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Separating the Grain from the Chaff in Agriculture & Food
Browsing All posts tagged under »coexistence«
Trading Places: Two farmers step out of their comfort zones
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step across the “conventional/organic divide”? During the first week of December, we (Jen Christie and Rob Wallbridge) did just that. Rob (an organic vegetable grower) had been invited to speak on a social media panel at Agri-trend’s Farm Forum Event in Saskatoon, SK; an annual […]
New MacDonald, Old Divisions?
March 2, 2015
Here's the real irony: campaigns like "New MacDonald" threaten to alienate the very people the organic sector needs most right now: farmers. In my opinion, it's time to start building bridges, not digging trenches.
End the Food Wars: Let’s Fight for Understanding Instead
February 10, 2015
What would our conversations about food and agriculture look like if we strove for mutual understanding rather than a conversion to our way of thinking? What if the loser of an argument was the one who had failed to gain any understanding or appreciation for the viewpoints of their opponent?
Feeding the World: Beyond the GMO/Organic Dichotomy
August 19, 2014
We should all recognize by now that “feeding the world” is much more a logistical and political challenge than an agricultural one. As a farmer, however, I spend a lot of time thinking about producing food economically, efficiently, and ecologically. Conventional wisdom dictates that genetically-engineered crops are a vital part of the overall solution, while organic […]
Want to Move the GMO Discussion Forward? Label Them!
March 26, 2014
If your views tend toward the “pro-GMO” perspective, you’re the audience I had in mind when writing this piece. Here’s my thesis: I believe mandatory labels would be the best tool to provide clear, accurate and consistent information to consumers about foods containing, or derived from, genetically engineered crops and animals, and they would also […]
An Organic Farmer Walks into Monsanto…
December 13, 2013
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 […]
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.” […]
The Blog of Rob Wallbridge
Occasional posts on food, farming, and related topics from an organic farm in Western Quebec, Canada.
The Fanning Mill 
December 18, 2015
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