Rural Living Canada

Canadians Face Challenges When Working from Home

2012-02-11T04:46:00.001-08:00

Basic office technology is lacking in many home workspaces

DOLLARD-DES-ORMEAUX, Quebec, February 10, 2012 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Almost half of employed Canadians work from home at least occasionally, but their home offices may be impeding their productivity. New research from Ipsos Reid and Brother Canada reveals that one quarter (26%) of employed Canadians work from home at least once a week, with another quarter (23%) doing so on occasion.

However, despite the popularity of working from home, many home offices have room for improvement. According to the study, only two in 10 Canadians (22%) who work from home like the fact that their home office set-up is efficient and functional. Only three in 10 (28%) like the fact that their home office has resources that are equivalent to those at an outside office. And, not surprisingly, this has a negative impact on productivity: only two in 10 (23%) respondents say they like the fact that they are more productive from home.

According to Marc Ruel, Home Office Expert at Brother Canada, the survey results are proof positive that most Canadians are not taking the right approach to working from home.

"Being productive when working from home is a direct result of being organized," he said. "The right workspace is essential. Your home office does not need to be decked out with all of the latest bells and whistles, but it does need to be properly equipped and carefully planned. Most important, people who work from home must treat their home office like it's their real office - no pyjamas, no folded laundry, and no distractions."

When it comes to home office technology, the study indicates that many home offices are not up to par. When questioned about what they would expect to find in a home office, most respondents listed a high-powered computer or laptop (79%) while seven in ten (72%) would expect to have a printer. However, only 65% of respondents actually have a printer in their home office, and only six in ten (60%) have a high-powered computer or laptop.

Other things that working Canadians would expect to have in a home office include a quiet room (64%, just 43% have one), a scanner (61%, just 45% have one), home office products with wireless capabilities (57%, just 31% have one), a fax machine (52%, just 28% have one), and a smartphone (36%, just 24% have one).

According to Marc Ruel, the right home office equipment depends entirely on the worker:

"There is no set rule for the technology that's required in a home office, although it's worth noting that recent innovations have brought us affordable all-in-one machines that can perform multiple tasks and save on both money and space. If you're just starting out, make a list of your daily tasks and consult with a professional at your local office supply store to find out what machine is best for you."

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 30 and October 4 2011, on behalf of Brother. For this survey, a sample of 1,025 working Canadians from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and political composition to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of working adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

About Brother Canada:

Brother Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. The company was established in Montreal in 1960 and is part of a worldwide network of companies belonging to Brother Industries Ltd, of which the corporate headquarters is situated in Nagoya, Japan. Active in over 100 countries, Brother markets a wide range of business machines and home appliances known for their reliability, ease of use and versatility at affordable prices. Numerous Brother products have been awarded significant honours. Recent awards for the company include: the PC Mag Reader's Choice Award 2011 for the quality and reliability of Brother B&W and colour laser printers and all-in-ones, as well as the internationally recognized iF Product Design Award 2011, commending seven Brother products for their innovation and quality of design. Brother Industries Ltd. is a 6 billion-dollar (USD) company employing more than 29,000 people operating in 44 countries and regions around the globe. www.brother.ca

About Ipsos Reid:

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada—including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country—all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca

Centre Wellington firefighters shocked to find out they lack life insurance they bargained for

2012-02-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

ELORA, Ontario, February 8, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - On July 20, 2011, after 27 years of firefighting for his community in Elora, Ontario, John Alles passed away while on-call for the Township of Centre Wellington's Fire Department. After his passing, his wife and fellow firefighters were shocked to find out that there was no life insurance coverage available to Mr. Alles' widow despite what they thought to be the clear wording of the firefighters' agreement with the Township.

That agreement, between the Elora Firefighters' Association (along with the Fergus Firefighters Association) and the Township was made a Township by-law, the most recent of which provides that "The Township shall provide $100,000.00 Life Insurance and 24/7 Accident & Sickness Premium Coverage with the Township paying 100% of the premiums." Similar agreements have been in place since at least 2000. The firefighters believe that the agreements provide that every firefighter should have $100,000 in life insurance coverage in place, in addition to accident and sickness insurance, which is fully paid by the Township.

However, as a result of the sudden passing of one of their own, the firefighters became aware that the Township has not maintained any basic life insurance coverage for them for years. Mr. Alles' widow is now without the life insurance benefits her husband thought would be in place for her when he passed.

The firefighters and Township have not been able to resolve this issue at this time, which has forced the firefighters to seek an interpretation of the agreement by the courts, where it is now pending.

Future Physicians call upon Government of Canada to remove barriers to rural practice

2012-02-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

OTTAWA, February 6, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) is bringing tomorrow's physicians to Parliament Hill for its annual Lobby Day. Medical students from Vancouver to St. John's will meet with Members of Parliament and Senators to explore strategies for improving access to health care in rural and remote regions of Canada.

The medical students believe that all Canadians - regardless of location - deserve adequate, quality care. According to Health Canada, the population-to-doctor ratio in rural Canada will grow to over three times the national average by 2020. "We want to work with the federal government to strengthen health care and ensure accessibility to all Canadians," says Chloé Ward, Vice President Advocacy for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students.

The CFMS applauds Parliament for addressing this issue. In March 2011, the federal government announced that it will forgive a portion of Canada Student Loans for new family physicians working in rural and remote communities. Nonetheless, the value of this incentive is limited. New graduates begin to pay off their loans during medical residency training, before they are eligible for the loan forgiveness. Noura Hassan, President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Student, says "We are requesting that the government defer repayment of these loans until the completion of medical residency training. This would more effectively attract new medical graduates to rural and remote communities and better serve the needs of Canadians."

The CFMS is also calling upon the federal government to allocate funds for the establishment of mentorship programs that attract rural students to medical school. While 1 in 5 Canadians live in a rural or remote area, this is true of only 1 in 10 medical students. Additionally, students from rural Canada are 2.5 times more likely to practice in a rural community upon the completion of their training. Mentorship programs in the United States and Australia have been highly successful in recruiting rural students to careers in medicine.

"These are simple, sensible strategies for improving health care access to those for whom it is least available," says Matthew Tenenbaum, Vice President of Communications. "It is important to ensure that the principle of accessible health care is realized everywhere in this country."

The Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) is a national organization that represents over 7500 medical students at 14 medical schools across Canada.

Grain Farmers of Ontario Calling for the Ethanol Misinformation to Stop

2012-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

GUELPH, Ontario, February 1, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Once again the George Morris Centre pits farmers against one another in a report falsely accusing the ethanol industry of causing harm to livestock farmers.

Since one third of the corn used for ethanol becomes livestock feed through an ethanol byproduct called distillers grains, the effect of the ethanol industry in Ontario on our feed supply is negligible. In fact the George Morris Centre report actually shows that livestock production has been maintained in recent years and livestock prices have been at or near record high levels despite the growth of the ethanol industry.

"There are so many examples of erroneous information in this report that I am disappointed Canadian livestock producers would choose to point a finger at the ethanol industry as the culprit for lost revenue," says Don Kenny, Chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. "Many of my neighbors with livestock are also enjoying high grain prices so we are talking about the same farmers here."

Instead of pointing fingers and placing blame, Grain Farmers of Ontario offers to work cooperatively with the livestock industry in pursuit of solutions that will raise the value of the whole agricultural industry. Grain farmers are pleased with the recent gains in the livestock industry because the grain industry depends on a healthy livestock sector.

Corn yields in Ontario are growing at a rapid rate and without the ethanol industry to take the corn, there would be a significant glut in the market with a detrimental impact on corn farmer income. In fact, the increase in corn production since 2000 is almost equivalent to the increased amount of corn going for ethanol production.

The George Morris Centre study states that there is unfair competition between livestock and ethanol grain buyers due to government subsidization and tariffs. Grain farmers in Ontario are not protected from an influx of American corn by a tariff. In addition, subsidies are not unique to the ethanol industry.

"The benefit of ethanol should be looked at from the big picture in Canada, not through the single lens of livestock production. Let's not forget that the 5% ethanol mandate is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 million tonnes each year," says Kenny. "That is equivalent to taking 440,000 cars off the road."

Ethanol production from grain has meant a 62 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions on a per-litre, per-calorie-of-combustible-energy basis. This Canadian-made fuel contains 1.6 times the energy content that is required to grow the grain.

Grain Farmers of Ontario invites livestock farmers across Canada to work with us on a solution to increase the value of all Canadian agricultural production at the farm gate and includes all available market opportunities.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) is the province's largest commodity organization, representing Ontario's 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers. These three crops cover 5 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $9 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province.

More Information

A full report on the Canadian ethanol industry, What are the Effects of Biofuels and Bioproducts on the Environment, Crop and Food Prices and World Hunger, is available online at www.gfo.ca. This study, prepared for Grain Farmers of Ontario by Terry Daynard, PhD and KD Communications, is a review and analysis of 65 internationally recognized studies specific to the production of biofuels both globally and in Canada and their impact on the environment, world grain prices, world hunger and the implications for grain farmers in Ontario.

Getting the facts straight: Canada's dairy industry

2012-02-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

New website yourmilk.ca launched by Dairy Farmers of Canada; counters misinformation

OTTAWA, February 1, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - A new website launched by Canada's dairy industry takes the bull by the horns when it comes to setting the record straight on the country's supply management system for milk.

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has created the site yourmilk.ca in an effort to dispel misinformed myths about Canada's dairy industry and its successful supply management system, which has delivered Canadians a reliable supply of top-quality dairy products for 40 years.

"Canadian dairy farmers don't receive any government subsidies and earn their income entirely from the marketplace," said Wally Smith, DFC President. "Consumers in other places where the dairy industry is subsidized, like the United States and the European Union, pay twice for their dairy products — once at the store and one more time through their taxes."

DFC's new website will be updated regularly with various types of content (video, commentaries and others) during the next year. For now, it busts popular myths, such as:

Myth: Supply management stops Canada from signing free trade agreements.

Reality: Supply management hasn't stood in the way of Canada's ability to successfully negotiate trade agreements. Since 1986, Canada has concluded NAFTA and bilateral agreements with Jordan, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Chile, Israel and EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

Myth: Only Canada manages imports of dairy products.

Reality: Supply management does not close doors to imports. The EU, with heavily subsidized dairy products, exports to Canada 10 times what it imports, even though it has more than 500 million consumers.

Myth: Canadian dairy farmers are subsidized by taxpayers.

Reality: Canadian dairy farmers receive no government subsidies for milk. American governments spent $4 billion in subsidies for dairy farmers in 2009, or about 31 cents per litre, and European dairy farmers receive 55 billion Euros in subsidies per year.

"We hope that the facts on this new website will help people understand how our dairy industry works and see through some of the falsehoods currently being passed off by some as truths ," said Wally Smith.

DFC is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada's farmers on 12,965 dairy farms. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy producers and promote dairy products and their health benefits.

No bones about it: Bones are unsafe for your dog

2012-01-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

...from Heath & Safety Watch - January 24, 2012 - The following article by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reminds dog owners about the risks of feeding bones. JA

The idea that it’s natural for dogs to chew on bones is a popular one. However, it’s a dangerous practice and can cause serious injury to your pet.

“Some people think it’s safe to give dogs large bones, like those from a ham or a roast,” says Carmela Stamper, D.V.M., a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the Food and Drug Administration. “Bones are unsafe no matter what their size. Giving your dog a bone may make your pet a candidate for a trip to your veterinarian’s office later, possible emergency surgery, or even death.”

“Make sure you throw out bones from your own meals in a way that your dog can’t get to them,” adds Stamper, who suggests taking the trash out right away or putting the bones up high and out of your dog’s reach until you have a chance to dispose of them. “And pay attention to where your dog’s nose is when you walk him around the neighborhood - steer him away from any objects lying in the grass.”

Here are 10 reasons why it’s a bad idea to give your dog a bone:

1. Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
2. Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
3. Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
4. Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
5. Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
6. Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
7. Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
8. Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
9. Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
10. Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

“Talk with your veterinarian about alternatives to giving bones to your dog,” says Stamper. “There are many bone-like products made with materials that are safe for dogs to chew on.”

“Always supervise your dog with any chew product, especially one your dog hasn’t had before,” adds Stamper. “And always, if your dog ‘just isn’t acting right,’ call your veterinarian right away!”

.... read full story at HealthandSafetyWatch.com

Greenhouse Combines Crops With Solar Power

2012-01-20T06:15:00.001-08:00

© Neiker-Tecnalia

from TreeHugger.com
EarthTechling.com Staff
Technology / Solar Technology - January 20, 2012

The delicate balancing act between energy and agriculture is a challenge for policymakers, especially when it comes to growing biofuels feedstocks and siting large-scale solar and wind farms on prime agricultural land. But there are many examples of small-scale, creative solutions to producing food and renewable energy side-by-side.

Take, for example, this solar double-cropping project in North Carolina, or many of the projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP). Small-scale energy solutions like these could be even more useful for farmers in Europe, where electricity prices are higher, and agricultural land is even harder to come by. In the spirit of maximizing the productive capacity of farms, a research consortium in the Basque region of Spain has developed an innovative photovoltaic (PV) greenhouse system that combines a simple power production solution for greenhouses, while managing the amount of light that is delivered to the crops growing inside.

Like a solar tracker, the system takes advantage of the sun’s changing trajectory over the course of the year. However, instead of mechanical solar tracking equipment, the greenhouse system uses a lens-based optical component to direct sunlight. During the critical winter growing months (October-February), the system allows sunlight to enter the greenhouse. During the summer, when solar radiation can be too intense for greenhouse crops, the system diverts sunlight to the PV cells, generating electricity and preventing the greenhouse from overheating.

The technology was a developed by a collaboration between ULMA Agrícola and Tecnalia. The product is undergoing testing in Derio (Bizkaia, Basque Country). Over the summer, the group tested the system on a greenhouse growing tomatoes and peppers – these are two of the most commonly grown greenhouse crops worldwide, and they require a large amount of light. The team measured the most critical parameters of the crops, such as radiation, humidity and temperature. They compared crop quality and PV production to data obtained under a normal glass roof.

According to ULMA Agrícola, the summer tests achieved positive results, including a 15 percent annual increase in PV production over a standard fixed-tilt PV system. Testing for performance under winter conditions has been under way since mid-November, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of March. Once the results are validated in the field, ULMA Agrícola aims to have a product ready to be marketed by the second half of 2012.

ULMA Agrícola is a member company of the Mondragon Corporation, a federation of worker-owned cooperatives that have a unique business structure, based on democratic principles and cooperative ownership. Mondragon is the seventh-largest corporation in Spain, and the largest business organization in the Basque region... read the full story at TreeHugger.com

Canadian farms being flooded by red tape

2012-01-20T05:35:00.000-08:00

REGINA, January 20, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Farmers in Canada are hit the hardest by government regulations and paperwork, according to research released today by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

On the final day of Red Tape Awareness Week™, a CFIB survey shows that 23 per cent of farmers say that if they had known about the burden of regulations, they may not have gone into business.

"Which prompts two questions," says Virginia Labbie, CFIB's senior policy analyst for Agri-business. "What would happen to food prices if nearly a quarter of farms in Canada disappeared? And, how many businesses never start because of the regulatory burden?"

Farmers list an alphabet soup of regulations and agencies they have to deal with, including:

...Land use restrictions and by-laws
...Product labelling
...Traceability and age verification requirements
...Canadian Food Inspection Agency
...Canada Border Services Agency (i.e. border and trade rules)
...Statistics Canada
...Pest Management Regulatory Agency

"When nearly 40 per cent of farmers are planning to retire in the next ten years, flooding the sector with red tape will only make it harder to find buyers to keep those businesses going," says Labbie.

Farmers want all levels of government to place a higher priority on cutting red tape (72 per cent), than on any other measure (including tax relief at 68 per cent) to help them compete and remain in business. This should come as no surprise to policy makers. When asked how the burden had changed during a three year period, 67 per cent of farmers reported an increase in regulatory requirements, more than any other type of small business in Canada.

"With governments in the midst of finalizing a plan to support the future of agriculture in Canada, taking immediate action to reduce the regulatory burden will allow farmers to continue to provide consumers with high-quality, homegrown food," says Labbie.

What does 'Red Tape' mean to you? Check out CFIB's video on what it looks like to one agri-business owner in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan...

