A new technology that turns air, renewable energy and water into nitrogen fertilizer could reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and provide farmers with consistent local access to a nutrient that’s proving to be better for crops. Nicolas Pinkowski. “We use the same fundamental process as a lightning storm,” says Nicolas Pinkowski, co-founder and CEO[...]
‘Field of Dreams’ diversification
When they decided to start their own distillery in their hometown of Ayr, Ont., Cameron Formica and the brothers Jordan and Nolan van der Heyden decided to test the truth of the movie line “if you build it, they will come.” “Farming on farmland is good in theory,” Formica recalls thinking. He knows the “in[...]
Missing the market
Five years ago, the spotlight was shining bright on a report from the federal government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth. Few federal reports get much attention, but this report, named after council chair Dominic Barton, generated headlines as it predicted that a new era of value-adding would not only transform the country’s ag and food[...]
Value adding, with a flourish
When Dana Thatcher started getting compliments from the other teachers at school about the food she was bringing for lunch, little did she know it would lead to a thriving farm, food and agri-tourism business. “People were interested in what I was eating, and the fact that we had grown it,” Thatcher recalls. “That’s what[...]
Social financing
Climate change and the pandemic are turning more investors’ minds — and their money too — toward building resilient food supply chains across Canada, according to two experts in social financing. “There are more and more people who recognize that local, social financing is a bit of a vaccination against what’s happening with the global[...]
Time to hit 'Print' for that machinery part?
First, let’s get the name right. Until now, we’ve been calling it 3D printing. It’s a name that will probably stick around for a while, but those in the know are already calling it by its newer name, “additive manufacturing.” “The technology is far, far more user friendly and there are really good desktop printers[...]
Taking care of business on a hybrid farm
When James and Josée Morin decided to move from the city of Sudbury to the country in 2012, little did they know that by 2021, they’d be committed to the farm as a thriving business. It wasn’t in the plan. “We were just looking to get out of the city, get some land and put[...]
Looking for the green
A new indoor hydroponic technology that raises live, green fodder from seed to feed in six days is starting to disrupt the way livestock is fed on farms around the world. Bill Vanderkooi has been testing the Hydrogreen system on his Abbotsford, B.C. farm for the past two years with his 250 head of grass-finished[...]
The agricultural market awaits
Getting an innovative agricultural product or service to market — and having it sell — is neither an easy nor an inexpensive way to make your mark, so Tim Nelson has some advice if you think you have hit on the next big thing. “Make sure it is of use and relevant to farmers,” says[...]
A food hub that grows
A proposed $36 million food hub in eastern Ontario may be the model for a more regionalized Canadian food system that will benefit farmers and consumers as they emerge from the disruption of COVID-19. “We know that food sovereignty is on the mind of everyone,” says Carole Lavigne, director of economic development and tourism in[...]
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
