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Separating the Grain from the Chaff in Agriculture & Food
Browsing All Posts filed under »Organic«
Bridging the Organic-Conventional Divide
Recently, I’ve been engaging in a lot of Twitter discussions and sharing some blog posts about attitudes in agriculture, the future of farming, and overcoming the divisions that seem to exist between organic and conventional farmers. I could go into a long discussion here about the causes of this problem, apportioning blame to farmers and […]
GM Alfalfa Coexistence, Part 2: Assessing Practises
September 21, 2013
Shortly after I published my last blog post on GM Alfalfa Coexistence, a couple of people contacted me, wanting to know my reaction to the specifics of the Best Management Practices that were included as part of the plan. Of course, shortly after the post went up, it was also confirmed that the hay exported by […]
GM Alfalfa Coexistence Plan: Evidence or Ideology?
September 14, 2013
This week, the Canadian Seed Trade Association (an industry lobby group composed of seed and seed treatment suppliers), published “Planning for Choice: A Coexistence Plan for Alfalfa Hay Production in Eastern Canada.” Judging by the “Facilitating Choice Through Coexistence” webpage, this publication appears to be positioned as a “flagship” plan for a larger “coexistence project.” […]
Why Is It…?
August 20, 2013
Originally posted on Carolyn CAREs:
My Twitter feed is increasingly making me crabby. I follow a pretty diverse group, both conventional and organic farmers, a variety of agriculture businesses, and a wide range of bloggers. Why is it that every morning, my twitter feed is clogged with more conventional farmers putting down organic agriculture? The…
Video: “It’s Who We Are, Organic Meadow Farmers”
August 14, 2013
Dairy products have featured prominently in my Twitter feed today, so I wanted to share this series of videos featuring the farmers of the Organic Meadow Co-operative. In my opinion, this is an ideal way to promote a food product: the producers telling their own stories, sharing their own thoughts and experiences, communicating their pride […]
Mid-Summer Update: Guest Posts & New Ideas
August 13, 2013
Hi all, I’ve been pretty quiet on this blog for the past couple of months: the demands of the farm, kids on summer vacation, and other projects have taken their toll on my writing time. Nevertheless, I’ve been compiling ideas for future posts, and I have even been invited to author guest posts on other […]
Are GMOs Used to Make Organic Cheese?
June 7, 2013
Recently, I’ve been part of some discussions relating to the use of enzymes derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic cheese production. The concern, or the assumption, is that they are employing the same GMO-derived chymosin (known less precisely as “rennet”) as about 70% of the cheese on the market today. That didn’t sound […]
Wordless Wednesday: This is Your Milk. This is Your Milk on Grass.
May 23, 2013
Today’s post came to me this morning while I was milking Bonnie, our Jersey cow, and watching the golden milk froth into the pail. The difference in colour between these two glasses of milk can probably be partially attributed to a difference in butterfat (the store-bought milk is 2% and our own is probably testing […]
Bees & Neonicotinoids: An Organic Farmer’s Perspective
May 3, 2013
The Debate The past several months have seen a lot of coverage of the alleged links between neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) and widespread, puzzling, and distressing bee deaths. This week saw the European Commission ban the use of neonics for two years, starting in January of 2014. Many groups are calling for similar action on this […]
Thoughts on GMO Alfalfa’s Potential Release in Eastern Canada
April 8, 2013
The issue of GMO alfalfa is a hot topic in Canada these days, especially considering the series of protests planned for tomorrow, April 9th, across the country. There’s been a lot of hype around the issue, but here I’ll try to boil it down to a few key points: The End of Organic Farming? Some people claim […]
The Blog of Rob Wallbridge
Occasional posts on food, farming, and related topics from an organic farm in Western Quebec, Canada.
The Fanning Mill 
October 31, 2013
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