Red Tape Awareness Week™, conducted annually, is trade-marked by the CFIB.

CFIB is the business voice for agriculture, representing 7,200 independently owned and operated agri-businesses in Canada, the majority of which are primary producers.

Wind Company and Farm Owner Sued Over Proposed Project

2012-01-19T07:28:00.001-08:00

TORONTO, January 18, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Wind developer WPD Canada and a farm that signed a lease to host wind turbines are now both being sued. The claim seeks an injunction and $2 million in damages related to the proposed Fairview Wind Farm in Stayner. "This claim seems unique because the owner of the proposed farm is also being sued" said lawyer Eric Gillespie. "Landowners who decide to allow turbines may need to look carefully at their legal position and potential liability" he said.

The claim focuses on alleged devaluation of property. The plaintiff Sylvia Wiggins and husband John listed their home for sale in 2011. Showings started but they say ended shortly after the project was publicized. Recent data shows when a wind company bought out homes near another Ontario project, on resale the company lost almost 35% of their value. "These kinds of things appear to be happening with wind farms. We decided to do something now" said John Wiggins.

Trees Ontario's Newest Green Leader creates an Alternative to Cottage Country

2012-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

John Haak, a Trees Ontario Green Leader, on his Clinton-area property. (CNW Group/Trees Ontario)

TORONTO, January 12, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - John Haak has been named a Trees Ontario Green Leader for his dedication to tree planting.

Trees Ontario's Green Leader Program recognizes landowners who have worked with our partners to take part in the Ontario government's 50 Million Tree Program, which will see 50 million trees planted in southern Ontario by 2020.

Ian Jean, Forestry and Stewardship Specialist for Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, nominated Haak after working with him on his site.

"John has gone beyond tree planting and has restored several acres of wetland and tallgrass prairie habitat on land he retired at the back of his farm," said Jean.

Trees Ontario recently visited Haak on his property near Clinton, Ontario. The previous owner had planted trees before Haak bought the property 13 years ago. "I just continued on where he left off," explains Haak.

Since 2008, Haak has planted approximately 6,000 trees. When he purchased the property, it was comprised of 30 acres of bush and 70 acres of marginal farmland. Now, they have 20 acres of workable land and the rest is made up of trees, native prairie grass and six wetlands. The trees are a diverse mix of spruce, white pine, red oak, maple, sugar maple, black cherry and tamarack. Haak, who grew up on a farm, works at the Sifto Salt Mine, in nearby Goderich, and rents out the marginal farmland to nearby farmers.

In the past, Haak covered the costs of tree planting himself. A few years ago, however, he heard about the 50 Million Tree Program and contacted Ian Jean, who let him know about the subsidies and support available for tree planting.

"Ian Jean did a lot of work here," says Haak. "He comes down to do site visits and enjoys what I have done here."

Haak has since participated twice in the 50 Million Tree Program, and credits the Conservation Authority's help in making the process easy. He plans to make use of the Program again in Spring 2012. His property has been employed as an educational tool by conservation authorities and universities.

"There's a variety of habitats. There's ducks, turkeys, deer, birds. I have really diversified here and I think that's made a huge difference," adds Haak. "We see a different variety of bird species now compared to what we saw before."

Haak has some advice to other landowners who are interested in planting trees: "For marginal land or areas you want to plant, it is a good program and covers a lot of the costs."

"Whether it's 2.5 acres or a half acre, it is all important," he adds. "I think trees are an important component of the landscape."

"Planting trees helps us create a healthier environment. It cleans the air, helps fight the impacts of climate change, increases wildlife habitat, provides shade and helps prevent flooding," said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Natural Resources. "I applaud Mr. Haak for the work he is doing and I encourage others to take part in the 50 Million Tree Program to help protect Ontario's natural beauty."

"We appreciate all of the landowners who take part in our programs. But it is worth commemorating these Green Leaders for their local stewardship and support for the environment," said Rob Keen, Trees Ontario CEO.

"I'm an outdoors person so I enjoy hunting and walking through the bush. I like nature," says Haak. He enjoys riding his bike through the trails or rides his horse through the property.

"I always wanted a property up north but that's not feasible for us. Rather than have a cottage or recreational land up north, I just did it in my backyard and can use it everyday now," Haak said. "You don't have to fight traffic to get here."

Trees Ontario is the lead agency for the Ontario government's 50 Million Tree program, which provides financial incentives to landowners looking to plant trees. It also provides eligible landowners with hands-on professional help and advice on tree planting including determining site eligibility, allocating funding and coordinating planting. For more information about the 50 Million Tree Program and other tree planting programs and incentives available to Ontario landowners, please click here.

Working with its partners, Trees Ontario planted nearly 3 million trees in 2011. Our goal is to support the planting of 10 million trees per year by 2015. To help put Ontario on the path to achieving this goal, Trees Ontario is seeking landowners to participate in its programs.

Leading-Edge Dairy Research Facility Planned for U of G

2012-01-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

photo credit: fadedgenes/via Flickr

GUELPH, Ontario January 11, 2012 - University of Guelph News Release - A new livestock research centre intended to model sustainable animal agriculture systems is being planned by the University of Guelph, the provincial government and the Ontario dairy industry.

The Research and Innovation Centre, Dairy Phase, will be built at the current site of Elora Research Station in Elora, Ont., one of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO) facilities operated by U of G under its partnership agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Future phases of the project may include research facilities for swine, poultry and beef.

“This world-class facility will position Ontario at the forefront of innovation and technology development in agri-food, particularly for livestock research,” said Rich Moccia, U of G’s associate vice-president (strategic partnerships).

“It’s an excellent example of the power of university, government and industry collaboration.”

Ted McMeekin, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, added:

“This research and innovation centre shows how, working together, partners can build a strong future for Ontario agriculture and Ontario’s economy.”

Bill Emmott, chair of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, said his group’s involvement

“represents a firm commitment to collaborative research with our industry, government and university partners.”

Stewart Cressman, ARIO chairman, added:

“We are the envy of other jurisdictions with our partnerships — modernizing our research infrastructure with partners from government, the University of Guelph and industry is the only way we can work towards a prosperous, productive economy fuelled by the quality foods that our innovations yield.”

Agri-food is among the most important economic drivers in Ontario today, contributing $33 billion to the province’s gross domestic product and sustaining more than 700,000 jobs. The dairy industry alone contributes $5.5 billion to Canada’s GDP and 73,000 jobs.

Construction of the first phase of the new complex, involving both new facilities and renovations, is expected to begin later this year.

Besides providing cutting-edge technologies and infrastructure, the complex will bring together scientists from many disciplines to study rural/urban environmental, social and economic issues.

Research and innovation will cover human health; food safety; animal welfare, productivity and reproduction; new products and procedures; and bio-engineering and renewable energy. The centre will use resources such as feed, water and energy more efficiently, and will spur development of new “rural knowledge centres” for bio-based products and green technologies.

The project is expected to provide 100 short-term construction jobs and 25 full-time positions at the Elora station.

The Elora livestock research complex is the latest example of the benefits of the U of G/OMAFRA partnership, Moccia said.

“It promotes a research culture that contributes economically, environmentally and in human capital to Ontario. It’s based on developing knowledge in agricultural sciences at University, and mobilizing it into innovation, talent and agricultural industries and jobs for the province.”

Under the partnership, the University manages research and education programs and related facilities, three regional campuses at Alfred, Ridgetown and Kemptville, and 14 off-campus research facilities, including Elora, supported by annual funding from the Ontario government.

Begun in 1997, the agreement was renewed and improved in 2008. It returns more than $1.15 billion to the Ontario economy each year, and provides many social, environmental and health benefits for the industry and province.

Protecting Water and Restoring Wetlands in the Greenbelt

2012-01-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

photo credit: AllianceForTheBay/via Flickr

- Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation Announces New Grants -

TORONTO, January 10, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Water is the focus of a new round of grants announced today by the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. Five organizations have been awarded grants centred on protecting water systems and wetlands, extending the Greenbelt along major connecting waterways, and bringing more Greenbelt food into urban areas.

Results from Greenbelt public opinion polls consistently show that protecting water systems tops the list of environmental concerns for Ontarians. Two of the Foundation's new grants focus on improving the Greenbelt's water systems.

"The Greenbelt has meant greater protection for water. Our latest grants enhance water resources and ensure a clean source of drinking water for millions of people. They also enhance economic value by delivering over one billion dollars in environmental services through water filtration, waste treatment, and flood erosion control," said Burkhard Mausberg, CEO of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

.

A grant to the Hamilton Conservation Foundation will facilitate the first steps in a 50-year Vision that will see the revitalization, protection, and enhancement of the Dundas Valley. The Valley is an abundant water resource with wetlands, waterfalls, and groundwater supplies like cold water streams.

"The Conservation Foundation recognizes the important roles both the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and Conservation Authorities play in protecting Ontario's green spaces; we are privileged to play our part to conserve Hamilton's true nature," said David McInnis, Chair of the Hamilton Conservation Foundation.

The Foundation has also awarded a grant to Credit Valley Conservation to keep our water clean in the GTA by restoring the Credit Valley watershed and identifying solutions to keep it viable. They will be conducting research on how to entice farmers and private land owners to restore wetlands on their properties. This will lead to an incentive program for these landowners to take care of the wetlands. Restoring these lands will enhance the quality of the water fed into the Credit Valley and help to keep it clean.

In addition to grants that focus on water, this round of funding supports growing the Greenbelt, enhancing food systems, and expanding farmers' markets. To view all of the grants awarded this round, please see the corresponding backgrounder. For photos and to view video, please visit: www.greenbelt.ca

Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation:

Ontario's Greenbelt is over 1.8 million acres of green space, farmland, vibrant communities, forests, wetlands, and watersheds - all permanently protected by world-leading legislation. In return, the Greenbelt gives back much to Ontario, providing $5.4 billion to Ontario's economy through farming and food production, and $2.6 billion in ecosystem services annually.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is working to help farmers in the Greenbelt be more successful; to protect and enhance natural features; and to strengthen local economies. To learn more about the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, please visit www.greenbelt.ca

About the Projects:

The Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee (GTA AAC)/The Conservation Foundation of Greater Toronto: Supporting the Food and Farming Action Plan to grow the Greater Golden Horseshoe's farm industry - $210,000 (over two years)

The Greater Golden Horseshoe's food and farming industry contributes $35 billion to the provincial economy through jobs and economic activity. This project supports the implementation of key activities outlined in a newly developed Action Plan to recognize and grow this important economic driver.

The GTA AAC, along with their partners, the regions of Hamilton and Niagara, are receiving funds to get started on implementation of the Action Plan. The grant also supports a working group of regional and municipal economic development staff to attract new business that will lead to better integration of Greenbelt goods into the distribution chain, new processing infrastructure, and new markets.

Credit Valley Conservation: Improving the Restoration of Ontario Greenbelt Water Resources- $60,000 (one year)

The Greenbelt protects our natural environment and water resources from the impacts of urbanization and other major developments. Its landowners, including farmers that work over 50 per cent of the landscape, maintain and restore individual features like wetlands. The benefit of this restoration is flood control, water filtration, improving water quality and climate adaptation.

This project researches new opportunities that recognize the ecological goods and services landowners provide communities when they undertake stewardship on their lands. The research looks at how to more effectively compensate these stewardship activities and improve environmental outcomes for healthy wetlands in the Credit River watershed. The Region of Peel and the Peel Federation of Agriculture are leading partners in this research.

Hamilton Conservation Foundation: Enhancing the Rich Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Niagara Escarpment's Dundas Valley - $50,000 (one year)

Carved out nearly 10,000 years ago, the Dundas Valley is one of the largest glacial re-entrant valleys (a valley that collects and funnels water) along the Niagara Escarpment. The Hamilton Conservation Foundation's 50-Year Vision for the Valley outlines ways to sustain the ecology, agriculture and recreation activities of Hamilton's environmental "jewel" as urbanization concentrates along its borders.

This project enables the Conservation Foundation to work with the community to develop priorities for the next five years. Activities include producing a strategy for biodiversity, land securement, species at risk protection, developing strategies for outdoor education, and agricultural and recreational activities that maintain and enhance the Valley.

FoodShare/Greenbelt Farmers' Market Network: Developing a Nutritious Local Food System -$150,000 (over two years)

Farmers' markets are well-known as community local food hubs; but with an abundance of fresh, homemade and sustainable products on display, they are also a great place to learn about nutrition. This project investigates the link between market attendance, knowledge of local foods, and healthy eating. The results will help markets promote healthy options and benefits of eating local to families across the Greenbelt.

The Network will also continue to offer professional development to market managers, and support best practices and knowledge sharing, all in an effort to help markets and their farm vendors economically thrive.

Environmental Defence/Ontario Greenbelt Alliance: Growing the Greenbelt, Garnering Support - $400,000 (over two years)

Greenbelt Alliance members work in communities across the landscape to protect the Greenbelt and embrace new opportunities to support its role in providing clean air, water and food to the region. A key partner in their efforts are the Municipal Leaders for the Greenbelt whose work is also supported through this funding.

The project also continues work to expand the boundaries of the Greenbelt to include many environmental features that cross its borders including natural heritage, water systems, and agricultural resources. The Alliance will assist with applications to grow the Greenbelt in Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton.

For more information about the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation's grants program, please visit: www.greenbelt.ca

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twitter.com/greenbeltca

CleanFARMS to develop program to manage agricultural plastic waste in Ontario

2012-01-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

ETOBICOKE, Ontario, January 5, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - A new service for farmers who want to safely get rid of plastic agricultural waste, including bale wrap, will be piloted in 2012 in the Lake Simcoe watershed by CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led stewardship organization.

"This pilot project will lay the groundwork for a comprehensive program to responsibly manage all agricultural waste plastic across the province," says Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS.

According to recent research conducted by CleanFARMS, farmers in Ontario generate more than 14,000 tonnes of non-nutrient based waste on their farms each year.

While there are stewardship programs in place for some agricultural waste products, there are many products for which no recycling options exist.

"Farmers don't want to burn waste or send it to landfills but it's difficult for them to be good stewards when there aren't programs in place to help them," says Friesen. "Where there are programs in place, farmers overwhelmingly choose to participate. The success of CleanFARMS' empty pesticide container recycling program is a prime example."

The pilot program in Lake Simcoe is being funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

"I congratulate the folks at CleanFARMs for working with us to pilot this service that will help farmers better protect our environment," said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ted McMeekin.

CleanFARMS' empty pesticide container recycling program has been in operation since 1989 and its obsolete pesticide collection program began in 1998. Both have earned a reputation for being among the best agricultural stewardship programs in the world.

Funding for this program comes from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. The Canadian Animal Health Institute and industry have pledged additional cash and in-kind contributions.

Take the 'Bird a Day' Challenge in 2012

2012-01-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Rosana Prada/CC BY 2.0
Birdwatchers in Quebec.

from TreeHugger.com January 1, 2012
by Jennifer Hattam - Science / Natural Sciences

Plenty of people wake up on January 1 vowing to hit the gym, quit smoking, or get out of debt. But a select few have set a more unusual, and perhaps even more challenging goal for themselves: to spot a new species of bird every day of the new year.

The "Bird a Day" challenge was invented by Massachusetts birdwatcher Tom Wetmore, according the northern New Jersey newspaper The Record. Birders around the country now compete (though the only "prize" is bragging rights) to see how long they can keep their spotting streaks going.

Understanding Bird Migrations And Habits

Though winning takes dogged persistence and not a small bit of luck, even a short stint tackling the challenge pushes nature-lovers to explore new terrain, learn more about birds, and look more closely at what's around them -- worthy pursuits all on their own.

"Knowledge about habitats, bird habits, and movements were all critical to the effort," writes Trey Mitchell, who maintains a website where challenge participants can track their findings. "Know your wintering birds and when they move north. Focus on them first and be aware of those that leave early in the year. As spring migration arrives you have new opportunity and a wide variety of birds to choose from as they pass through."

Rich Avian Life Outside A Train Window

Trips to exotic places can help boost a birder's score, but they're not necessary to participate. Audubon magazine editor Rene Ebersole spotted birds out of the train window while commuting along the Hudson River from the suburbs to work in the city during last year's challenge, a endeavor she wrote about on the magazine's blog " The Perch." Despite making it only to Day 80 last year, she's raring to do it again.

