Organic Farm News Archive
From today's date, goes back at least a year
- Stories are selected with Canadian organic farmers in mind but are not intended to reflect our views pro or con.
- While we update these links from time to time, you may find some articles withdrawn or expired.
Stories about or from Canada : 
The Packer (USA)
- April 25, 2011
Organic outperforms ‘flat’ food market
Organic food is outperforming the conventional
food market by a wide margin — even
with a significant downturn attributed
to the recession.
Full
text
Narelle Towie,
PerthNow - April 21, 2011
Organic farmers fear Genetically
Modified (GM) crops are blowing in the
wind
Western Australia farms are at risk of
contamination by genetically modified
seeds when strong winds whip across the
state, officials admit.
Full
text
Paul Waldie, Globe
and Mail - April 21, 2011
Alfalfa a key battleground in organic
farming war
Organic producers point to the surge
in popularity of their products and argue
that maintaining genetic purity is paramount.
Full
text
Brigid Darragh,
Green Chip Stocks - April 15, 2011
Farming Systems Trial Releases
Results of 20-year Study
The trial demonstrated organic farming
improves soil and water while simultaneously
yielding crops of similar (or better)
quality and net returns as conventional
farming does.
Full
text
Richard Gray and
Alastair Jamieson, The Telegraph (UK)
- April 9, 2011
Arsenic and toxic metals found
in baby foods
Baby foods used to wean infants off milk
have been found to contain 'alarming'
levels of toxic contaminants including
arsenic, lead and cadmium.
Full
text
Ken Cook, Huffiington
Post - April 8, 2011
Thank You for Spraying
Having pushed for decades for rigorous
federal regulation in order to distinguish
their explosively growing segment of
the market, the organic industry does
indeed have a high-profile complaint
about the government these days: the
headlong deregulation of genetically
engineered crops that now dominate mainstream
chemical agriculture.
Full
text
Ken Cook, Reuters
- April 8, 2011
Liberals vow to rework AgriFlex,
review ag programs
The Liberals pledged to restore the federal
AgriFlexibility initiative to its "original
mission" of offering regionally flexible
programs including "practical, bankable
business risk management to help farmers
meet their costs of production."
Full
text
Grainews - April
8, 2011
Cancer cause or crop aid? Herbicide
faces big test
Amid rising voices of alarm, regulators
in the United States and Canada are conducting
a formal review of glyphosate's safety,
lawsuits are pending and some groups
are calling for a global ban.
Full
text
Better Farming
(Ontario) - April 7, 2011
Canadian organic growers in for
the long haul
A Canadian organic organization has joined
a United States-based lawsuit challenging
Monsanto’s patents on genetically
modified seeds.
Full
text
Fiona Harvey,
The Guardian (UK) - April 4, 2011
Honeybees 'entomb' hives to protect
against pesticides, say scientists
By sealing up cells full of contaminated
pollen, bees appear to be attempting
to protect the rest of the hive.
Full
text
Cornucopia News
(USA) - March 30, 2011
Farmers and Seed Producers Launch
Preemptive Strike against Monsanto
Action would prohibit biotechnology giant
from suing organic farmers and seed growers
if innocently contaminated by roundup
ready genes
Full
text
Jessica Leeder,
Globe and Mail - March 25, 2011
Scientist named to boost Canada's
sustainable food production
Plant and animal scientist Ralph Martin,
a Nova Scotia-based academic and director
of the Organic Agriculture Centre of
Canada, has been appointed chair of Sustainable
Food Production at the University of
Guelph, a post backed by a $3-million
grant from Loblaw Cos. Ltd.
Full
text
Wisconsin Business
- March 11, 2011
MOSES Organic Farming Conference:
Nation's largest organic farming conference
gathers nearly 3,000 attendees
The largest organic farming conference
in North America, saw another record
year of attendance with just under 3,000
organic farmers, agriculture professionals,
market gardeners, and others interested
in organic agriculture.
Full
text
The Boundary Sentinel
(BC) - March 6, 2011
Atamanenko pressures government
to fight GMO alfalfa
Atamanenko says alfalfa is not only important
to conventional farming but it is a particularly
valuable crop to organic farmers who
use it to fix nitrogen and as a soil-building
component in their crop rotations.
Full
text
Steve Harder,
Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada - March
3, 2011
Using insects to assess soil quality
In the future, organic farmers may be
able to use tiny, wingless insects to
help them easily assess the health of
their soils.
Full
text
Wisconsin Ag Connection
- February 24, 2011
Cornucopia Institute Cries Foul
Over Dean Foods Product
The Cornucopia Institute claims that
Horizon Fat-Free Milk Plus DHA Omega-3
bears the USDA organic seal, despite
an earlier ruling that the proprietary
DHA oil, an ingredient derived from algae,
is not legal in organic production.
