Reading Time: 4 minutes Steven Snider was just 16 years old when he realized conventional farming wasn’t for him. “I was spraying a wild oat herbicide on a field, and I got drift poisoning,” said the Edberg-area farmer and owner of Little Red Hen Mills. “For three days, I was sick as a dog. That kind of changed my […] Read more
Organic is booming — and the push is on to get more growers
Demand for organic grain is growing at a sizzling pace and the sector fears it will lose market share if it can’t up production
The money’s good. But is organic for you?
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s money to be made in organics, says the executive director of Organic Alberta. “From a business perspective, organic production does make sense,” said Becky Lipton. “If you’re looking on how to expand your operation, organics do provide a lot of opportunities on that end.” While yields can be substantially lower — as much as […] Read more
Ottawa funding effort to help farmers grow organic crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa and a group of organic food producers are spending $2.2 million to boost organic production on the Prairies. “While the Canadian organic food market has tripled since 2006 from $1 billion to $3 billion, organic production has not kept pace,” Organic Alberta executive director Becky Lipton said in a press release. “This project will […] Read more
Opportunities for organic hemp growers
Manitoba Harvest and Hemp Oil Canada are still looking for organic producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes An Alberta Agriculture crop specialist says there are opportunities for growing hemp in the province, particularly organic hemp. “Many people may now be aware that the majority of the hemp grown in Alberta is for seed purposes,” said Harry Brook, crop specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “The market is strong for hemp […] Read more
Organic cereals demand down
Reading Time: < 1 minute Demand for wheat tends to hold steady even in tough economic times, but not so for what’s organically grown. Demand for organic wheat, durum and barley has flattened since the economic downturn began, Canadian Wheat Board organic marketing manager Patty Rosher told a seminar in Manitoba last month. “Recession is generally good for wheat sales… […] Read more
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