One day last year, Ebersole spotted some 20 bird species during her commute -- though, of course, only one counted for that day's challenge. "I marveled at how often I’ve no doubt sped along right past them all, consumed by the daily newspaper or snoozing in a train seat," she wrote. "That’s the beauty of this project: My eyes have opened wider to nature’s subtleties and rhythms."...read the fully story at TreeHugger.com

Ontario Government Supporting Rural Communities To Strengthen Economy

2011-12-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

December 21, 2011 from Farms.Com - Investments in rural communities and businesses this year created or retained more than 6,000 jobs and strengthened local economies.

Over the last year, through the Rural Economic Development Program, the government has invested in 78 projects, supporting new and existing jobs, which has led to additional investments of $139 million from private and public sector partners. This means more families are working, more businesses are prospering and more communities are growing stronger.

Partnering with businesses and communities is key to the Ontario government's plan to create and support new and existing jobs for Ontario families, and to strengthen local economies...read full story at Farms.com

Physician supply increasing twice as quickly as Canadian population

2011-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Physician payments also on the rise; fewer doctors migrating

OTTAWA, December 15, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Between 2009 and 2010, growth in the supply of physicians was more than double that of the Canadian population, according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). While the physician population increased by 2.3%, a somewhat lower increase than the previous year, the Canadian population as a whole grew only 1.1%. In 2010, there were approximately 69,700 active physicians working in Canada—the greatest number of active physicians there has ever been in this country.

The 2010 edition of CIHI's annual report Supply, Distribution and Migration of Canadian Physicians shows that over the past five years, the growth in the number of physicians in Canada has consistently outpaced population growth. In 1980, there were 151 active physicians per 100,000 Canadians; in 2006, there were 190; and in 2010, there were 203. Over the past five years, the number of physicians and the physician-to-population ratio increased in all provinces and territories except Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

"Although continued investments across Canada to train and retain more doctors means we now have more physicians than ever, it's important to remember that numbers alone do not tell the whole story," says Michael Hunt, CIHI's Director of Pharmaceuticals and Health Workforce Information Services. "The demand for physician services depends on a number of factors, including the health care needs of Canadians, the way care is organized, the number of hours doctors are working and the scope of practice of other health professionals."

CIHI's report also shows a significant increase in the number of medical graduates, both from Canadian universities and abroad. In 2010, Canadian faculties of medicine awarded a record number of medical degrees (2,448), an increase of 30% over 2005 and 55% over 2000. With continued growth in the number of training seats, it is expected that this upward trend in the supply of physicians will continue in the coming years. The number of international medical graduates practising in Canada also grew significantly. In the past five years, the number of international medical graduates increased by 18.0% (versus 9.5% for the number of Canadian-trained physicians), adding more than 2,500 physicians to the Canadian supply.

Physician payments up; total clinical payments near $19 billion

As the number of doctors increases, so do total clinical payments to physicians in Canada. Clinical payments reached close to $19 billion in 2009-2010. The average pay per physician is also increasing: between 2005 and 2010, average payments to doctors increased by 21.5%, or about 4% a year on average. In 2010, the average gross fee-for-service income for a family physician was $239,000, while for a specialist it was $341,000. (Only physicians who earned at least $60,000 in fee-for-service payments are included in this calculation. Fee-for service payments represent about 75% of total payments to physicians in Canada. Gross income covers doctors' salaries and overhead such as office expenses, staff salaries and other practice costs.)

"Expenditures for physicians' services continue to represent the fastest-growing category of health spending," says Geoff Ballinger, CIHI's Manager of Health Human Resources. "Although part of this growth is related to the large number of new physicians Canada has trained and gained over the past decade, part is also due to increases in physicians' average earnings."

Physician migration on the decline

Fewer physicians are migrating within and outside of Canada. For example, there was 20% overall less movement of doctors over provincial and territorial borders in 2010 than in 2006.

As for the national border, physician migration out of Canada decreased by 16% between 2006 and 2010. In total, 202 physicians returned to Canada in 2010, and 173 left for another country.

The Most Dangerous Cities in Canada: a Maclean's exclusive

2011-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

TORONTO, December 15, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ Gang wars, drug abuse and an alleged serial killer guaranteed Prince George, B.C., the top spot on Maclean's fourth annual crime ranking of Canada's 100 largest cities.

Year after year, Western cities dominate the rankings as the worst for crime. And, in reverse, the most populous cities in Ontario and Quebec consistently score well. Toronto's overall crime score ranking is No. 52, exactly where it was in 2000. However, on the East Coast, St. John's, Nfld., is finding its new prosperity carries a dark side—a rising crime score.

To see how well your community or province did, go to macleans.ca/dangerouscities for a complete listing. Our interactive map of Canada's safest and most dangerous cities allows you to quickly zoom in and see how cities stack up against one another. Maclean's lays out the odds of being robbed in Winnipeg, having a car stolen in Joliette, Que., having your home broken into in Belleville, Ont., being sexually assaulted in St. John, N.B., or suffering an aggravated assault in Saskatoon.

But the news isn't all bad. The national crime score has fallen almost 23 per cent over 10 years. Vancouver is a case in point: In 10 years it has gone from one of the worst crime rates in Canada to among the most improved.

Canada's 5 most/least crime-ridden cities

HIGHEST CRIME RATES
(Percentage above the national crime score)

Prince George, B.C. (114%)
Victoria (75%)
Saskatoon (72%)
Red Deer, Alta. (71%)
Regina (67%)

LOWEST CRIME RATES
(Percentage below the national crime score)

Caledon, Ont. (59%)
Centre Wellington, Ont. (56%)
Halton Region, Ont. (55%)
Nottawasaga, Ont. (49%)
Lévis, Que. (49%)

Maclean's used the Statistics Canada's Crime Severity Index and also tracked trends by commissioning from StatsCan a run of six indicator crime statistics. For full listings of 100 cities, methodology, interactive map and a breakdown by province and by different crimes, go to macleans.ca/dangerouscities .

About Maclean's:

Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.4 million readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca.

Horizon Milling G.P. Purchases Land in Guelph, Ontario, to Build State-of-the-art Flour Mill

2011-12-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

WINNIPEG, Manitoba December 13, 2011 – Horizon Milling G.P. Release, - a partnership formed by Cargill and CHS, today announced plans to construct a new flour mill in Guelph, Ontario. The facility is expected to be open in the next three years and will be built on a 27-acre site Horizon Milling recently purchased.

The new facility will primarily serve Horizon Milling’s food processing customers in the southwestern Ontario market. Grain will be predominantly sourced from Canadian farmers in both eastern and western Canada. The project will increase Horizon Milling’s Canadian production by up to 30 percent. Horizon Milling also operates flour mills in Montreal and Saskatoon. This project will be the company’s first new mill built in Canada since it entered the Canadian flour milling business via acquisition in 2006.

“Our new mill will represent the future in flour mills. As a completely new complex, we will incorporate the latest technologies in the industry and design the site to allow farmers easy access for deliveries and efficient rail and truck loading systems, among other innovations,” said Dan Dye, Horizon Milling president. “We look forward to starting the project and working closely with the community in the coming years to make it a reality.”

Horizon Milling anticipates bringing 15 to 20 new jobs to Guelph as the facility nears completion. Cargill currently employs more than 1,500 people in Guelph at its Meat Solutions and Case Ready businesses.

Details about the design and timing of the new Horizon Milling flour mill will be announced in the future.

Wine Country Ontario reminds consumers it's time for Icewine

2011-12-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

NIAGARA, Ontario, December 7, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Every year, for the month of January, Wine Country Ontario celebrates one of Canada's most cherished products, Ontario Icewine. Niagara's annual Icewine Festival, unique in the wine world, is a time when consumers have the best opportunities to discover and enjoy the delicious and luscious sensations of Icewine while taking part in unforgettable Icewine-inspired experiences.

While Icewine can and should be enjoyed any time of the year, January is a special time when the Niagara region turns into a wintry wonderland, a magical place like no other. Wine enthusiasts, cocktail fans, foodies and music lovers alike can choose from a collection of Icewine related events reflecting the authentic and local flavours of Ontario.

Events will be hosted throughout the Niagara region and at the outdoor street festivals in the towns of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Jordan Village where visitors can warm up to cozy open fires, admire sparkling ice sculptures and enjoy live entertainment. Activities include an annual Icewine Gala, casual and formal culinary experiences, food and cocktail competitions, an outdoor concert and action-packed winemaker challenges. Guests can also purchase a Discovery Pass, where visitors can choose from over 30 incredible wine and culinary experiences along the Wine Route. And while Icewine is the focus of this annual celebration, visitors also have the opportunity to taste festive sparkling wines and sensational VQA red and white wines.

"There is no doubt that the Icewine Festival is one of Wine Country Ontario's signature celebrations. A visit to Niagara during this magical time is something that is not only unique to Ontario but is quintessentially Canadian" - Ed Madronich, proprietor of Flat Rock Cellars and Chair of the Wine Council of Ontario "for Wine Country Ontario"

View the Icewine Festival video
here

For information on Icewine facts visit the Wine Country Ontario media centre for the Story on Icewine .

Calls to 211 after Goderich tornado demonstrated Ontario's generosity

2011-12-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

COLLINGWOOD, Ontario, December 8, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Three months after the August 21 tornado and storm that demolished downtown Goderich in Ontario, it's the generosity of the citizens of Ontario that is best remembered by the 211's helpline staff. Through phone and email, 737 people offered to volunteer and 481 individuals, families, municipalities, organizations and corporations offered donations to the emergency response in Goderich.

Huron County asked 211, the information and referral helpline to community and social services, to answer the calls and emails of volunteers and donations and to direct them to their options, while they focused on search and rescue, and assessing and mobilizing resources for its shell-shocked residents.

"The generosity of everyone who offered to volunteer or donate goods was truly incredible. Offers came in from everywhere. Over the first six weeks, 211 did call back 243 people on behalf of Huron County to take them up on their generous volunteer offers," said Michelle Gaynor, Ontario Works Manager, Huron County. "The generosity of everyone since has been incredible and the community was quickly able to organize itself to help out."

"211's help was essential in the tornado's aftermath," according to Gaynor. "We also believe it prevented many people with good intentions from coming to Goderich when they would have been more of a hindrance to emergency responders in the early stages."

"In the U.S., 211s have a longer history in disaster response. Helping Huron County we learned that 211 could do whatever the county needed us to do. In this case, a volunteer and donated items registry," said Pam Hillier, Executive Director, 211 Central East. "The key learning for 211 as we helped Goderich was that using social media for information gathering and directing people appropriately was just as important as answering the phone."

A 'Goderich Ontario Tornado Victims & Support' Facebook page was created by a Goderich fan. Within 12 hours this page had over 7,000 followers and become one of the key channels to communicate about Goderich. Directing people who wanted to donate or volunteer to call 211 was key, as information quickly became out of date, to preventing too many items being delivered to Goderich that would end up in a landfill, as happened after the Slave Lake fire evacuees returned home.

"Having the support of 211 during and after the Tornado was a wonderful addition to our support agencies. It enabled Goderich staff time to deal with local citizens while allowing offers of assistance to be documented and made available as required," said Lynda Rotteau the Community Emergency Management Coordinator for Goderich. "We were overwhelmed with all the volunteers received through 211. Goderich received so many offers of support from other municipalities that private individuals were not utilized. The individuals who volunteered were a great help who assisted the people of Goderich to clean up the debris on their property. I believe that 211 should be part of every Emergency Plan in the Province of Ontario."

"When we helped bring 211 to Huron and Perth County in 2010, we knew it would be an important resource. We also knew it could help in a disaster situation but none of us realized how important it would be so soon," said Ryan Erb, Executive Director United Way of Perth Huron.

"The trauma of losing one's home or business to a force of nature must be overwhelming. I am glad 211 was able to help Huron County and the residents of Goderich in the recovery efforts," said Bill Morris, Executive Director, Ontario 211 Services Corporation. "When 211 started, no one could have foreseen how social media could be harnessed for community problem solving."

About 211 Ontario

211 is a three-digit phone number and website that provides information and referral to community and social services in Ontario. Our helpline is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and is available in more than 150 languages. Visit www.211ontario.ca for a directory of more than 56,000 agencies and services in Ontario. Our easy-to-use website is fully searchable, updated frequently and is available in both English and French versions.

Survey finds barely half of agri-businesses have a succession plan

2011-11-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

Action needed to protect future of Ontario farms

TORONTO, November 30, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - A recent survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) finds that 33 per cent of Ontario agri-business owners plan to retire, sell or close their operations within 5 years, while another 25 per cent plan to do so in the next 6-10 years. Yet, nearly half (48 per cent) have no succession plan in place.

"Planning for the future transfer of the business is of utmost importance to the success of Ontario farms," said CFIB's Ontario director, Plamen Petkov.

While succession planning is not easy for any business owner, CFIB's farm members have challenges in identifying a suitable successor and many find the process too complex or too time consuming.

"It is also clear that Ontario farmers are feeling the impact of other factors, such as rising fuel and energy costs, higher payroll taxes and red tape, which additionally slow down their plans to pass the baton to the next generation," added Petkov.

The survey findings are included in a new report, A Call to Action - Ontario agri-business post-election roadmap, which makes a number of recommendations to help the province's farming sector to survive these turbulent economic times and to overcome barriers to succession planning:

...Help agri-business owners with succession planning through policies that encourage them to plan for a successor early and by attracting more youth to the sector;

...Continue to reduce taxes and red tape for agri-businesses;

...Ensure employment standards exemptions for farmers remain in place;

...Make the new Ontario risk management program transparent, accessible, predictable and timely;

...Increase focus on farm R&D, innovation and education.

"Now that the election is over, we hope the provincial government will act on these recommendations to ensure a bright future for Ontario farms," concluded Petkov.

To view the full report, visit: www.cfib.ca/on. CFIB is the business voice for agriculture with over 7,200 independently owned and operated agri-business in Canada, of which 2,800 are in Ontario.

As Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses, CFIB is Powered by Entrepreneurs™. Established in 1971, CFIB takes direction from more than 108,000 members in every sector nationwide, giving independent business a strong and influential voice at all levels of government and helping to grow the economy.

SepticSmart! Would you like to learn more about how your septic system works?

2011-11-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

The DVD features the above 4 short videos and information about how septic systems work and how to take care of them, as well as newer types of septic systems available for challenging locations. Find out why maintaining your septic system is a good idea that can save you money and protect water quality!

Follow the instructions below to order your free copy of the SepticSmart! DVD.

Resources
SepticSmart! Understanding Your Home's Septic System

Is a 12 page booklet that:

*
Illustrates and describes the function and key components of a class 4 rural septic system
*
Describes and lists the advantages and disadvantages of leaching beds and filter beds
*
Provides guidelines on minimum separation distances for leaching or filter beds
*
Outlines best management practices for proper maintenance of a septic system

This new publication (AF139) is available at no charge. Download the PDF version.

New: Rural Septic System Checklist
SepticSmart! Advanced Treatment Systems - Alternatives to Conventional Septic Systems

Almost all residents in rural homes depend upon onsite septic systems to treat household wastewater (sewage). The conventional septic system used across Ontario has two main components: a septic tank and a leaching bed. Conventional septic systems perform very well in a variety of soil types and site situations; however, there are properties where conventional septic systems are not suitable. In these situations, homeowners may turn to advanced treatment systems.

This 12 page booklet provides an introduction to advanced treatment units as well as the type of final distribution and soil treatment that can be used in Ontario.
How Do I Obtain These Resources?

Hardcopies of publications and the SepticSmart! DVD can be ordered through ServiceOntario

Online at ServiceOntario Publications

By phone through the ServiceOntario Contact Centre
Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

416-326-5300
416-325-3408 (TTY)
1-800-668-9938 Toll-free across Canada
1-800-268-7095 TTY Toll-free across Ontario

Order in person through a public access terminal available at ServiceOntario Centres located across the province

For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca

CropLife Canada supports Declaration for Farmer Choice

2011-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

OTTAWA, November 17, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The United Nations' recent affirmation that the world population reached the seven billion milestone served as a timely reminder that farmers need access to innovative tools that will allow them to feed this growing population. As such, CropLife Canada supports CropLife International's Declaration of Farmer Choice, which calls for farmers to have the freedom to choose what tools and practices are best for their unique situation.