Full
text
Kristin Schafer,
Pesticide Action Network North America
- February 10, 2011
Cornucopia Institute Cries Foul
Over Dean Foods Product
In the latest entry of a growing body
of evidence, scientists announced last
week that pyrethroid pesticides — now
in hundreds of pest control products
sold for home use — can interfere
with the healthy development of an infant's
nervous system when moms are exposed
during pregnancy.
Full
text
Elizabeth Farrelly,
Sydney Morning Herald - February 10,
2011
Danger lies on the GM food road
Even measured against its own promises
of food security and equity, transgenics
has failed to deliver.
Full
text
Colleen Kimmett,
The Tyee - February 9, 2011
GMO bill struck down in Ottawa
A private members' bill that would have
added a layer of scrutiny to genetically
modified (GM) seeds sold in Canada has
been struck down.
Full
text
Better Farming
(Ontario) - February 4, 2011
GMO alfalfa stalls at the Canadian
border
Sean McGivern, a board member with the
National Farmers Union, said his organization
is concerned about the introduction of
glyphosate tolerant alfalfa to Canada
Full
text
Heather Carr,
Eat Drink Better (Australia) - February
3, 2011
Monsanto Vs Australian Organic
Farmer Steve Marsh
Australia’s leading organic certifier,
the National Association for Sustainable
Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), suspended
certification on the 70% of Mr. Marsh’s
farm containing the GM canola
Full
text .
Eric Markowitz,
Inc. - February 1, 2011
Organic Industry Fuming Over Obama
Ruling
New government rules allow farmers to
use genetically modified alfalfa, which
has many in the organic food industry
concerned about their trade
Full
text
The Boundary Sentinel
(BC) - January 30, 2011
Atamanenko calls unconfined release
of GE seeds a disaster for organic farming
New Democrat Agriculture Critic, Alex
Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern
Interior), is calling on Prime Minister
Harper to urge the United States government
to immediately reverse yesterday’s
decision to authorize the unrestricted
cultivation of Monsanto’s hotly
contested genetically engineered alfalfa
in the US.
Full
text
Montreal Gazette
- January 29, 2011
What's good for alfalfa might be
good for GMOs
The U.S. government's decision this week
to allow unconditional cultivation of
a biotech alfalfa showed little appetite
for compromise with opponents of biotech
crops and marked a setback for those
worried about what GMOs are doing to
the environment.
Full
text
Environment News
Service - January 28, 2011
USDA Approves Unregulated Planting
of Transgenic Alfalfa
Over the objections of organic farmers
and organic food consumers, and despite
a legal challenge, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture has decided to allow commercial
planting of alfalfa genetically engineered
to tolerate Monsanto's Roundup herbicide
without any federal requirements to prevent
contamination of the rest of alfalfa
seed and plantings.
Full
text
WOWT.com - January
25, 2011
ISU researcher to get to root of
many aspects of sustainable organic vegetable
production.
An Iowa State University researcher is
now examining which organic vegetable
growing practices are best for the soil,
water, yields and even nutrition.
Full
text
City View (Airdrie,
Ont.) - January 24, 2011
Canadian agriculture optimism grows:
survey
Agribusiness optimism has jumped to its
highest levels in four years, according
to a new Farm Credit Canada (FCC) national
survey.
Full
text
Grain News - January
22, 2011
NSERC delists 'food' as target
area for research
Agriculture groups are lining up against
plans by Canada's Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
to drop 'food and agriculture' from its
list of targeted areas for research funding.
Full
text
Munyaradzi Makoni,
University World News (Africa Edition)
- January 16, 2011
Fruit farmers to use ants for pest
control
The ants feed on all kinds of insects
in the trees, they destroy or deter a
range of different insect pests . . .
Full
text
Justmeans - January
16, 2011
Wikileaks Reveals US Supports GMOs
and Counteracts Sustainable Agriculture
Abroad
While it is well-known that the biotech
seed giants like Monsanto have a hefty
amount of sway in the political realm,
the leaked correspondence proves just
how influential such companies are on
a global scale.
Full
text
Australian Broadcasting
Corporation - January 13, 2011
Organic farmer to sue over GM contamination
The Network of Concerned Farmers' Julie
Newman also said previously that this
case highlighted that GM farmers could
face legal action if neighbouring properties
are contaminated.
Full
text
Farmers Guardian
(UK) - January 12, 2011
Organic can feed the world, claims
report
The Soil Association has hailed a report
that it claims provides ‘overwhelming
evidence’ of the need to expand
organic and other ‘agroecological’ farming
systems.
