WOODSTOCK, Ont. — It didn’t take long for the Nuhn Lagoon Crawler to go from a concept to a commercial success. The prototype was exhibited in a static display at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show last September. Twelve months later, 34 have been sold across North America and another two to buyers in Russia. “Went from […] Read more
Stories by Jeffrey Carter
Family farm success involves more than the bottom line
CAMBRIDGE, Ont. — Good communication and planning are lynchpins to successful farm family businesses, especially when it comes time to move the assets from one generation to the next. However, both receive far too little attention, says John Fast of Family Business Solutions in Waterloo, Ont. “About 70 percent of the North American economy is […] Read more
Barley sprouts used as livestock feed alternative
Producer says tests on 100 bulls showed faster weight gain with less dry matter consumed. Savings and improved health have also been seen with pigs and poultry
ORILLIA, Ont. — There’s a new role for barley sprouts in the livestock industry, says a farmer who spoke at the Ecological Farmers of Ontario conference Dec. 6. Darrell Roes said the sprouts can be combined with hay, minerals and supplements when they are 30 centimetres tall. “It almost disappears in the hay, but the […] Read moreBee genetics used to study hygienics, grooming behaviour
MARKHAM, Ont. — The future of honeybee breeding lies with genomics, according to researchers at York University. Genetic mutations that point to African heritage have already been identified. “There’s a little bit of Africa in the Canadian honeybee,” graduate student Brock Harpur said Nov. 20 during the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association’s annual meeting. Fortunately, a small […] Read more
Food activists, farmers join forces
TORONTO — Farmers and food activists trod what might be described as a strip of common ground at the recent Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Speakers at a Nov. 15 event included grass-fed beef producer Harry Stoddart, biodynamic farmer Martin Boettcher, honey producers Susan Chan and Jim Coneybeare, John Bennett of the Sierra Club of Canada […] Read more
Ozone treatment kills bee pests, reduces pesticides
Electrified oxygen | Ozone is already used in water treatment and to control disease in potatoes
MARKHAM, Ont. — Ozone sterilization may be coming to North America’s honey industry, thanks to a Burlington, Ont., company, an Ontario beekeeper and the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association’s technology transfer team. “When we get this finished, it will be groundbreaking work,” said Jim Simpson with Simpson Environmental. He said ozone sterilization is already widely used in […] Read more
More beekeepers join neonic lawsuit
MARKHAM, Ont. — The Alberta Beekeepers Commission doesn’t support the proposed lawsuit against Bayer CropScience and Syngenta over neonicotinoids, but individual beekeepers may have other ideas. Paula Lombardi with the litigation law firm Siskinds LLP of Toronto said there have been “serious inquiries” from beekeepers in Alberta about joining the more than 100 producers from […] Read more
Activist says technology, capitalism hurting farms
Corporate ag not sustainable | Vandana Shiva says corporations drain the Earth’s resources; instead, she promotes small, diverse farms
TORONTO — An Indian activist says today’s market economy needs to be knocked from its lofty perch. If the world is to be fed in a sustainable manner, society needs to em-brace an economic order that prioritizes nature and provides equitable access to her bounty, Vandana Shiva told the recent Festival of Dangerous Ideas. “Sooner […] Read moreOnt. beekeepers annoyed with national council
MARKHAM, Ont. — The Ontario Beekeepers Association has not parted ways with the Canadian Honeybee Council, but it is being less supportive. Members attending the OBA’s annual meeting in Markham Nov. 21 voted to hold back assessment fees to the CHC. The resolution cited what it called the honey council’s failure to represent the entire […] Read more
Ontario bee deaths up, but lower during seeding
MARKHAM, Ont. — Problems for Ontario beekeepers haven’t disappeared, despite changes to the way farmers planted neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybeans this year. Paul Kozak, an apiarist with Ontario’s agriculture ministry, said the province imported 33,000 honeybee queens, 8,100 bee packages and 1,600 colonies this year. “These first three numbers speak to the fact that we’ve […] Read more