"Canada has a responsibility to do everything in its power to contribute to global food security. Our farmers have a strong history of using innovative tools, including plant science technologies, to boost yields and quality in a sustainable way but we can't stop now," says Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada.

The world population is expected to reach a peak of nine billion by 2050 and with this comes the need to increase world food production by 70 per cent.

"This puts enormous pressure on our producers - and other farmers around the world. They're being asked to produce more food on less land in the face of climate change, all while reducing their environmental impact. It's simply unreasonable to demand this of them without giving them access to the necessary tools," says Hepworth.

The Declaration of Farmers choice recognizes that farmers need technology to achieve sustainability. Through its five principles, the Declaration creates a foundation for achieving green agriculture while improving yields and increasing farm incomes.

The Declaration for Farmer Choice calls for:

...Sustainable, productive and environmentally-responsible technologies

...Enhanced access to agricultural technologies

...Science-based regulatory schemes

...Increased agriculture investment

...Improved agricultural knowledge

Under the Declaration for Farmer Choice, farmers are recognised as the best and most knowledgeable stewards of their land. Farmers around the world should be given the opportunity to choose the specific technologies and practices that allow them to achieve both economic and environmental sustainability.

"The plant science industry is committed to continuing to develop science-based solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges. It's important that science and not politics govern farmers' ability to access technology," says Hepworth.

To learn more about the Declaration for Farmer Choice visit www.ActionforAg.org/get-involved.

CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant science innovations, including pest control products and plant biotechnology, for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings.

CropLife Canada is a member of CropLife International, a global federation representing the plant science industry and a network of regional and national associations in 91 countries.

U of G’s Yukon Gold Named Seed of the Year

2011-11-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

GUELPH, Ontario November 10, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

The popular Yukon Gold potato was a winner at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto this year, where it topped entries in the seventh annual Seed of the Year competition (east division).

Yukon Gold was developed by the late Garnet (Gary) Johnston, a renowned world-class potato breeder, while at the University of Guelph. This enhanced yellow potato variety was recognized for its disease resistance and growing performance in North America. Its name reflects its distinctive colour and honours Yukon River “Gold Rush” country.

The first Canadian-bred variety to be marketed with its name on the packaging 30 years ago, Yukon Gold is a household name in many regions of Canada and the United States.

A research scientist with Agriculture Canada, Johnston was seconded to U of G in 1953. He helped introduce a number of registered potato varieties besides Yukon Gold that are used in commercial production.

Johnston, who earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from OAC, retired from U of G in 1980 and received an honorary degree from the University in 2000.

Among five other division finalists in the Seed of the Year competition, three have U of G ties: EX Rico 23, a navy bean variety developed by plant agriculture professor Peter Pauls, technician Tom Smith and breeder Alireza Navabi; OAC Bayfield, a soybean variety developed in 1993 by researchers led by professors Wallace Beverdorf and Jack Tanner; and Dividend VL Orchard Grass, developed by Stephen Bowley and Donna Hancock.

The Seed of the Year competition recognizes publicly developed Canadian varieties of field crops, forages, fruits, vegetables or herbs important to the agri-food industry as well as accomplishments of public plant breeders. Entries are judged for innovation, industry impact, value chain presence, sustainability and marketability.

The annual competition was an initiative of SeCan Association in Ottawa and the University of Guelph. The first Seed of the Year winner was recognized in 2005.

Canadians stumped to identify challenges or opportunities to the Internet in Canada

2011-11-12T06:06:00.001-08:00

OTTAWA, November 10, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - According to a report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), forty per cent of Canadians cannot identify a challenge to the success of the Internet in Canada.

The report, entitled Challenges and Opportunities for the Internet in Canada, asked 1,210 Canadians what they perceive are the challenges facing the development of the Internet in Canada, and opportunities presented by the Internet. It also showed that almost 50 per cent of Canadians could not identify an opportunity for the success of the Internet in Canada.

"These are very significant results," said CIRA President and CEO Byron Holland. "It confirms that Canadians have not had many opportunities to discuss how the Internet is developed and deployed. It also outlines the importance to provide them with more opportunities to do so."

Holland went on to say, "The Internet has become the most important driver of social and economic progress for Canada and around the world, yet very few Canadians have had the opportunity to participate in its development."

For the second year in a row, CIRA will be hosting a national dialogue on the development of the Internet with the Canadian Internet Forum (CIF). The 2011 CIF was the first opportunity of its kind for Canadians to have a say on how they would like to see the Internet develop. The final report on the 2011 CIF can be found on CIRA's website at www.cira.ca/.

To identify the topics for discussion in the 2012 CIF, CIRA worked with Nanos Research to deliver a national survey. The results of this survey will dictate the themes to be explored in the upcoming 2012 Canadian Internet Forum. Hot topics among Canadians included digital literacy, security and safety, access/cost, digital economy, policy and governance, and technology and regulation.

"The initial consultation showed us that Canadians are truly interested in getting involved in issues related to the future of the Internet in Canada," said Holland. "We want to keep the momentum going with the 2012 Canadian Internet Forum, and ensure Canadians have a voice in Internet governance in Canada and abroad."

"The Internet is not a static entity. It is continuously developing. The fact that its development affects almost every Canadian behoves us to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to have their voice heard."

The 2012 Canadian Internet Forum will have a heavy focus on online participation, including a discussion forum, and culminate with a national event in February 2012.

For more information on the 2012 Canadian Internet Forum, please visit cif.cira.ca.

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is the organization that manages Canada's .CA domain name registry, develops and implements policies that support Canada's Internet community and represents the .CA registry internationally.

So... You're Moving to the Country

2011-11-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Rural Ontario is more than just a pretty place...

It's also where the province's 55,000 farm families live, and conduct their businesses. Chances are, you'll have an Ontario farmer for a neighbour.

Whether the farm is an orchard or a greenhouse, a dairy farm or a beef feedlot, or any one of the 12 main types of agricultural operations, it is above all, a business.

That means that certain activities take place according to a production schedule. And some of those activities can have an effect on you.

Farms are often noisy and dusty. Sometimes they can cause odours. During planting or harvesting season, you may notice extra lights in a field at night, or feel the vibration of heavy equipment.

Ontario's agri-food sector employs 745,000 people and is one of the province's leading industries, contributing more than $33 billion to the economy every year...read more at O.M.A.F.R.A.

Egg Farmers of Ontario Wins National Agricultural Awards

2011-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

"Who Made Your Eggs Today?" Campaign Multiple Winner at Canadian Agri-Marketing Association (CAMA)

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, November 7, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) won three 'Best of CAMA' awards and two 'Certificates of Merit' for its "Who Made Your Eggs Today?" campaign at the 'Best of CAMA' Awards Banquet held at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alberta last week. The annual 'Best of CAMA' awards program celebrates excellence in Agri-Marketing in Canada.

"The response to our 'Who Made Your Eggs Today?' campaign has been tremendous," said Egg Farmers of Ontario Chair Carolynne Griffith. "We are honoured to be recognized for a campaign that we are so proud of."

EFO won for its radio ad series, billboards and transit ads while receiving the 'Certificate of Merit' for video and integrated marketing campaign.

At the centre of the multimedia campaign is the web site www.eggfarmersofontario.ca to help Ontario consumers get to know their local egg farmers. The campaign was inspired by consumer research showing that Ontario consumers are curious about the egg farmers who produce one of Ontario's favourite foods.

This is the second time in 2011 that EFO's 'Who Made Your Eggs Today?' campaign has won prestigious awards. In February, EFO won two Golden ARC Awards from the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC), a national agricultural public relations organization in the United States. Established in 1990, the Golden ARC Awards Contest recognizes the best and brightest in agricultural public relations. EFO is believed to be the first Canadian organization to enter and win a Golden ARC Award.

"I would like to thank our staff and agency partners for their hard work, passion and insight," said EFO General Manager Harry Pelissero. "And of course none of this would have been possible without the egg farm families who so graciously agreed to be our spokespeople. Their stories are what make this campaign a success."

Egg Farmers of Ontario is an association that represents approximately 400 egg farmers and pullet growers in Ontario. It is an independent, self governing organization funded entirely by egg and pullet farmers.

Grant supports Equine Guelph biosecurity initiative

2011-11-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

photo credit: Ken Russell

GUELPH, Ontario November 7, 2011 - Ontario Veterinary College Release

From sporadic disease to outbreaks, infectious diseases have a tremendous impact on the equine industry and highlight the need for increased biosecurity awareness and education.

“The recent devastating outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 in North America has highlighted the importance of infection control and biosecurity, as well as the deficiencies in knowledge and application that are present across the industry,” said Dr. Scott Weese, an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology and holder of a tier 2 Canada Research Chair in zoonotic diseases.

Equine Guelph is developing “Beat the Bugs,” a program promoting biosecurity throughout all sectors of the horse industry. The program is funded through the Agricultural Biosecurity Program (ABP), part of Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of several Growing Forward programs in Ontario.

“Increasing knowledge of best biosecurity practices stands to benefit the horse industry by reducing the risk of disease transmission and, in turn, could create a huge positive economic impact and prevent a potential catastrophic outbreak,” said Equine Guelph director Gayle Ecker.

The “Beat the Bugs” program will be launched in March, which will allow participants the opportunity to learn and put a biosecurity plan in place before their busiest season. The program will include four workshops conducted by biosecurity specialists. The workshops are being offered free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. The workshops are scheduled for London, Sudbury and Kemptville. The fourth workshop will be held at either Woodbine or Mohawk racetrack.

For those unable to attend a workshop, or who are looking to take their biosecurity knowledge to the next level, the two-week Equine Biosecurity e-Session will be available for $75 (plus HST) per person.

“Beat the Bugs” is being developed by Equine Guelph with the assistance of its 11 industry partners: American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Colorado State University, Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Ontario Association of Equine Practitioners, Ontario Equestrian Federation, Ontario Harness Horse Association, Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association, Ontario Veterinary College, Standardbred Canada, Vétoquinol Canada Inc. and Woodbine Entertainment Group.

For more information on the “Beat the Bugs” initiative, and to view the Biosecurity Risk Calculator, visit www.EquineGuelph.ca

Demand for Ethnocultural Vegetables Far Exceeds Supply

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ethno-Cultural Vegetables Ontario

New research reveals multimillion-dollar market

at Guelph
By Andrew Vowles

GUELPH, Ontario November 4, 2011 - Because new immigrants want to buy and consume familiar foods, there is continued transportation of ethnocultural foods into Canada. Guelph researchers say many of these imported vegetables could be grown in Canada.

Hungry consumers are out there, but where are the farmers? A new study by a University of Guelph team says a multimillion-dollar market exists for ethnocultural vegetables in Canada, but too few farmers are meeting the growing demand for okra, African eggplant, amaranth and other so-called ethnocultural vegetables.

Prof. Glen Filson, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD), hopes the new study will help to convince growers a market exists for produce favoured by African-Caribbean immigrants, as well as recent arrivals from China and South Asia.

The paper appeared online in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development. The lead author is Bamidele Adekunle, special graduate faculty in SEDRD’s capacity development and extension program.

Few studies have looked at ethnocultural food consumption by Canadians of African descent, defined as people from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean or West Indies. That group makes up almost 400,000 people among the six million-strong population of the Greater Toronto Area. The Afro-Caribbean market for ethnocultural vegetables in the GTA is worth about $7 million a month, say the Guelph researchers.

That’s the third-largest market for this produce, behind an estimated $33 million among about 800,000 Canadians of South Asian descent and $21 million for about 600,000 Chinese Canadians.

In 2009, the Guelph researchers surveyed a total of 750 people from all groups in Toronto.

Filson hopes the study will help persuade growers that demand for ethnocultural produce is high. Despite “eat local” movement and changing demographics, farmers have been reluctant to grow non-traditional vegetables.

He contrasts that with FarmStart, an incubator farm originally in Guelph and now based in Brampton, Ont. That organization has worked with recent immigrants using small plots to grow ethnocultural vegetables.

A key barrier for growers is lack of growing information for these items. What’s needed next, he says, is for other researchers to study how to grow this produce most effectively and efficiently, including investigating pest control. Currently no control products for this sector are registered in Ontario.

“We know the demand but not the production costs,” says Filson. Referring to growers, he adds, “They lack the technical expertise to grow these vegetables.”

Study co-author Sridharan Sethuratnam, a geography PhD student and FarmStart’s program manager, says: “There’s a huge gap between the lab and the land.” Out of about 20 people working plots at FarmStart, about half are recent Canadian immigrants.

Some agronomic research on these products has also occurred at U of G’s Simcoe Research Station and the Muck Crops Research Station in Toronto.

Filson says financial incentives such as tax credits might also help persuade growers to look at ethnocultural vegetables.

The researchers also developed an acculturation scale, a tool used to gauge how well an ethnic group integrates into Canadian society and how their integration affects their consumption patterns.

Lacking their preferred produce, immigrants will substitute other food, say, spinach for amaranth. Says Adekunle, a Guelph PhD grad who earlier studied agricultural economics in Nigeria,

“The interesting thing about African-Caribbeans is that they can’t find what they want although they’re willing to substitute. They say, ‘We’re willing to integrate, but we still prefer our food.’”

Other vegetables identified in the study include tomatoes, yams, pumpkin and squash, and plantain.

30-Blade Eco Whisper Wind Turbine is "Virtually Silent"

2011-11-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

photo credit: YouTube/Video screen capture

from TreeHugger.com
by Brian Merchant
Wind Technology

Want wind power, but think that those tri-bladed behemoths are just too loud? Well then, Australia Renewable Energy Solutions has just the thing for you: The Eco Whisper wind turbine. This sharp-looking little contraption may only have a 20 kW generating capacity, but the company claims that the turbine is "virtually silent". It's also, allegedly, more efficient. Here's an intro to how it works:

The blades are 20 ft in diameter, and the entire thing stands 70 ft tall.

AOL Energy has more:

The company said the turbine is "virtually silent," thanks to its unique design, in which the 30 blades are angled outward from the hub, and surrounded at their ends by a ring. This ring, the company says, "prevents air 'spilling' off the tip of the blades," the source of much of the noise that traditional turbines produce. The company also lists greater efficiency and lower start-up speeds as advantages compared to competitors.

Sounds cool, and I'm all for experimenting with new turbine designs. But if the aim is to try to pacify wind power naysayers who complain about noise with a quiet turbine, this pitch will likely fall on deaf ears (pun!).

That's because the much-hyped "Wind Turbine Syndrome" -- allegedly caused by the sounds and 'sub-audible vibrations' emitted by the turbines -- has already been proven to be a steaming load of bunk. And many of the people who complain about wind turbines being too noisy seem to be, primarily, grumps with too much time on their hands -- especially considering that when they're compensated by wind power companies for having the turbines nearby their homes, their complaints magically disappear. These folks aren't really bothered by the noise level of the turbines -- they have issues with the changing world they represent, and often, an axe to grind. A genuinely silent turbine probably won't quell their objections.

That said, the 'silent' turbine may be a strong selling point for businesses and homeowners already interested in small scale wind power -- silent, efficient clean energy generation is appealing indeed.

Read the full story at TreeHugger.com

Get involved with the Rural Voices Network (RVN)

2011-11-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario, November 3, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Rural Voices Network (RVN) is launching a series of Public Forums to examine what enables rural citizens to participate in the common life of their community, and to identify barriers to rural civic engagement.

"There is a huge value in building a bridge of communication between the rural citizen and organizational and municipal leaders of every community across Ontario," says Manon Germain, RVN Project Manager.

WHY ATTEND THE FORUM?

The RVN invites you to participate in a "Let Your Voice Be Heard" Public Forum to have conversations about community participation, barriers to participation, and to voice your opinions, life experiences and ideas. Your community "voice" will be the key influences for a public survey to be distributed to over 10,000 rural citizens in Ontario.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE FORUMS?

Public forums will be held in 7 communities across Ontario to understand why and how people participate in the rural life of their communities. All community members are welcome to participate in the forums.

Guelph Ontario (PILOT) - November 10, 2011
Dryden, ON - November 18, 2011
Rosslyn, ON - November 19, 2011
Fergus, ON - November 27, 2011
Perth, ON - November 29, 2011
Ridgetown, ON - December 2, 2011
Innisfil, ON (FWIO AGM) - January 4, 2012

WHO CAN GET INVOLVED?

