Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Organic Growers are pushing the federal government to recognize their sector in the federal Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, set to be published later this year.
"The [Sustainable Agriculture Strategy] is and can be a big opportunity, and organic and regenerative have a lot to offer," said Katie Fettes, COG's director of policy and research, in an online presentation yesterday.
Organic growers push for recognition in federal agriculture strategy
Organic farmers invited to soil health benchmarking study
Reading Time: < 1 minute Organic farmers across the country are invited to measure the benefits of soil management practices on their farms as part of a study led by Prairie organic organizations.
Organics: Planting decisions still to be made
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the midst of dryness in Western Canada and an organics market stuck in a standstill, organic growers are making decisions on what to plant in the coming weeks. Chances are, they may be dictated by their own rotations.
Organic operators down, acreage up: new industry stats
Total organic sales in 2022 was $10.26, billion up from $9.35 billion in 2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes The number of Canadian organic producers and processors fell by nearly 300 in 2022 according to the latest industry stats. “There’s people coming in and there’s people going out,” said Tia Loftsgard, executive director of the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA).
Organic’s doubtful future
Here’s a headline that got it right: “Despite growing demand, number of organic farms is down.”
Reading Time: 5 minutes The headline above is from the Globe and Mail, which may surprise some farm readers. A definite surprise, though, is that it’s from 2006. And most surprising of all? The headline is still true. You could run it again in 2023. Among consumers, organic demand has grown. In 2021, Canadians spent nearly $9.4 billion on […] Read more
The open source farmer
For Dorn and Sarah Cox, building an ag internet will bring the power back in farmer’s hands
Reading Time: 7 minutes About 10 years ago, New Hampshire farmer Dorn Cox was thinking how agriculture will need new ways of tackling such huge challenges as climate change, biodiversity loss and depleted agricultural soils. In the past, the collaborative approach had always saved agriculture. Farmers have pooled their ideas, shared their results and found big solutions much faster […] Read more
Regenerative agriculture hits the mainstream
Big Ag is getting on the bandwagon, but market premiums still aren’t on the table
Reading Time: 6 minutes If you’re a cattle producer, you may already have heard the term “regenerative agriculture.” If you’re a grain producer, maybe not. But that’s about to change. This spring, General Mills announced a plan to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, and Cargill Canada announced […] Read more
Definitely the road less travelled
Taking to organic in crops and in hogs takes trust, vision and teamwork
Reading Time: 7 minutes Brett Israel is looked upon as a young, entrepreneurial producer with one eye firmly fixed on the road ahead, while honouring and respecting those who have come before him. It can be a bit of a tightrope walk for Israel, whose family has been farming on the same concession in Wellington County for six generations. […] Read more
Stretch your horizons
Here’s why taking an agri-tourist vacation might be your business’ best investment all year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Many farmers — because they prefer being busy, productive, active and physical — steer clear of the beachy, all-relaxation style of vacation, knowing it will leave them feeling more frustrated than rejuvenated. But don’t let yourself off the hook so fast. Not going on a beach vacation is one thing. Not going on a vacation […] Read more
Room to grow organic
Farmers are upping their organic output, but they’re still a long way from meeting the demand of the two-thirds of Canadians who sometimes or always shop for organic
Reading Time: 5 minutes Led by Millennial buyers, demand for organic food across Canada is growing robustly. Demand is surging ahead of domestic production, which has been growing but not nearly fast enough to keep up. “Demand is definitely outpacing supply,” says Jill Guerra, research and special projects co-ordinator for Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA). “We need more producers […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
