author: Sharmeena Lalloo The Organic Council of Ontario has released a new report to shed light on Ontario farmers’ perspectives surrounding environmentally-friendly practices employed within organic and regenerative farming systems. This report identifies trends and potential opportunities to encourage the adoption of environmentally-friendly farming techniques throughout the agricultural sector in Ontario. The key findings are
+ Read More
+ Read More
Save the dates! University of Manitoba professor Dr. Martin Entz is running an organic agronomy training course in January 2023. Dr. Entz’s training is intended for private and public sector agronomists who want to respond to the growing demand from producers for more information about organic grain production. While the course was designed with the
+ Read More
+ Read More
Though it may seem laborious to grow plants that will never be harvested, cover crops can bring many benefits to Canadian farmers. At the EFAO conference’s webinar: Greenlander! Expanding the use of cover crops in organic vegetable farming, cover crop farmers and experts Jeff Boesch from Cedar Down Farm and Reid Allaway from Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm shared insights drawn from years of experience with cover cropping.
How can organic farmers reduce tillage on their farms? In this webinar, Brett Israel from 3Gen Organic, Aaron Bowman from Bowmanview Farms, Jake Munroe from OMAFRA and Mel Luymes discussed this struggle.
Climate change and agriculture are closely connected. Agriculture makes up 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, excluding on-farm fossil fuel usage and fertilizer production processes. Canada has pledged to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the economy by 40 percent and reduce agricultural emissions by 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. In order to meet these targets, changes across the agricultural industry are necessary.
With so many external stressors threatening our natural ecosystems, some farmers have turned to rebuilding or preserving natural spaces on their farmland. If done correctly, this practice can prove enormously beneficial to the farm and its surrounding environment. So what kinds of natural landscapes can farmers rebuild, and what kind of care will these new spaces require?
Grains are extremely valuable to organic farmers—they can serve as a main crop, as feed or as a cover crop to reduce weeds and build soil health. At the EFAO conference’s Grain Buyers Meet and Greet, sponsored by the Organic Council of Ontario, organic small grain growers from across Ontario’s organic sector had the opportunity to network and address some of the most common questions and concerns regarding small grain production and marketing.
There is a wealth of research that explores the diverse environmental benefits of organic agriculture. Many farmers may want to experiment with practices that carry environmental benefits, but are concerned about potential profit losses or unforeseen consequences. Read on to learn how organic agriculture can be just as profitable as, or even more profitable than, conventional agriculture.
Each organic or regenerative farm is as unique as the farmers who keep it running, especially when it comes to dealing with organic agriculture’s most infamous challenge: weeds. Read on to learn how five organic Ontario-based farmers and researchers use different approaches to achieve this goal in weed management.
All around the world, you’ll find farmers who are passionate about restoring their environment through organic and regenerative farming practices. There is a lot of variety in regional approaches to sustainable agriculture, and each of them has something to teach us about Canada’s organic sector.
In 2021, nitrogen fertilizer saw a huge price spike due to a string of severe weather events like Hurricane Ida and the February Texas cold snap. Alongside other supply-chain disruptions, these events have led to global shortages and decade-high consumer prices. Is there a way we can limit our dependance on nitrogen fertilizer?