The Rural Voices Network is for rural citizens -- whether you're a small business owner, long-standing resident or a newcomer, a member of a local charity, or someone who wants to get more involved in your community. Together, this makes up a collaboration of different networks that comprise the Rural Voices Network (RVN). We all share something in common. We all want healthy communities that encourage public participation.

ABOUT THE RURAL VOICES NETWORK (RVN):

The Rural Voices Network is driven by the mandate to give rural citizens a space to have their voices heard, and to collaborate with non-profit organizations and leaders in all levels of governance. For more information on the RVN project or to register for upcoming Public Forums visit: http://www.ruralvoicesnetwork.ca

Operated by the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario / Sponsored by the Ontario Trillium Foundation

Dairy Farmers of Canada is a big winner at the International Milk Promotions Awards

2011-10-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

MONTREAL, October 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is pleased to announce it has received several awards at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit held in Parma, Italy from October 17th to the 19th. DFC's marketing and nutrition teams won several awards for various projects at this year's 2011 Dairy Innovation Awards.

This year's awards have attracted more than 100 entries from 25 countries in 14 categories, ranging from products, to packaging, marketing and environmental sustainability.

"The campaigns developed from producer investment in dairy category growth and image was recognized on the international stage, particularly in the area of nutrition and nutrient density of dairy foods," says Ian MacDonald, national director, marketing & nutrition at DFC. "We accept these awards from the International Dairy Foundation with honour and pride."

DFC won in the Best Health Education or Nutri-Marketing Initiative category for its Power4Bones nutrition program. Power4Bones is a free, cross-curricular program for elementary students, which is based on multiple learning styles and helps teachers meet curriculum expectations in a variety of subjects, such as Health and Physical Education and Language, including Media Literacy.

"We've come to expect excellent work from Dairy Farmers of Canada over the years, and Power4Bones is a great example of clear education in the essential, natural bone-building benefits of dairy, catching students at just the right age with clear, interesting and excitingly presented materials," says chair of the judging panel, FoodBev Media Group editorial director, Bill Bruce. "Its success is also down to making the kit work just as well for teachers too - always a challenge, and in this case, brilliantly achieved."

Also in the nutrition category, DFC was named a finalist in the Best Health Education or Nutria-Marketing Initiative category with its Get Enough campaign. The Get Enough campaign encourages consumers to get the recommended servings of Milk and Alternatives according to Canada's Food Guide.

DFC was a finalist in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category with the Get a Load of Milk (GALOM) campaign for its participation at the MuchMusicVideo Awards last June. GALOM encourages teenagers to drink milk and engages them in many activities through the web, social media, contests and music to get the milk message out to teens in a 'cool' way.

Finally, DFC has been highly commended by the judging panel for its 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix promotion in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category. The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix competition is held every two years and rewards Canadian cheese makers from across the country for excellence in innovation and quality of their products. Winners enjoy the right to use Grand Prix promotional tools, including displaying the Grand Prix logo on their products and benefit from the attention generated by the competition.

The Fédération des Producteurs de lait du Québec (FPLQ) also won big at this year's IDF Dairy Innovation Awards with three different dairy products. The FPLQ won as a finalist in the Best Consumer TV/Cinema Advertisement or Social Networking Marketing category for its Milk campaign and were highly commended in the same category for their Cheese campaign. The FPLQ was also a finalist in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category with its Cream campaign, and a finalist in the Best Generic Dairy Marketing category with Cream too.

About Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) promotes the wholesome goodness of dairy products as part of a healthy, balanced diet and encourages good nutrition for all Canadians. DFC is completely funded by dairy producers.

About the International Dairy Federation

Founded in 1903, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) represents the dairy sector worldwide by providing the best global source of scientific expertise and knowledge in support of the development and promotion of quality milk and dairy products to deliver consumers with nutrition, health and well-being. IDF is represented in 57 countries and membership is growing: IDF accounts for approximately 85% of the world's milk production at present. IDF aims to identify, elaborate and disseminate best practice at international level in order to guide the dairy sector and to harmonize members' work on a variety of issues along the dairy production chain including animal health and welfare, protection of the environment, nutrition, food safety and hygiene and food standards.

OPP says now is the time to get ready for winter driving

2011-10-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

AURORA, Ontario, October 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Every year, the first snow fall comes before many Ontarians are ready for it and according to the OPP, it is wise to keep one step ahead of it by getting ready for winter driving conditions on Ontario roads and highways.

"Ontario winters make for some of the most dangerous driving conditions in Canada. Over and above getting your vehicle ready, it's important for Ontarians to adopt a new mindset that defensive, responsible driving during the winter months is more crucial than any other time of year in reducing fatalities and serious injuries". - Chief Superintendent Don Bell, Commander, Highway Safety Division.

Preparing yourself and your vehicle for the harsh winter weather ahead can go a long way in reducing collisions - something the OPP sees far too many of every winter.

Getting Your Vehicle Ready:

...Install four winter-rated tires before the first snowfall.

...Have an ice scraper or snow brush in your vehicle to keep your windows, signals and lights clear.

...Top up your windshield washer reservoir and keep an extra one handy.

...Keep your fuel tank at least ½ full so you don't run out of gas should you become stranded and to prevent condensation from forming in your gas tank.

...Keep a fully stocked emergency kit in your vehicle.
* Have your vehicle serviced to avoid preventable breakdowns.

Adjusting your driving habits:

...Drivers must SLOW DOWN! - Speed too fast for road conditions is the #1 cause of winter collisions.

...Drive according to the road and weather conditions.

...Leave extra spaces between vehicles - Stopping distances are at least doubled on snowy roads and even longer in icy conditions.

...Know where you are - If you require help in an emergency it will delay the arrival of emergency responders if you don't know your location when asked.

...Monitor road and weather conditions - Plan your trip and check local weather conditions before heading out.

...Check the Ministry of Transportation website prior to heading out on any trip during the winter - Please do not call 9-1-1 or the OPP for road reports); instead log onto: www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/conditions

"Most of the collisions we see during winter are preventable, yet far too many people blame these collisions on poor driving conditions. If all motorists got into the habit of adjusting their driving to the conditions at hand, there would be far fewer collisions on our roads and highways". - Deputy Commissioner Larry Beechey, Provincial Commander, Traffic Safety and Operational Support.

LEARN MORE

Winter Driving - Be Prepared, Be Safe!

Transport Canada - Winter Driving Tips

Transportation Health & Safety Association of Ontario

Reminding Canadians of Food Safety This Halloween

2011-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

OTTAWA, October 25, 2011 Health Canada Release - Halloween is a fun and exciting time for children. Health Canada would like to remind all Canadians of some important safety tips they can use to ensure that Halloween remains an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Parents or caregivers are encouraged to remind them not to accept - and especially not to eat - homemade candy or baked goods (provided by individuals they don't know). An adult should also always inspect the treats before children start snacking. A few tips to keep in mind:

...Discard homemade candy or baked goods provided by people you don't know.

...Throw out any treats that are not wrapped, those in torn or loose packages, or any that have small holes in the wrappers.

...Remove choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys when young children are involved.

...Wash fresh fruit thoroughly, inspect for holes, including small punctures and cuts, and if found, do not let children or adults eat the fruit.

Some Halloween treats may also contain ingredients that can cause severe adverse reactions in individuals who have allergies or sensitivities. These treats often include ingredients like peanuts, tree nuts, milk and egg - some of the most common food allergens. Parents or caregivers of children with food allergies should exercise caution by reading labels carefully for all treats and by avoiding candies that do not have an ingredient list.

More information about Halloween Food Safety is available from:

The Government of Canada's Halloween Food Safety Tips

It's Your Health on Halloween Safety

Crowdsourced Documentary on Cargo Biking Wants You! (Video)

2011-10-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Cargo bike prototype designed by Clever Cycles. Photo: A. Streeter.

from TreeHugger.com
by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon

Generally when you leave your hometown (especially if your hometown is Portland, Oregon), you tend to lose your sense of expanding bike love rather quickly. Traveling for work or for play (unless you bike camp) takes you through airports and subway stations and conference rooms and hotel/motels, and soon you begin to despair that the U.S. will always be a car-centric, junk food wasteland. Wait! When that depression dip happens, here's a crowdsourced cargo bike documentary (or at the very least, the trailer) to to the rescue.

Filmmaker Liz Canning wrote an article for a local Marin, California, cycling activist organization and realized the first stirrings of a revolution were happening - a revolution of regular people who simply wanted to drive less and bike more, and were being drawn to cargo bikes in order to do that with their stuff, their daily errands, and their children, and pets.

Canning found that the addition of twins (a boy and girl) to her life in 2008 and the huge hill leading up to her house threatened to put an end to the bike commuting from Marin to San Francisco that she had done. She started with a trailer for the kids on her regular bike, but soon grew to dread the rides.

Canning bought a custom-made Shuttlebug from Joe Bike in Portland, outfitted with an electric-assist motor, and concurrently discovered that Portland, with its Clever Cycles and Splendid bike shops in addition to Joe Bikes, (not to mention Oregon Manifest's utility bike challenge this year) has become the epicenter of cargo innovation.

Yet Canning is convinced that this cargo biking revolution is not just a European and West Coast phenomenon, and she's asking filmmakers and cyclists from around the country to send in footage of their cargo biking experiences.

Unfortunately, reliable sales figures to demonstrate the strength of the cargo bike's incursion into North American bike culture do not exist. As John Pucher has pointed out, demographic studies show it is men 25-64 that form the backbone of biking's resurgence, not mid-career moms on bakfiets.

We do know that 9 million American consumers will buy a bike this year - and Canning is trying to get those that are moving to a cargo bike to document their experiences for her film, which she expects to release next year. To get involved, watch the trailer above.

Like this story? Follow A.K. Streeter on Twitter and at girlsonbikes.org.

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Lift-Off For Rural 4G Broadband! Proton Rocket Carrying New 4G Broadband Satellite Successfully Launched

2011-10-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

"The Proton rocket containing ViaSat-1 on the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Oct 18 2011. Courtesy ILS International Launch Services, Inc. (CNW Group/Xplornet Communications Inc.)"

MARKHAM, Ontario, October 20, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Xplornet Communications Inc. is delighted to announce the successful launch of ViaSat-1, North America's first 4G broadband satellite. The satellite was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and will be stationed in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km.

A game-changer in terms of ubiquitous broadband access in Canada, ViaSat-1 will allow for previously unavailable speed and bandwidth economics, and will provide rural and remote Canadians a broadband connection that is truly fast and affordable. Together with the planned launch of a second, similar 4G satellite in 2012 and with its national fixed-wireless 4G network, Xplornet will effectively end Canada's urban/rural digital-divide, once and for all.

"We recognized that satellite broadband needed to be faster and more affordable. With this new 4G satellite service, Xplornet will offer satellite broadband service that is both" said John Maduri, Xplornet's Chief Executive Officer.

ViaSat-1 will support customer download speeds of up to 25 Mbps, with more capacity than all current North American broadband satellites combined. Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada's leading provider of rural broadband, has purchased 100% of the Canadian Ka-band capacity on the satellite, entirely for rural broadband use. Xplornet expects the satellite service to be available to Canadians late this year.

"Video: Lift-Off For Rural 4G Broadband: Proton Rocket Carrying New 4G Broadband Satellite Successfully Launched".

"This is an historic launch. The technology is revolutionary. Our investment of hundreds of millions in rural broadband infrastructure is unprecedented. And Canada is now joining a group of other regions, like the UK, the US, and Europe, that have endorsed 4G satellite broadband as the solution for ensuring 100% access to affordable broadband." said Maduri.

"Most important though, is the impact this satellite is going to have on people. I am proud to say that Xplornet has done what no other Canadian company could do, and what some people said that private industry would never do: make fast, affordable broadband available everywhere in Canada. By 2012, every Canadian will be able to experience the transformative benefits of broadband." concluded Maduri.

Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc. (formerly Barrett Xplore Inc.) is Canada's leading rural broadband provider, with customers and dealers in every province and territory. Xplornet aims to eliminate the urban/rural digital divide by ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of where they live, has access to broadband, thereby enabling them to compete effectively in the global economy and gain access to essential government and educational services.

Margaret Atwood's New Book is Made of Straw Paper

2011-10-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Photo: canopy

from TreeHugger.com
by Bonnie Alter, London

The book, In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination, is the story of her relationship with science fiction and brings together three unpublished lectures on this theme.

It will be printed on "Second Harvest" paper. This is paper made from the leftover straw "after the grain harvest and all other uses, such as animal bedding and maintaining soil integrity, are accounted for." It is made without any harm to forests (or food) and contains only straw leftover after the grain harvest and recycled paper fibre. The straw would otherwise be burnt, causing significant air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The paper used in the book will be made of 36 per cent straw and 64 per cent recycled wood pulp.

Published by a Vancouver-based, Canadian company, Canopy, an environmental non-profit and forest advocacy group, they want to diversify how North American paper is made in order to reduce the stress on endangered forests. They say that "there is enough leftover straw in North America to keep up to 800 million trees standing every year and Canopy has already identified customer demand to keep four pulp mills running full time. Shifting paper production from our endangered forests to our fields would yield a new resource sector with benefits to farming communities, our economy, and forest ecosystems around the world."

Margaret Atwood is a fervent environmentalist. Years ago she invented the Long Pen. It saves authors from flying around the world for book signings by using a pen that is an internet-connected pantograph. The reader gets words with the author, a personalized note, and for a small fee, donated to charity, a copy of the video. It hasn't ended up changing the world, but was a good try.

She was keen to publish her book on Second Harvest paper because of its environmental qualities. She said:

"I joined Canopy in this trial to show that we can meet our paper needs using low-footprint straw instead of relying on endangered forests. Second Harvest Paper is the kind of practical innovation that could make paper from endangered forests ancient history. These pages were produced without any harmful impact on forests and their fragile ecosystems. Human beings need oxygen, and forests produce it; printed books require paper, but paper need not be made from virgin forests. This is an elegant solution to a pressing problem."

It's the first book to be printed on straw paper in North America but it ain't cheap. Each book in the limited run of 300, signed by the author, will cost $100. It sounds like a lot but part of that is a fundraiser to support Canopy's ongoing efforts to make their work a commercial reality within the next 2-3 years In a little straw (!) poll, 67% said they wouldn't pay that much for her book. Although one fan wrote "I would pay $100.00 for a signed first edition by Margaret Atwood if it was printed on a blackboard!"

For those unwilling to shell out that much, the main run of Atwood's book will be printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper as part of an environmental initiative developed with Canopy ten years ago.

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The Co-operators contributes $150,000 to celebrate co-ops

2011-10-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario, October 17, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - As Co-op Week kicks off today, The Co-operators announced a contribution of $150,000 to the Canadian Co-operative Association to support activities related to the International Year of Co-operatives, as 2012 has been proclaimed by the United Nations. The celebrations this week as well as next year, which share the theme of "Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World," are aimed at raising awareness and understanding of co-operatives.

Co-operatives are values-based organizations owned by their members who use their services. They are democratically controlled by the membership, as they operate on the basis of one member/one vote, and not on the basis of one share/one vote. This ensures that co-ops remain responsive to the people who make up their membership, rather than to investors whose sole interest is to maximize profit. Co-operatives that generate a profit reallocate it to members based on how much they use the organization's services, reinvest it to improve their products and services, and contribute it toward strengthening communities.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted in his Co-op Week message,

"co-operatives have helped many people and organizations find solutions to social and economic challenges in their communities."

Co-operatives employ approximately 150,000 people throughout Canada, and produce goods and services in virtually every sector of the economy.

"Through their structure, co-ops maintain a strong grassroots connection, and work to contribute something of value to their members and communities," said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators. "Co-op Week is an opportunity to spread the word about who we are and how we operate, so that consumer can make informed decisions about which type of company they choose to do business with."

The Co-operators is one of the largest Canadian financial co-operatives, and actively supports the sector both at a local level and internationally. To learn more about co-operatives, please visit www.coopscanada.coop

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $41 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is ranked #1 among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights, and listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation shells outs $30,000 grant for endangered turtles

2011-10-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Funding will provide critical support to Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre

TORONTO, October 12, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Responding to a dire need for resources to treat injured and endangered turtles in Ontario, where seven out of eight turtle species are now at risk, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) has donated $30,000 to Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre. As Ontario's only dedicated turtle veterinary hospital, the centre has a growing number of turtles to support with increasingly limited resources.

"TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has supported our work to save turtles for many years now, through both grants and volunteers, said Dr. Sue Carstairs, Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre's medical director. "This $30,000 donation is a huge boost at a time when Ontario turtles need support if they are to survive and thrive."

In this record breaking year alone, the centre admitted more than 500 turtles and saved more than 1,000 turtle eggs. Female turtles are routinely run over by vehicles as they cross busy roads to reach their nesting sites. As a result, monthly costs for the centre have risen to $10,000 per month, which pays for antibiotics, veterinary supplies and equipment, x-rays and maintenance of the space. TD FEF's $30,000 grant will help the centre with its expenses through to the end of the year and allow staff and volunteers to focus on long-term strategic planning.

"It's amazing to consider that the turtles hatching today may live anywhere from 15 to 100 years. Helping Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre is part of TD FEF's long-term vision of supporting communities with their environmental, conservation, and preservation causes. I hope that the Foundation's support will encourage conservation-minded citizens to support Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre's important work," said Mary Desjardins, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation's executive director.

Individuals or organizations interested in supporting Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre can donate money online through Canadahelps.org (# 857524409RR0001), by cheque or by throwing their own fundraiser (www.kawarthaturtle.org).

About Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre:

The Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre is a non-profit, registered charity that operates a hospital for injured wild turtles. Once healed these turtles are released back into their natural habitat. KTTC also provides an outreach program to promote healthy turtle populations and stewardship. The Centre opened in 2002 and is located in Peterborough, Ontario. Visit www.kawarthaturtle.org for more information.

Since 1990, TD FEF has provided more than $55 million in funding to more than 20,000 grassroots environment and wildlife projects across Canada. In 2010, TD FEF provided more than $3.5 million in support of 970 projects. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly basis and TD Bank Group contributes in excess of $1 million annually. TD also covers the management costs of running TD FEF, which guarantees 100 per cent of every dollar donated goes directly to funding environment and wildlife projects in the community where the donation was made. For more information on how to donate and get involved in your community, visit www.tdfef.com.

Canadian Wind Energy Association changes message on health effects

2011-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Industrial wind turbines cause indirect health impacts

TORONTO, October 14, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - In an October 12 interview on Global Television, the president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), Robert Hornung stated that "wind turbine sound…can have potentially indirect health impacts".

CanWEA has consistently claimed that there is no direct link to health effects from wind turbines. That official position statement is now different.

Mr. Hornung has admitted many times that people living near wind developments may be annoyed by wind turbine sound. Noise annoyance is recognized by the World Health Organization and Health Canada as an adverse health effect that can lead to stress, cardiac events and morbidity.

"This new choice of language by the president of the lobby group for industrial wind developers in Canada indicates a seismic shift in the understanding of CanWEA of what people in Ontario have been saying for over three years," said Ian Hanna, Chair of Wind Concerns Ontario. "It is time for the industry and Wind Concerns Ontario to start a new kind of dialogue where the truth is not swept under the rug."

A recent Environmental Review Tribunal Decision declared that wind turbines can cause harm to humans and that now it is simply a matter of degree. The two judge panel also stated that the Chief Medical Officer of Health report of May 2010 showed an "apparent lack of consideration of indirect health effects…"

Carmen Krogh, an independent peer reviewed researcher commented,

"The difference between direct and indirect is significant because the adverse health impacts being reported such as noise annoyance, sleep disturbance, cognitive and emotional responses, and stress are those that occur through the indirect pathway."

Country Living - Returning to the Good Life

2011-10-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

from HobbyFarms.com

By Robin Mullet

As a boy, my husband Dick liked to sneak away from his chores to walk the hills surrounding his home in eastern Ohio. He often took his homework into the woods to study. When he left for college and his engineering career, he was sure he had left the farm life in the hills for good. Little did he know that 30 years later he would find himself back in those same hills living a totally different “farming” lifestyle.

Dick and I married 17 years ago, blending a family of two working adults and three active middle- and high-school aged children. About the same time, Dick’s mom deeded him 80 acres of land that had been in his family for four generations. With the exception of dirt access roads to the two oil wells, it had reverted to aspen, cherry, and maple trees, some oaks, and lots of multiflora rose and grapevines. We lived almost three hours away, but managed to check it out once or twice a year. The “nature first” girl (me) and the former farm boy (Dick) had some lively discussions about what to do with the land someday, but then would go back to our busy lives.

Too quickly, our children grew up and out of the house, and began their own careers and families. We began to spend more time at the woods, just the two of us. Dick wanted to keep the property in the family, but we couldn’t decide what to do with it. We realized that many of the trees were maturing, but neither one of us wanted to have the property clear-cut. We were more concerned with keeping the habitat for wildlife. Clearing out the pesky multiflora and a few of the aspen on three of the 80 acres, we erected first a tool shed, then a covered deck supplied with bunk beds. We were soon enjoying family barbecues on a fire pit built of sandstone rocks we had collected on the property. A seed began to take root in our hearts, sowed years before in our respective rural childhoods long left behind. Returning to the country life, at least on weekends, was something we began to desire. For years I have espoused we all need to live a more sustainable lifestyle, and it was time to put my money where my mouth was. I began to envision a weekend place powered by solar energy. I soon had Dick (bless his little engineer’s heart) excited by the challenge as well, although I think our kids thought we were crazy! ... read more story at HobbyFarms.com

From barnyard to black tie The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has it all

2011-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

- Now in its 89th year, the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show returns, November 4th - 13th -

TORONTO, October 13, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Dust off your cowboy boots and get ready to experience the magic of the fair as The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair gallops into town this November. Introducing country to the city, the spectacular sights and sounds of thousands of horses and livestock animals, combined with the thrill of international competition - from equestrian to agriculture innovation - will no doubt wow fairgoers.

Running from Friday, November 4th to Sunday, November 13th, 2011, at Exhibition Place in Toronto, The Royal is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show. Originally started in 1922 by a group of farmers as a way to meet and catch-up on business after the busy fall harvest, The Royal has now expanded to showcase Canada's best in agricultural products and innovations. The Royal's reputation for offering best-in-class competitions was clear from the outset: the prestigious Horse Show drew in the spirited equine community with exciting and engaging shows. Today's Horse Show has expanded its reach to include a more diverse audience base who may never have had the opportunity to watch live horse competitions before.

The 2011 Royal has its best line-up of events ever, featuring celebrity appearances, highly recognized chefs, cowboys, cattle and cocktails.

Committed to local fare, The Royal will host The Annual Celebrity Chef Competition on Friday, November 4th featuring the star of Food Network Canada's Pitchin'In, Chef Lynn Crawford. As culinary curator, Crawford will create a magical dessert alongside The Thirsty Traveler's Kevin Brauch and local chefs Nick Liu (Niagara Street Café) and Howard Dubrovsky (L.A.B.), with a focus on Ontario-grown products.

Trading in blades for belt buckles Toronto Maple Leaf hockey heroes Darcy Tucker, Curtis Joseph, Darryl Sittler and Mark Napier will be in the saddle for a match of Horse Hockey on Saturday, November 5th. Played just like polo, these all-stars will put their sporting skills to the test as they trot alongside world-famous professional polo players Dave Offen and Cliff Sifton.

Proving again that The Royal will reign superior, equestrian legends and Olympic gold medalists Mark Todd and Eric Lamaze will take the reins at this year's Royal Horse Show. The Royal also welcomes special appearances by Ian Millar and internationally acclaimed Charro horseman Jerry Diaz who brings this 17th century Mexican discipline to the ring.

"The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is not only the city's most unique event - but also the most diverse. The Royal offers experiences that encompass every aspect of our daily life," said Bob Jadavji, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. "From agriculture to entertainment, and everything in between, The Royal has something for everyone."

"Only at The Royal, can you see fairgoers in tuxedos and gowns milling through cattle barns," added Jadavji.

On Sunday, November 6th fairgoers can catch an authentic rodeo, complete with bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing at The Ontario Toyota Dealers Royal Rodeo. The Royal boasts a nightlife scene that can't be rivalled. From sipping champagne at the posh Tanbark Club to dancing on tables alongside cowboys at the Hitching Ring Café & Bar, The Royal proves that the magic of the fair keeps going, well after the animals hit the hay. Continue to mix and mingle with locals at The Outrageous Bull Pen Saloon, The Royal Brew House, the Bit & Bridle and the Royal Harvest Grill - a high-end restaurant committed to creating a fine-dining atmosphere. Meanwhile, The café Taste Ontario Wine Pavilion provides tutored wine tasting events for new wine drinkers and aficionados alike.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair's star attractions

Royal Horse Show

The most prestigious and important indoor equestrian event in North America, The Royal Horse Show always captivates its crowds. This year's show will amaze audiences like never before with the presence of world-famous riders including Eric Lamaze and Mark Todd, competing in Olympic disciplines such as Show Jumping and The Royal's own Indoor Eventing. Set in the impressive Ricoh Coliseum, these horse and rider performances will showcase the best in equestrian sport; combining the thrill of competition with family entertainment in a package not found anywhere else.

Agri-Food Innovation

The Agri-Food Innovation Pavilion is dedicated to educating visitors on the importance of the agriculture and food sectors and how they impact our everyday lives. The pavilion encompasses five components: healthy living, renewable energy, environmental stewardship, agriculturally based bio-products, as well as safe and locally produced food.

Journey to Your Good Health

The Journey to Your Good Health Pavilion boasts an abundant bounty of locally grown food, as well as the latest trends in functional foods. Freshly prepared samples from the Canada Food Guide are served, while registered dietitians are also on-site to answer any questions you may have about the food we eat and how it affects - and benefits - our bodies.

The President's Choice® SuperDogs Show

Drawing huge crowds for every single one of its shows, The President's Choice® SuperDogs Show remains one of The Royal's biggest attractions. From dancing Dalmatians to Frisbee-playing bulldogs, these canines are not to be missed. Several shows take place daily.

Scary Chipotle Short Film on Plight of Farmers

2011-10-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Image: Screenshot

from TreeHugger.com
by Chris Tackett, Little Rock, Arkansas

Mini Spoiler Alert: This new short film/ad/music video from Chipotle, which is based around a group of young boys exploring an abandoned farm house, highlights the ongoing plight of American farmers. But instead of the spookiness of the dark rooms and dusty belongings of the previous inhabitants, what ends up being the scariest thing of all is how close this story hits to home for many Americans. Watch the video and learn more about the project below.

Here's how Chipotle explained the video:

"Abandoned" features a cover of the Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings classic "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" sung by Karen O, lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and tells the story of three boys who are exploring and vandalizing an abandoned farmhouse. One of the boys eventually comes to the frightening realization that the abandoned home may represent the plight of his own family farm.

This is the second short film to focus on small farms from Chipotle in recent weeks. I wrote about the previous video here, which was a much happier and 100% more animated look at the shift towards factory farms and how we can and should shift back to supporting small farms.

You can view the films and find more information about what Chipotle is doing to help farmers here. Oddly part of the main ask of this campaign is to dictate what people wear for Halloween and sell discounted burritos.

I'm not sure encouraging people to buy Chipotle burritos dressed as farm animals or farmers is the best way to help fix our food system, but I suppose it's much better than having people wrap themselves in aluminum foil - "I'm a burrito, duh!" as Chipotle has done in previous years for Halloween. In any case, like I mentioned in my post on the other short film, while far from perfect, we do like that Chipotle is doing something to bring attention to the needs of small farms. Other corporate food chains would be well-served to follow the lead of Chipotle and support local ingredients and farmers.

Check out TreeHugger for 30+ fresh, green stories every day!

Josh Fox Earns An Emmy For 'Gasland'

2011-10-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Daniel Kessler, Oakland, CA

The Emmys passed again on Steve Carrell, now for the fifth time, for his service on "The Office," but the voters didn't miss when they awarded Josh Fox one of those little statues for Outstanding Direction for Nonfiction Programming for Gasland. The film was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar earlier this year, but lost out to Inside Job.

Walking onto the stage, Fox, who is fresh off getting arrested at the Tar Sands Action at the White House and marching at the Marcellus Shale protest in Philly, was not shy about expressing his views. He looked into the camera and said:

"President Obama, I hope you are paying attention. We cannot allow America to turn into a gas field."

Of course, as Treehugger readers know, that is exactly the road that we are on if action is not taken. The best reporting on this is from the NY Times' Ian Urbina, whose "Drilling Down" series can be found here. Urbina, who is under attack from the likes of Exxon, has been looking at the natural gas sector from all angels, including looking at price projections, the health costs to everyday Americans, and the climate impact.

Here's Josh talking about the tar sands. He's also hard at work on Gasland 2.

Visit TreeHugger to see what's new. 30+ fresh, green stories every day!

How a Cattle Rancher Preserves the Prairies of Montana (Video)

2011-10-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

Image credit: The Perennial Plate

The environmental case for vegetarianism, or at least eating a lot less meat, is pretty compelling. From the inherent efficiency of eating plant-based foods directly, rather than processing them through animals, to the importance of avoiding factory farms, a vegetable-heavy diet has a lot going for it. But animals can also do things we can't—namely turning grass into a valuable food, suitable for humans. And given the ecological importance of grassland prairies, the idea of a protecting valuable ecosystems while also obtaining a yield is pretty darned compelling.

Here's another beautiful, gentle video from The Perennial Plate on cattle ranching in Montana, exploring how one rancher mimics the natural influence of buffalo on the precious, prairie ecosystem.

The Perennial Plate Episode 70: The Cows and The Horses from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

From foraging for geoduck through eating roadkill to trapping feral pigs, Daniel and his vegetarian camera person Mirra often explore what it means to take a life in order to eat. But this might be one of their most visually stunning explorations of the subject yet.

But then, turn a camera on the beauty of Montana and you'd be hard pushed not to come out with something lovely. What makes this all the more compelling is the gentle, intuitive and deeply respectful way in which Bryan Ulring of J Bar L talks about caring for his animals and the land.

Visit TreeHugger to see what's new. 30+ fresh, green stories every day!

Xplornet Supports Campaign For Rural Spectrum

2011-10-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Open Letter Asks Industry Minister to Allow Rural Providers to Bid for Rural Broadband Spectrum at Auction

WOODSTOCK, New Brunswick, October 4, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada's leading provider of rural broadband services, has co-signed an open letter that calls on the Minister of Industry, Christian Paradis, to change the way spectrum is auctioned.

Rural Internet Service Providers are deeply concerned about the lack of spectrum for rural areas to build out broadband services and to expand the capacity of existing broadband services for rural Canadians. Broadband providers outside of cities use wireless signals to deliver broadband to rural and remote locations. As consumers demand more and more capacity for Internet applications, the need for the capacity that only licensed spectrum delivers is critical and growing.

However, because rural spectrum is sold together with spectrum for Canada's major cities in large geographic blocks, rural ISPs are unable to bid for and buy broadband spectrum. This precious resource ends up largely used in urban areas, even though it is desperately needed in rural.

This should be a deep concern to all Canadians. Demand for broadband capacity is growing exponentially. Without spectrum, rural Canadians could face severe restrictions on service, and a growing divide between the ability of rural and urban Canadians to access internet service. This would severely impede Canada's ability to implement a national digital strategy for all its citizens.

"Our request of the Industry Minister is remarkably simple and easy to affect - just sell urban and rural areas separately. That will allow cellular providers to buy the urban markets they want, will allow rural ISPs to bid for areas of low population density, and will bring more competition to the marketplace," said John Maduri, CEO of Xplornet Communications, "There simply is no downside to this approach - it will bring more bidders to the auction, may increase revenue for the government and will ensure that rural Canadians are not left out of Canada's digital future."

The open letter appears today in the Hill Times and will run for several weeks. It was endorsed by twelve rural ISPs and can be found here.

About Xplornet Communications Inc.

Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc. (formerly Barrett Xplore Inc.) is Canada's leading rural broadband provider, with customers and dealers in every province and territory. Xplornet aims to bridge the urban/rural digital divide by ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of where they live, has access to broadband, thereby enabling them to compete effectively in the global economy and gain access to essential government and educational services.

