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[...]
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[...]
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[...]
Horticultural industry bowed, not broken by COVID-19
Despite extraordinarily difficult issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill George is optimistic about the future of the Canadian horticultural sector. “I’m very proud of how producers have risen to the challenges,” he says. “They always will find a way to get things done.” George is the chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association[...]
Thinking ‘tomorrow’
While Kristjan Hebert’s working life hasn’t changed drastically through COVID-19, the pandemic has helped refine his ideas on how the grain industry could move forward from here. Mainly, it’s convinced him even more than before that farming is a people business. “I still feel that people are our number one asset,” he says. “If we[...]
The challenge for Canadian beef
The 2020 pandemic has caused major disruptions in the Canadian beef industry, but with demand for their products remaining steady, producers are hopeful their businesses will survive through to the new year. “A lot of producers are in a pretty tough situation,” says Chad Ross, president of the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and owner of[...]
The many sides of grief
We know that grief is a natural response when a loved one dies. What we may not realize, though, is that we may also grieve, sometimes for years, from non-death losses too. Losing the family farm, getting divorced, living with a debilitating illness, being estranged from one’s child, the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic… all[...]
Biggest U.S. rail union rejects tentative deal, raising threat of strike
Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters -- Workers at the largest U.S. rail union voted against a tentative contract deal reached in September, raising the possibility of a year-end strike that could cause significant damage to the U.S. economy and strand vital shipments of food and fuel. Train and engine service members of the transportation division of[...]
Manitoba crop conference recovers allegedly phished funds
The organizers of one of the last big Prairie farm events held before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have recovered funds temporarily lost to an alleged phishing scam. The CropConnect Conference -- an annual crop production and farm management conference co-organized by Manitoba grain, oilseed and pulse grower groups -- has received back almost[...]
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
