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Organic Farming Organic Farming articles
Bio-Dynamic Agriculture
Rudolph Steiner’s "Agricultural Course" came into being in Koberwitz Germany in 1924. It was the beginning of the development of the bio dynamic method which is now applied with the needed modification on all continent.
Food Crisis
Farming is in a crisis, particularly here on the Western Canadian prairie. Everyone is calling it an economic or financial crisis in agriculture.
Organic Certification
Organic farmers need the help of food consumers to make the national organic certification program work. The consumer must challenge the quality of certified organic products to give them credibility.
Legislated Disease
Our government needs to pay more attention to the environment if it wants to improve the health of Canadians. Everyone says we have a health care crisis, but it is more than that.
A Call to Action Canada’s Farmers in Crisis
Consumers, including farmers are an endangered species as they eat polluted food and live in a polluted environment. It’s time to take action! Consumers need to have all farmers produce organic food in a clean environment..
Green Garden Fingers Go Organic
Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Well, your garden may not have silver bells and cockle shells, but you certainly can make it more environmentally friendly and safe to work in by trying your hand at organic home gardening.
Return Nutrients to the Soil
"About half the people admitted to Canadian hospitals are malnourished. Their situation tends to grow worse during and after their hospital stay.
Certifiably Better
Discovering foods labelled "organically grown" is getting easier all the time--finding out what has gone into the growing and preparation of these foods may not be as simpl.
Organic Agriculture Grows Up!
Organic agriculture is booming. The news drew cheers from participants at the 20th annual Guelph Organic Conference in Januar.
Natural Gas Crisis
An important part of gardening is getting to know your soil type and how to maximize it. Soil consists of 50 per cent mineral solids (clay, silt, sand) and 50 per cent water, air and organic matter. A good mixture provides a well-structured soil.Clay soil is dense.
The Organic Transition
The Taylor family of Kenaston, Saskatchewan, is taking certified organic farming very seriously. They are demonstrating leadership in the industry and are helping to promote institutional change.
Low Federal Support for Organic Farming
On March 29, 2001, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed a caucus Liberal Task Force on Future Opportunities in Farmin.
Organic Group Takes Up Arms
On Oct. 12, 2001, Arnold Taylor, president of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate (SOD), announced the directorate’s intention to take legal action against those responsible for introducing genetically engineered (GE) canola into Saskatchewan and to hold them accountable for crop losses and damages.
Sustainable Agriculture: Sustenance From the Soil
The industrialization of agriculture has brought many benefits to society and has helped to reduce hunger in a growing world population. However, the potential benefits were likely realized by the 1970.
The Greening of Government
Neil Sinclair, leader of the New Green Alliance Party of Saskatchewan, and seven other members from Regina and Saskatoon visited our research and demonstration farm on Nov. 24, 2001..
Alberta ORGANIC Wheat Project
Sharon Rempel, an organic crops and seed researcher working through a charitable organization, the Garden Institute of Alberta, is coordinating project funding for organic wheat and seed research for the 2002 growing season.
Sustainable Farming Ups Yields
The largest study ever of sustainable agriculture, commissioned by the British Department for International Development, concluded that sustainable farming has been the most effective way of raising farm yields in the past decade, with no-till farming being amongst the widely adopted forms.
What Is "Certified Organic?"
Organic food is in demand more than ever. Yet most people aren’t entirely clear on what "certified organic" really means.
First Canadian Agricultural Research Farm Receives Organic Certification
The organic research and demonstration farm operated by the Back to the Farm Research Foundation at Davidson, Sask. is the first agricultural research farm or station in Canada to receive organic certification. We received our organic certification certificate on Jan.
Organic Granny Sets Example
Forty-six-year-old Janine Gibson of Steinbach, Man., is both a grandmother and an outstanding leader in the international organic farm movement. I am pleased to report she is also a consultant for our Back to the Farm Research Foundation.
IFOAM
The 14th Organic World Congress of IFOAM, called "Cultivating Communities," was held in the Conference Centre in little Victoria, British Columbia at the height of the tourist season! Anne Macey from Salt Spring Island, BC and chair of IFOAM 2002 said.
Agricultural Revolution in Germany
Could it happen here? For generations we have been duped to believe the million-dollar ad campaigns of myriad food moguls. We fell victim to the science of chemical colouring, food preservatives and taste enhancers-and never questioned the contents of bottles, cans and packages on the supermarket shelves.
Organic Wine
Organic wine? What nouveau decadence will they think of next, you wonder? But oenophiles (wine lovers) could tell you that chemical-free cabernet and pesticide-free pinot aren’t new concepts at all.
A Christmas Gift: Help Heal Our Ailing Land
"We were made to believe that synthetic agrochemicals are the panacea to low yield and will end world hunger. But today, people of the world, especially those in developing countries, are still in abject poverty and acute hunger. More than two billion humans are malnourished, according to reports of the United Nations.
Eating Organic
"Pesticides on food? That’s horrible!" My six-year-old, Benjamin, looked at me in disbelief. I had just explained that many of our fruits and vegetables were sprayed with toxic chemicals.
Movement in Organic Agriculture
The worldwide push for organic growing is gathering strength under the umbrella organization, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Eating Organic
Eating organic is the surest way to avoid synthetic pesticides and genetically engineered foods, so shifting the diet to emphasize certified organic foods is important for all of us.
Reclaiming Control of Our Food Supply
She has visited villages in India where women have risked their lives to reintroduce local seed varieties, revitalize farming traditions and say “No” to genetically modified food.
The Dirt on Fertilizers
Walt Whitman said, “I bequeath myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love.” Clearly that was before the invasion of chemical fertilizer.
Good News for Carnivores
It’s pretty hard not to notice the growing number of organic products available to today’s consumer. At one time the exclusive preserve of health food stores and farmer’s markets, organic produce and, more recently, meat products are now taking up substantial shelf space in your local supermarket.
UBC Farm
Nestled in the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus on 40 acres of prime land is a well-kept secret: the city’s last working organic farm. Since 2000, UBC Farm (landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm) has been a place to appreciate the connections between land, food, and people through both in-depth theory and hands-on experience.
From Pasture to Plate
Catch up with Doe Gregoire at the farmers’ market in Cawston, BC, and this spunky pioneer in organics can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about her apples.
Canadian Organic Regulations
Federal regulators deliberate what may become Canada’s first official set of national organic regulations. The question on many minds is, how? BC and Quebec do have provincial regulations, but for the past few years, industry leaders–from manufacturers, producers, and sellers to processors, farmers, and resellers–have offered time and input to advance the goal of national laws.
Our Palatable Planet
Author Michael Pollan is at the forefront of an increasingly popular movement of enlightened eaters and conscious consumers. This expanding movement has the power to transform our core values related to our food choices. According to Pollan, those core values are in serious need of revision, and changing our shopping and eating habits not only eases our conscience, it deepens our eating pleasure.
Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate
We all know that eating freshly grown, unsprayed food tastes better, but what about the tea and coffee that we drink or the chocolate that we wrap up for our loved ones on Valentine’s Day? Is it superior because it’s stamped with the word “organic”?

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