Telestroke the next best thing to being there, study finds

2011-10-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Ottawa Heart Institute

Innovative technology improves care and reduces costs

OTTAWA, October 4, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The use of long-distance video and data hookups to link remote community hospitals with stroke neurologists in large centres provides the same level of care as having everyone in the same room, according to a new study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

The study found that rural patients examined with the aid of a technology called Telestroke received an important stroke drug, tPA, at the same rate as patients treated in specialized urban centres, says Dr. Thomas Jeerakathil, a neurologist at the University of Alberta Hospital. The drug tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) is used to break up blood clots. It can help reverse stroke damage if administered within 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Besides providing better care to remote communities, early projections show that Telestroke resulted in more than $1 million in health-care savings over four years, Dr. Jeerakathil says.

"Telestroke is a way to bring the expert out to the rural centre to provide treatment that wouldn't otherwise be available," Dr. Jeerakathil says. "And there is no delay in treatment despite the time required to set up video conferencing equipment and examine CT scans and blood work."

In the study, an initiative of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy, University of Alberta Hospital neurologists observed the use of Telestroke in 10 primary stroke centres throughout remote parts of Northern Alberta over a four-year period.

During this time, tPA was administered to more than 500 people and, of those, 119 patients were treated with the help of Telestroke. Without access to the technology, these patients would have gone without treatment or been transferred to a bigger hospital and faced delays, says Dr. Jeerakathil.

Effective Telestroke treatment in remote areas contributed to a 50-per-cent decrease in emergency room transfers from rural areas to the University Hospital in Edmonton, says Dr. Jeerakathil. Some remote hospitals reported a decrease in transfers as high as 92 per cent.

"Cost savings are occurring while outcomes are improving and stroke mortality is decreasing in the province," says Dr. Jeerakathil.

Telestroke allows small hospitals to be designated as primary stroke centres with many of the services of a major stroke unit. These primary stroke centres have a small sectioned off area with staff specially trained in stroke care, 24-hour access to a CT scan and the ability to give tPA.

"Telestroke is severely under-utilized in Canada," says Dr. Antoine Hakim, CEO and Scientific Director of the Canadian Stroke Network. "An audit of stroke care in Canada showed that fewer than 1 per cent of stroke patients received a Telestroke consultation. This study undeniably proves that Telestroke saves both lives and money."

"Providing stroke patients fast and seamless access to stroke services regardless of where one lives in Canada will save lives and reduce disability," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Michael Hill. "Telestroke is another way that technology allows for an easy, cost-effective way to bridge geographic barriers to smoothly link stroke specialists with communities where on- site stroke care does not exist."

There are about 50,000 new strokes in Canada each year and 315,000 Canadians living with the after-effects of a stroke.

The Canadian Stroke Network (canadianstrokenetwork.ca) is a national research network headquartered at the University of Ottawa. It includes scientists, clinicians and health-policy experts committed to reducing the impact of stroke.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation ( heartandstroke.ca), a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

Young Ontarians are Least Aware of Where their Food Comes From

2011-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

photo credit: fadedgenes via Flickr

Farmers Feed Cities Promotes Education Early On

GUELPH, Ontario, October 4, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - To celebrate Ontario Agriculture Week (October 3 - 9, 2011), Farmers Feed Cities surveyed Ontarians, discovering consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of farming, yet younger generations are relatively unaware of where their food is grown.

According to a recent survey, 97 per cent of Ontarians agree that farming is important to the province's economic strength, health and wellbeing and sustainable environmental future.

While Ontarians are taking strides in understanding the relevance of farming and its impact on the province, the results illustrate a clear gap between generations. On average, only 41 per cent of the younger generation (18-34) claim to be aware of where their food is grown while 62 per cent of adults (35-54) and 68 per cent of adults (55+) are aware of their food's origin. Farmers Feed Cities is working to bridge this gap through education.

"With Ontario Agriculture Week underway, there's no better time to understand your food's journey from farm to fork," says Jenny Van Rooy, Campaign Coordinator, Farmers Feed Cities. "The province's older generation has a strong understanding of farming and the food process. It's time to share the knowledge by bringing the farm story to the entire family."

With less than 2 per cent of Canadians directly involved in farming, there is a significant misunderstanding among the Canadian public of farming and how food is produced. This school year, Farmers Feed Cities is taking action, launching the Friend a Farmer program in partnership with Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC), AGCare, and Ontario Agri-Food Education (OAFE). The program provides an interactive opportunity for school children to learn about why farming in Ontario is important through building relationships with real farmers.

"Farmers Feed Cities wants to foster a generation of informed consumers," says Van Rooy. "Children are filled with constant curiosity and we want to be there with the right answers to help revitalize the public attitude and perception towards Ontario's farming community."

The survey reveals Ontarians are ready to focus on the farm, finding respondents were overwhelmingly (93 per cent) interested in supporting Farmers Feed Cities - a campaign committed to increasing the understanding of the value that farmers contribute to Ontario's economic, physical and social health; and to ensure a sustainable future for farmers in Ontario.

About Farmers Feed Cities:

A stronger farming industry means a stronger Ontario. That's why Farmers Feed Cities highlights how farmers grow food for families to ensure a healthy and strong future for generations to come.

The Farmers Feed Cities campaign was developed in 2005, and is an initiative of Ontario Grains & Oilseeds - a coalition of Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Bean Producers' Marketing Board, Ontario Canola Growers' Association, Ontario Coloured Bean Growers' Association and Seed Corn Growers of Ontario. Collectively these groups represent more than 28,000 farmers.

For more information, visit www.FarmersFeedCities.com.

Follow us:@FarmsFeedCities
Like our page: www.facebook.com/FarmersFeedCities

University of Guelph Students Help Rebuild Goderich After Tornado

2011-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario September 27, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Students across the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) are helping Goderich, Ont., to recover from widespread damage sustained when a powerful tornado Aug. 21 struck “Canada’s Prettiest Town.”

Profs. Wayne Caldwell, director of the SEDRD, and Lise Burcher are among SEDRD faculty who have begun projects allowing students to apply their knowledge and support the community following the natural disaster.

“The tornado in Goderich demonstrates how vulnerable we all are to the effects of man-made and natural disasters. Not only did the tornado destroy many businesses and homes – it impacted services and service delivery,” Caldwell said. “I quickly realized that our SEDRD students could help the community in a number of ways to get back on its feet.”

Students in the rural planning and development (RPD) program are helping to create a consultation model for the town. Besides helping Goderich engage its citizens in decision-making and developing a vision, the class is writing a manual for possible use in communities across North America. The manual will outline best practices for community engagement after a natural disaster.

On Sept. 24, Burcher’s fourth-year bachelor of landscape architecture (BLA) students served as focus group facilitators for the town’s first public meeting and community workshop on parks and public spaces.

Guelph BLA students and RPD master’s students are designing concepts and plans for public spaces devastated by the tornado, such as the historic Courthouse Square and Park.

“The students will develop an initial research piece on a number of topics, including the civic square, heritage resources, intensification opportunities and urban forestry strategies,” Burcher said. “Their background research then will be made available to the community of Goderich as the foundation for conceptual design proposals.”

Guelph students will visit Goderich several times this semester, beginning with the public meeting.

Mid-semester, they will present preliminary rebuilding designs for community input. They will present final scenarios near the end of the semester.

Later this fall, BLA students will help Goderich residents to plant trees under Wellington County’s Green Legacy Program.

Students in SEDRD’s capacity development and extension program are documenting Goderich residents’ stories of the tornado.

“Our hope is that sharing their stories will contribute to the healing process,” Caldwell said. “The stories could be turned into a play, led by local residents and the theatre production shared with the community.”

U of G’s bachelor and master’s programs in landscape architecture – established in 1964 and 1973, respectively – are among the oldest professional programs of their kind in Canada. The master's in rural planning is the only program of its' kind in North America and the Master's in Capacity Development and Extension is the only program in the world that teaches capacity development in the context of agriculture and rural studies.

Calling on Canadians to Donate Turkeys this Thanksgiving

2011-09-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

photo credit: rdcreative via Flickr

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, September 23, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - At their General Business Meeting in Toronto, yesterday, the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) Board of Directors presented a cheque for $62,000 to Food Banks Canada's Vice-Chair Brian Meagher, and Executive Director, Katharine Schmidt. The third annual donation of over $50,000 will assist thousands of Canadian families. The funds will be distributed in September to many rural food banks across Canada, targeted to those most in need. Those food banks selected will purchase whole turkeys or turkey parts for their community, for distribution at Thanksgiving.

"We wanted to continue our partnership with Food Banks Canada," said TFC Chair, Mark Davies, "because we know that the holiday period is a time when families come together to celebrate, yet many families are struggling."

Since 2009, TFC has donated $50,000 annually to Food Banks Canada. The Turkey Farmers of Ontario, Manitoba Turkey Producers and Turkey Farmers of New Brunswick have also contributed funds in 2011, raising the overall total donation to $62,000. In addition, a number of Provincial Turkey Boards make contributions to food banks in their regions throughout the year by participating in local food drives, donating turkeys during the holiday seasons, and collaborating on fundraising events.

"Turkey meat is an excellent source of protein that our community so desperately needs," says Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada. She stressed "so our member food banks are thrilled to be chosen to receive this support from Turkey Farmers of Canada." Schmidt went on to say, "more help is always appreciated, so anyone wishing to contribute a turkey to their local community food bank can do so in person or by donating online at https://secure.supportfoodbankscanada.ca/DonateGen.aspx?L=2&CCID=27&MSP=126".

Close to 900,000 Canadians turn to food banks in an average month and, of these, 38% are children. Rural food banks make up nearly half of food banks in the country. TFC has represented Canadian turkey farmers for over 37 years, encouraging cooperation throughout the Canadian turkey industry and acting as the voice for Canadian turkey farmers both domestically and internationally.

Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America

2011-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/ruralatlas/

The United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS)

"promotes the well-being of rural America through research and analysis to better understand the economic, demographic, environmental, and social forces affecting rural regions and communities."

Part of this work includes the creation of this remarkable atlas, which provides a

"spatial interpretation of county-level, economic and social conditions along four dimensions: people, jobs, agriculture, and county classifications."

The atlas allows users to view county-level maps for over 60 socioeconomic indicators via the interactive map here.

It is quite easy to use, and there's also a pop-up box for each county that provides easy access to additional demographic information.

Visitors can also download the data sets for each indicator from the "Download the Data" tab. [KMG]

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

The Future of Food: Why Farmers Are Being Driven Off The Land

2011-09-23T07:53:00.001-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto

Chris Turner, author of the Geography of Hope and The Leap, (which I will be reviewing shortly), writes a wonderful article in the Walrus about how "The growing gap between what they produce and what they earn is driving many farmers off the land." One farmer describes the fundamental problem in the business:

There are two problems with traditional farming. The first is that a combine costs about as much as a house. The second is that someone else tells you what your product is worth.

The article is an eye-opening explanation of how the modern farm works, how farmers have to "get big or get out."

On farms today, everything has to work better than ever. Faster and more efficient, bigger and smarter, more precise and timely. The system is optimized to deliver the maximum yield per hectare, at the lowest possible cost per unit of production, guided by a largely undeclared continental food regime sometimes called "the cheap food policy." In the history of agriculture, no one has ever paid less for their calories than contemporary North Americans do.

Excellent reading in The Walrus

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Organic Meadow Launches New Music Video on YouTube

2011-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Unique marketing initiative for dairy farmers' co-op "captures the company culture"

GUELPH, Ontario, September 21, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Organic Meadow Inc., Canada's first organic dairy company and one of Canada's leading organic brands, today launched a new marketing effort that's both novel for the company and distinctive within the dairy industry.

A 2.5 minute music video has been posted on YouTube as well as on the Organic Meadow website. Produced by Imported Artists, the video is a definite departure for Organic Meadow in terms of its overall national marketing program and, generally speaking, for the dairy category. To-date, Organic Meadow marketing efforts have traditionally revolved around print advertising, in-store sampling, sponsorships and public relations.

"We wanted to do something different that would allow us to demonstrate the true nature of who we are and what we do. It made sense to try a new medium to reach new audiences with our story," said Ted Zettel, General Manager, co-founder of Organic Meadow and a lead performer in the video. "The video reflects the integrity of our brand, our people and our way of life. It really is all about 'clean living' and working for tomorrow in everything we do today."

In addition to launching a new interactive website, the last year has seen Organic Meadow expand its capacity, operations and distribution capabilities by opening a new dairy in Guelph - a 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art processing facility and the first new Ontario independent dairy constructed in more than 20 years - plus a new 22,000 sq. ft. warehouse complete with bulk and rack storage, a cooler section plus a freezer section.

To increase viewership of the new video in coming months, the company will mobilize an on-line advertising campaign across various high-profile, targeted media outlets.

Visit the Organic Meadow website at www.organicmeadow.com

The business case for investing in Canada's remote communities

2011-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Tovver via Flickr
ST. JOHN'S, September 19, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Elyse Allan, President and Chief Executive Officer, GE Canada, and Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, released this morning a report entitled :The Business Case for Investing in Canada's Remote Communities at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Annual General Meeting in St-john's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

As Canada seeks to strengthen its position as a competitive nation in an increasingly global economy, GE Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, undertook the initiative to place a business lens on the economic opportunities, challenges, best practices and business investment intentions in remote communities. During the first half of 2011, GE Canada sought the perspectives of businesspeople through roundtables in communities across Canada and an on online survey. At the same time, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce consulted with several of its members and other stakeholders.

"Canadians have to start looking at our remote communities differently", stated Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "Our collective economic wellbeing and our international competitiveness could well depend upon the public policies adopted today that leverage the economic possibilities of many of these communities and their potential to contribute to our nation's wealth".

"Canada's remote communities can pack a powerful economic punch. There is great optimism. Business investment combined with progressive public policy will unleash significant opportunities for remote communities and for Canada as a nation." said Elyse Allan.

MAIN FINDINGS

If all Canadians are to fully benefit from the potential of our remote communities, the federal government must take the lead in developing a long-term strategy that paves the way for remote communities to reap the rewards of economic development. While this long-term work is underway, the Canadian Chamber proposes more immediate measures the federal government—working alone, with the provinces/territories and/or with business—can take to create the policy environment needed to encourage private sector investment in remote communities.

This policy environment needs to include the following:

...skills and training programs flexible enough to accommodate the economic realities of individual communities and the alternate training models that may be required to deliver effective results in partnership with business whenever possible;

...effective transition support for those leaving remote communities to pursue studies in urban centres;

...tools to allow Canadian businesses and stakeholders in remote communities to familiarize themselves with each others' business practices, governments, agencies, laws and regulations;

...a reduction in business' regulatory burden by adopting a standardized "one project-one assessment approach" that harmonizes federal and provincial/territorial statutes and regulations;

...looking to the possibilities associated with extending broadband telecommunications to remote regions—and business models for delivering the services associated with them—as a model for engaging the private sector in other types of infrastructure construction and services delivery. This includes the government acting as a lead user and creator of demand;

...assisting stakeholders to pool their resources to address infrastructure gaps through using online tools, pilot projects and considering commercial applications for public infrastructure projects; and

...addressing the "investment vs. subsidy dilemma" for investing in remote communities. There is the perception that public dollars used to improve infrastructure in remote communities are subsidies.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal government. It helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families across Canada with a network of over 420 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 192,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions. News and information are available at www.chamber.ca

Poultry groups pleased with ongoing support to foster agriculture research

2011-09-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

OTTAWA, September 16, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Canada's national poultry organizations welcome the strong commitment of the Government of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to ensuring that there is a solid network of agriculture research infrastructure across the country. Announcements this week demonstrate the Canadian government's continued support for agriculture research.

As innovation is one of the keys to our success, Canada's poultry industry shares the government's commitment to research. Research allows our sectors to grow as we look for more and new ways to make our products even better and to respond to evolving consumer preferences.

In recognition of the importance of research, the five national poultry organizations established the Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC) in 2001, with a mandate to implement research that addresses current and future needs of the poultry sectors. To date, CPRC members have approved nearly $3.0 million in research funding through the CPRC.

"Canadian poultry and egg farmers have earned the trust of Canadians by continually committing to programs in research, food safety and animal care," said David Fuller, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada, "We will continue to work closely with the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, CPRC and other stakeholders to ensure that we remain responsive to the needs of the industry, and innovative through our ongoing support of poultry research."

Through CPRC, we coordinate and enhance the poultry research effort in Canada, securing funding and establishing poultry research priorities. The government support for the poultry agri-science cluster under the Growing Canadian Agri-Innovations Program has allowed CPRC to focus a critical mass of scientific resources on the industry's priority issues. Bruce Roberts, CPRC's new Executive Director, says, "CPRC looks forward to working with AAFC to strengthen and deepen the poultry cluster."

