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
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
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 sector asks for targets
Industry lobbies government to adopt an organic action plan but concedes it will not happen overnight
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia — Organic farming leaders want the federal government to implement a policy similar to Europe, in which 25 per cent of farmland is supposed to be organic by 2030. That’s considered an unrealistic target for Canada, considering only three per cent of farmland is currently in organic production. As a result, organic leaders […] Read more
Organic operators down, acreage up: new industry stats
Total organic sales in 2022 was $10.26, billion up from $9.35 billion in 2021
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).
Hands-on plant breeding: Farmers help select new plant lines
Since 2011, organic farmers from across Canada have been making their own breeding selections
Reading Time: 4 minutes You might call it DIY cereal breeding. Since 2011, plant-breeding researchers have collaborated with organic farmers in a breeding program in which the producers select lines from trials on their own farms. Normally, a breeder goes through a plot, and selects the best spikes, heads or plants according to their breeding goals. “The participatory plant-breeding […] Read more
Organic farms and acres increasing on the Prairies
Reading Time: < 1 minute The number of Prairie organic farms and their acreage continues to increase, says the Canada Organic Trade Association. The latest report, the fifth annual, puts the number of certified organic operations on the Prairies at 1,975 in 2018 (compared to 1,840 in 2017). And for the first time, land used for organic field crop production […] Read more
Organic doesn’t need to be ‘so expensive,’ says Dutch farmer
Farmer alliance’s relentless focus on efficiency aims to take organics to the next level
Reading Time: 4 minutes In Canada, we might call them hippies or tree huggers but in Holland, organic farmers are called “grey woolly goat socks.” Gerjan Snippe, managing director of Bio Brass, doesn’t wear his grey woolly goat socks anymore, but he carries them in his back pocket. They’re a reminder of why he got into organics in the […] Read more
Alberta Milk offers program to entice new organic producers
There are just six organic milk producers in the province but a new program aims to up that by a third
Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: July 23, 2018] Growing demand for organic milk not only has the provincial dairy association seeking more production but also more producers — just to make sure it never runs short. “We need more organic and we need to make sure that we don’t only have a few farms taking some of the supply […] Read more
Alberta’s organic heartland wants to bring more farmers on board
Two-year initiative will assist both existing growers and those wanting to transition to organic production
Reading Time: 2 minutes Being Alberta’s most northerly rural municipality isn’t Mackenzie County’s only claim to fame. “Right now, Mackenzie County has the highest number of organic farmers,” said Jacob Marfo, manager and research director of the Mackenzie Applied Research Association, (MARA). And the region may soon have more. MARA and Organic Alberta, with support from the county and […] Read more
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