What do celebrity chefs, musicians and writers, a video lending library, a curriculum resource centre and development of a Saskatchewan grown label have in common? They are all part of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate’s effort to link organic producers and consumers and to create awareness of local and organic food. In 2009, Saskatchewan exported more […] Read more
Brenda Frick
Stories by Brenda Frick
Tasting is believing at conference’s Taste of Organic booth
Organic Connections continues to grow as the Prairie’s largest organic conference and trade show. This year it will be held Saskatoon Nov. 21-23. New programs include Taste of Organic, aimed at giving consumers an opportunity to sample and learn, and Organic Kids, which introduces children to the importance of local organic food. The goal is […] Read more
Pennycress shows potential for use as biodiesel, bioherbicide
Field pennycress seed has shown promise as a source of oil for biodiesel, as well as meal to use as a biological herbicide, said Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture. Field pennycress is known to most farmers as stinkweed or french weed. Botanically, pennycress is in the mustard family. It grows as either a […] Read more
Bacteria, fungi more numerous in organic soil systems
Organic systems have more bacteria and fungi and more different types of soil organisms than conventional systems, according to a recent study. As part of her PhD program, Alison Nelson found that diverse soil communities “cycle nutrients, impart resistance and resilience to stress, and carry out other ecosystem functions.” In the study, which she conducted […] Read more
Organic research thrives at U of S
Is organic no till a possibility? University of Saskatchewan researcher Steve Shirtliffe claims that “judicious use of technology like the roller crimper or Noble blade may allow farmers to reduce or even eliminate tillage.” He has had promising results terminating green manure crops with the roller crimper. The organic practice is to grow a legume […] Read more
Organic food: what’s behind certification and organic logo?
Organic, natural, pesticide-free – there are many food claims out there today. To what extent are these claims meaningful? How can we be sure we are getting what we want?The Hartman group, a major analyst of consumer trends, recently completed a study to determine what consumers understand about food claims. They discovered that the terms […] Read more
A look at organic farmers ADOPT research projects
Organic project funding has been announced throughthe Agricultural Demonstration of Practices and Technologies system. The federal-provincial program is a part of the Growing Forward initiative. It provides funding to producer groups to evaluate new techniques for use in their regions. By making funding available to producer groups to conduct these demonstrations themselves, ADOPT targets projects […] Read more
Farmer honoured for contributions in organics
The Organic Crop Improvement Association Research and Education board has named Danny Rempel of Hodgeville, Sask., this year’s outstanding organic farmer. OCIA is one of the world’s foremost organic certifiers, with offices in Canada, the United States, Latin America and Japan. The OCIA RnE is a not-for-profit organization that supports farmer driven research, professional development […] Read more
Quality of scholars bodes well for organic research – Organic Matters
The Organic Crop Improvement Association’s Research and Education Board awarded its annual postgraduate scholarship to Iris Vaisman of the University of Manitoba at its annual general meeting in February. Vaisman’s research investigates ways to reduce tillage in organic agriculture on the Canadian Prairies. Faced with an abundance of high quality candidates this year, the board […] Read more
Mowing introduces reduced till to sweet clover termination
Farmers who want the benefits of sweet clover in a conservation tillage system will be encouraged by a new study from the Lethbridge Research Centre. Bob Blackshaw and his colleagues show that mowing can be an effective alternative to tillage for sweet clover termination. Sweet clover is an excellent green manure option chosen by many […] Read more
