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Separating the Grain from the Chaff in Agriculture & Food
An Organic Farmer Walks into Monsanto…
The story of how I came to be touring Monsanto starts back in late April and a blog post where I questioned the current tenor of the GMO debate. It caught the attention of Janice Person, a Social Media Director for Monsanto, who commented, “if you ever want to see what we do at Monsanto, I would love […]
We’re a Tossed Salad, Not a Smoothie: Time to Embrace Agricultural Diversity
November 19, 2013
Time to be truthful – which do you find more appetizing, the tossed salad pictured to the left, or the vegetable smoothie featured below? They both likely contain similar levels of vitamins and nutrients, probably many of the same ingredients (although it’s impossible to tell exactly what’s in that smoothie, apart from it being predominantly […]
Posted in: Agriculture, Food
Bridging the Organic-Conventional Divide
October 31, 2013
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 […]
Posted in: Agriculture, Organic
Wordless Wednesday: World Food Day 2013 – Making the Connection
October 16, 2013
As we gathered squash from the field one evening, my 5 year-old son paused to ask me this question.
Posted in: Uncategorized
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 […]
Posted in: Agriculture, Organic
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.” […]
Posted in: Agriculture, Organic
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…
Posted in: Agriculture, Organic
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 […]
The Blog of Rob Wallbridge
Occasional posts on food, farming, and related topics from an organic farm in Western Quebec, Canada.
December 13, 2013
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