Full
text
The Australian
- January 11, 2011
Organic farming growing fast
Organic farming is expected to be one
of the fastest growing industries this
year, thanks to higher disposable incomes
and increasing demand for organic food,
according to a survey by research group
IbisWorld.
Full
text
Josette Dunn, Australian Food News - December 10, 2010
GM canola contaminates organic farm
A West Australian organic farmer has found genetically manipulated (GM) canola seeds contaminating nearly two thirds of his arable land.
Full text
Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun - December 7, 2010
Imported fruit fly munching on B.C. soft fruit crops
Unlike other fruit flies, which attack overripe or rotting fruit, the spottedwing drosophila lays its eggs inside the skin of ripening soft fruits, which causes damage that can destroy them.
Full text
Shannon Dininny, Globe and Mail - November 29, 2010
Canadian firm hopes non-browning apple will tempt USDA
A Canadian biotechnology company has asked the U.S. to approve a genetically modified apple that won't brown soon after its sliced, saying the improvement could boost sales of apples for snacks, salads and other uses.
Full text
AgMedia Inc. - October 26, 2010
International agreement takes aim at farm-saved seed
Using farmer-saved seed could cost you the farm if the free trade agreement Canada is negotiating with the European Union is ratified, warns a National Farmers Union spokesman.
Full text
Mercola.com - October 23, 2010
Monsanto Finally Reaping Its Just Desserts
According to the New York Times, weeds are becoming immune to Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, and its latest genetically modified, 8-gene corn is a flop, producing yields no higher than the company's less expensive corn, which contains only three foreign genes.
Full text
Meat Trade News Daily - October 21, 2010
Brazil - Organic certification
Obligatory certification of organic agriculture products in Brazil is due to start in January 2011 and the programme will facilitate access of such products to export markets, announced officials from Brazil's agriculture ministry.
Full text
Colleen Kimmett, The Tyee - October 15, 2010
Proposed trade treaty a threat to food security: Farmers' Union
A proposed trade agreement between Canada and the European Union could make it harder for public institutions like schools, hospitals and universities to buy local food.
Full text
Colleen Kimmett, The Tyee - October 15, 2010
New farm standard hopes to tap demand for local
LFP writes the language that goes into requests for proposals for food service contracts, and also helps connect food service departments with its certified growers.
Full text
CBC News - October 4, 2010
Livestock superbugs threaten humans: doctor
Dr. Bill Mackie, chair of the B.C. Medical Association's environmental health committee, says antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria developing in livestock pose a real risk to humans.
Full text
Colleen Kimmett, The Tyee - September 28, 2010
Ontario farmer defies raw milk ban in BC
Michael Schmidt, a farmer and activist who grabbed headlines as the 'Raw Milk Man' after fighting and winning a public campaign to sell unpasteurized milk in Ontario, has come to B.C. to stand up for a Fraser Valley dairy that is battling for the same right.
Full text
Government of Australia - September 26, 2010
Australia Launches Organic Agriculture Website
At the heart of the Knowledge Hub is a search engine which is designed to specifically search, index and return results from leading national and international organics websites.
Full text
Michael McCarthy, Independent (UK) - September 26, 2010
Public opinion stopped GM, says campaigner
The tide has turned globally against the introduction of genetically modified crops, Lord Melchett, the former director of Greenpeace and campaigner for organic farming and food, said yesterday.
Full text
Nickie Polson, Courier-Islander - September 24, 2010.
National Organic Week
Canada's very first National Organic Week will begin on Thanksgiving Day and run until World Food Day on October 16th.
Full text
Louise Gray, Telegraph (UK) - September 14, 2010.
Organic farms have better soil.
The study of nine farms in England, published in the journal Environmental Microbiology, found that organic farms have a much more diverse range of fungi living in the soil than on conventional farms.
Full text
David W Freeman, CBC News - September 13, 2010.
USDA Sued over Genetically Modified Beets: Food Wars Heat Up
The groups - including the Center for Food Safety, the Sierra Club, and the Organic Seed Alliance - said the plantings could still modify neighboring crops, adding that the agency's decision violates an August court ruling that prohibited future plantings of modified beets, according to a statement released by the Center for Food Safety.
Full text
Halifax Herald - September 2, 2010.
Organic farming gets $8.7m to grow on
Those involved in the Organic Science Cluster include leading scientists in organic agriculture who will be working to increase the quality and quantity of products produced and to promote aspects of organic production that are important to Canadian consumers.
Full text
Michelle Venetucci Harvey, Grist - September 2, 2010.
New study weighs in on organic vs. conventional debate
The results are pretty convincing: organic strawberries are healthier, tastier, and better for the soil than conventional strawberries.
Full text
CBC - September 1, 2010.
Organic strawberries tops in taste, nutrition
Most comprehensive study ever done on organic growing practices.
Full text |