"Research has always been a strong priority for poultry and egg producers," said Jack Greydanus, Chair of the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, "We have always been in favour of science-based approaches to improve our industries in a wide array of areas."

Canada's poultry farmers are supportive of new research and technologies that will bring further improvements to our production systems and, by extension, added value to the food chain and human health.

Supermarket Sausage Ad Banned as Misleading: Not Shocking Enough (Video)

2011-09-15T09:31:00.001-07:00

Image credit: Tesco

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

Often, when we hear of censorship of film, it's because the footage is too shocking or disturbing. Not so in the case of UK supermarket Tesco's sausage ad. It's found itself banned by the country's Advertising Standards Authority because, basically, it wasn't shocking enough. Apparently the pigs that end up in the company's bangers are not raised in quite as happy conditions as the image above would suggest...

I've taken issue before with selective use of both footage and data by animal rights activists, but there's no doubt that the primary culprit in misinformation and misleading imagery about farming is the farming industry itself, and the retail establishments that it supplies.

From milk labels adorned with frolicking cows and old-timey barns to ads like the one above, consumers are constantly fed an unrealistic and overly rosy image of the food system we rely on. But The Guardian reports that Tesco found itself in hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority for an ad that strongly suggested its sausages were produced using free-range meat:

"The pigs were shown wandering unrestricted outside and, within the indoor barn scene, the barn door was shown to be open and the pigs' movement unrestricted," the regulator added.

The ASA said viewers were "likely to interpret the ad to mean that the pigs ... were reared in an unrestricted environment and had access to outdoor pasture". "Since we understood that was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading."

With some US States seeking to ban factory farm photography, this is a useful reminder that regulations can work in favor of animal rights and consumer transparency too.

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Horses in the Hills at Destination Equitation

2011-09-15T06:55:00.001-07:00

September 15, 2011 - from the Hills of Headwaters newsletter

September 24th to October 2nd

Join us for 9-days of fun-filled equine activity throughout the Town of Erin, Town of Caledon and Dufferin County. There's something for everyone, from families with young children to equine enthusiasts of all abilities.

The Hills of Headwaters region of Ontario is one of the most concentrated equestrian areas in the province of Ontario. Throughout the hills of Caledon, Erin and Dufferin County (including Orangeville, Mono, Mulmur, Amaranth, East Garafaxa and East Luther Grand Valley) you will find some of the country’s premier horse breeding farms, coaching and training facilities, riding schools, boarding stables, equestrian ranches, suppliers (including farriers, veterinarians, feed, bedding and tack shops) and a wide range of equestrian events.

Breeders' Parade of Horses - Main Street, Erin
Saturday, September 24th - 5pm to 6pm

Join us for the grand opening of Destination Equitation and see over 200 horses, of all breeds and sizes, parading along the Main Street of Erin, one of Ontario's most charming century villages. Parade will be broadcast live on Erin Radio.

The Hills of Headwaters region is one of the most spectacular and picturesque regions of Ontario, especially during the fall colour season. This year, get in your car and take part in Destination Equitation, the only event of its kind in the entire province of Ontario, all set amidst the backdrop of charming heritage villages, and a spectacular blaze of stunning fall colours.

For a listing of Destination Equitation activities visit www.horsesinthehills.ca

Perth County Presents... Church Hill Farm

2011-09-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Church Hill Farm is family owned and operated by Max, Vicki Lass and their two children.

Located in the heart of Southwestern Ontario, our goal is to provide chefs and retail clients with products which have a distinct flavour and quality.

Focusing primarily on the restaurant market within our local community, we hope to introduce our customers to meats which have been raised the way our forefathers used to raise them, resulting in a more flavourful, wholesome meat and a great eating experience.

Although we are not in the business of farm gate sales, we do offer an order service for special occasions or corporate gift giving. We are proud to lovingly raise our meats near Punkeydoodle’s Corners, Ontario. We thank you for your interest in our product.

Watch this video to learn more about their humanely raised, pasture fed, free-range beef, pork, lamb and poultry.

A new smart phone application developed by U of G researchers makes its debut at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock

2011-09-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

photo credit: redrhinolondon via Flickr

GUELPH, Ontario September 13, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release - Farmers can use the app – Aphid Advisor – to decide whether or not to use insecticide to control aphids on soybeans, based on numbers of aphids and their natural enemies.

The app was developed by Prof. Rebecca Hallett, School of Environmental Sciences (SES); Tracey Baute, a field crop entomologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA); and Christie Bahlai, a U of G grad student in environmental biology. It’s based on research conducted in SES and the Department of Plant Agriculture.

As night-time temperatures cooled in late August, the number of soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) in eastern Ontario rapidly increased and was also expected to rise in central and southern Ontario. Without enough lady beetle predators, soybean aphids can overwhelm plants, causing premature flower drop, stunted stems and fewer seeds. Prolonged exposure to high pest densities can seriously lower crop yields.

Said Hallett,

“The soybean aphid is an alien invasive insect that can take an economic toll on soybean farming, but most soybean agro-ecosystems in Ontario have a rich abundance of natural enemies that can reduce aphid population growth.

“Aphid Advisor helps raise awareness of the powerful role that beneficial insects, such as predatory beetles and parasitic wasps, can have in controlling soybean aphid populations. The app may help to reduce or even eliminate insecticide applications for soybean aphid control.”

In the field, farmers can use the app’s high-quality photographs to help identify natural aphid enemies.

Information and demonstrations of the Aphid Advisor will be available at COFS. Canada’s largest agricultural trade show will open Tuesday.

Now undergoing final testing, Aphid Advisor is currently available only for the BlackBerry.

Hallett plans to adapt the app for other devices.

“It's very exciting to see a piece of research through from the lab and field into the hands of end users in this way,” she said. “In the next phase of development, we hope to include site-specific temperature forecasts, which will give a more accurate picture of how aphid populations might change and would also allow the app to be used in areas outside of southern Ontario.”

The research was funded by the Agri-Food and Rural Link. The app was programmed by Agnition, a local company in mobile farming applications. The pilot version of the app is now available for BlackBerry devices (OS 5 or higher) and can be downloaded free at www.aphidapp.com.

COFS brings together industry partners that are enthusiastic about opportunities to work with the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) faculty and students. At COFS, the OAC will offer an introduction to recent initiatives. Teachers and prospective students interested in agriculture and food issues are invited to visit the OAC exhibit.

Known as the nation’s premier outdoor agricultural trade show, COFs, which runs through Sept. 15 at Canada’s Outdoor Park, features 715 exhibitors showcasing the latest agricultural products and services. More information about COFS is available online.

Watch the COFS 2011 video...

LEED Gold Certification Awarded: Walkerton Clean Water Centre

2011-09-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) excels in LEED building assessment.

WALKERTON, Ontario, September 13, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - WCWC staff and board of directors are celebrating a recent Certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold designation, a goal they have been striving for since the facility opened in June 2010. LEED is an international third-party building assessment system administered in Canada by the Canada Green Building Council.

"The new Walkerton Clean Water Centre is one of the most environmentally conscious buildings in Bruce County. We have lower energy and water costs, and better lighting and air quality than a regular building. Our purpose is to serve the Ontario water sector from our exceptional new headquarters in Walkerton." - Dr. Laurence F. (Larry) Moore, Chief Executive Officer, WCWC.

The new facility has surpassed the amount of points required for the Certified LEED Gold designation by meeting or exceeding each credit's technical requirements. During construction recyclable and reusable materials were separated from waste at the site, diverting 73 per cent of waste from the landfill. An approximate 9,950 square metres as designated open green space protects the land from future development. Bike racks, prime carpooling and hybrid vehicle parking spots have been included in the project.

The interior of the building meets all water-related LEED credits and is predicted to use 78 per cent less indoor water than a conventional building. The water conservation credits were met by making use of in-ground cisterns to collect water for re-use in the irrigation system. Energy-saving devices include a ground source heat pump and a solar hot water heater. Occupancy sensors activate lighting only in occupied areas or in insufficient daylight. WCWC uses exclusively EcoLogo certified products as part of the new housekeeping program. Indoor air quality is a top priority of WCWC, achieving all air quality credits available under LEED for such initiatives as using only low-VOC (volatile organic compound) sealants, adhesives and paint.

"The new building has great air quality, which has improved my productivity, general health and well-being." - Linda Cranston, Technology Demonstration & Research Administrative Assistant.

Background

The Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, in existence for the sole purpose of safeguarding and protecting Ontario's drinking water by providing operator training, practical research, technology demonstration and support for the development of new technologies and services. Hands-on training on operation and maintenance of water treatment, monitoring and distribution equipment is available to owners, operators, researchers and students of Ontario's drinking water systems, including those serving small, remote and First Nations systems. Since its inception in 2004, the WCWC has trained more than 30,000 participants.

The modern new facility increases WCWC's training capacity with two more training rooms and a larger area for hands-on training and technology demonstration. The facility opened in June 2010, achieving Certified LEED Gold designation by the Canada Green Building Council in August 2011.

For more information visit www.wcwc.ca

Record prices reported for Ontario farmland as demand and commodities surge, says RE/MAX

2011-09-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Serious inventory shortage characterizes the market

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, September 12, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Rising agricultural commodity values and tight inventory levels have seriously contributed to a significant upswing in the price of Ontario farmland in 2011, according to a report released today by RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

The RE/MAX Market Trends Report - Farm Edition 2011 found that shortages exist in the vast majority of centres studied, with pent-up demand fuelling unprecedented momentum virtually across the province. Upward pressure on acreage values has been consistent as a result. Of the 12 major agricultural communities examined, 11 (92 per cent) reported tight inventory levels, while nine (75 per cent) noted an increase in price per acre. Despite the current volatility in commodity prices, the long-term prospects for the agricultural industry continue to be bolstered by global realities, including population growth, an international grain shortage and decreased availability of quality farmland from a worldwide perspective.

"Farming operations are increasing in size as today's farmers seek to boost production through the accumulation of acreage," says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. "On a national scale, the average farm has tripled in size over the past 50 years. Much of the current expansion is attributed to the booming cash crop business. The shortage of quality farmland has sparked serious competition and exerted upward pressure on prices - a trend that is expected to continue. With commodities on the upswing and greater export opportunities to supply emerging markets, Ontario farmers are now strategically positioning themselves to compete on a world stage."

Farmers have invested heavily in capital expenditures in recent years, spending millions on farm equipment to maximize efficiencies. As commodity prices have risen, so too have the price per acre of workable farmland. The most expensive farmland in the province is found in the Holland Marsh/Bradford area, where prices can climb as high as $20,000 per acre. New Liskeard boasts the greatest affordability, where the price per acre of tiled farmland can run from $1,300 to $2,500.

Expansion, while serving to bolster demand, has also caused a shift in the composition of Ontario farmland. There has been a marked decline in the number of smaller farms, while larger operations continue to increase in size. This was evident in all Ontario markets, especially as smaller acreages are harder to come by due to amalgamation and restrictions on severances. The trend—which has been ongoing for years—is supported by the most recent Census data, which shows that the number of overall farms in Ontario shrank from 85,015 in 2001 to 82,410 in 2006. Farmers are acquiring land by either purchasing—their first preference—or renting from adjacent farmers. Because of the severe shortage of farmland listings, the demand for leased land has surged—a fact that has also driven rental rates to new highs within the province. Given this, retiring farmers are increasingly opting to hold on to their land and lease it to neighbours. The strategy—while exacerbating the supply problem—has proven profitable in recent years and less volatile than other forms of investment such as the stock market.

"There are a number of clear signs that the market is quite heated at present," notes Polzler. "In addition to supply and demand, the trend toward door-knocking and private sales has increased. Another factor is the presence of investors—a small, but growing segment of buyers. Until recently, investment activity—common in Western Canadian farmland markets—was a rare phenomenon in Ontario. The trend is a promising one, indicating growing confidence in the future of Ontario's agricultural real estate."

While investors represent a small percentage of farmland holdings, it's estimated that end users account for 95 per cent of Ontario farm ownership—a fact that bodes well for the ongoing health and stability of the market. Not surprisingly, investors have been most active in areas where considerable urban sprawl is underway, including Barrie, Innisfil and Bradford, where progress has driven prime development land prices upwards of $20,000 to as much as $100,000 an acre in some pockets. Pending construction—which in some cases can be years down the road—developers are renting the parcels to local farmers in a bid to preserve farm status and a lower tax rate.

Diversification also continues to prop-up demand as farmers seek to maximize the potential of their operations. Far from traditional mom and pop businesses, many of today's farms are complex, multi-faceted enterprises. Some supply-managed farmers are choosing to acquire additional land to branch out into cash cropping, while others seek to capitalize on energy and environmental trends. A growing number of farmers are entering into contracts to host wind or solar power projects, while others opt to permit the extraction of gas and natural resources, as seen in markets like Chatham-Kent and Windsor and Essex County. These arrangements have provided an alternate source of income and underscored the budding possibilities that exist for land owners.

The farmland segment comprises a small portion of real estate sales in Canada. *Yet, the land supports an industry (primary farming) that accounted for 1.7 per cent of total GDP. Overall the agriculture and related agri-food system accounted of 8.2 per cent of total GDP or $98 billion dollars in 2009 and supported one in eight (two million) Canadian jobs. Ontario and Quebec account for the largest share of employment (70 per cent) in agriculture and food processing. Canada is the fourth-largest food exporter globally, with exports valued at $35.2 billion. In 2009, Canadian grain and grain products were exported to over 110 countries worldwide.

To access the full RE/MAX Market Trends Report: Farm Edition 2011, click here: http://goo.gl/q5VJD

RE/MAX is Canada's leading real estate organization with over 18,500 sales associates situated throughout more than 700 independently-owned and operated offices in Canada. The RE/MAX network, now in its 38th year, is a global real estate system operating in over 80 countries, with more than 6,200 independently-owned offices and over 89,000 member sales associates. RE/MAX realtors lead the industry in professional designations, experience and production while providing real estate services in residential, commercial, referral, and asset management. For more information, visit: www.remax.ca.

*Source: An Overview of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food System (2011), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

8 Ways to Save Energy While Working from Home

2011-09-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: dierken via Flickr CC

from TreeHugger.com
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California

Think lists of how to save energy is so 2007? Well, with more and more people working from home, we think it's time to dust off a few trusty tricks for curbing electricity consumption without curbing productivity. Working from home has been shown to have its environmental benefits, from reducing road congestion to cutting down on office building energy consumption -- but there's a lot you can do to make it even more green and reduce your energy bill. Here are eight easy places to start.

1. Open The Curtains

There's no need for wasting energy on desk lamps or overhead lights if you're getting enough natural light. Choose the brightest room in the apartment or house in which to work, and keep the curtains open to let the light pour in. It can brighten both the room and possibly your productivity since natural light is known to boost one's mood.

2. Unplug

Productivity is highest when you're not distracted, and that goes for blinking lights, ringing phones, and blaring television sets. When working from home, unplug everything you're not using right then for work, including printers, gadget chargers, extra computers or monitors and so on. You'll cut down on vampire energy wasted on wall warts, energy sapped by electronics on standby, or electricity sucked up by electronics you aren't really focused on.

3. Work From Cafes

Another way to save money on electricity and avoid getting cabin fever is to go work from a cafe or other location. Spending $5 on coffee and a bagel can get you a good two, maybe even three hours of plugging in from a pleasant location where you can take a mental break by people watching for five minutes every so often. You might not save a lot of money in the long run, but you'll get food, drinks and atmosphere instead of just an electricity bill.

4. Work Smarter Hours, Not Longer Hours

Perhaps the most direct way to save electricity while working from home is to cut down on the number of hours you're on the computer. By honing your work day and cutting down on time spent wasted on social media sites or surfing the web because you're procrastinating, you can potentially free yourself from the computer earlier in the day. If you're able to get your work completed in six hours instead of eight, you can hop off the computer and head outside, saving the amount of energy you would have gobbled up in that last hour or two.

5. Plug Into Smart Devices

Okay, say you don't want to unplug everything you're not using, and you're not likely to cut back your working hours. The next best solution is to use a device to manage the flow of electricity to electronics, and cut the supply when not needed. TrickleStar, for example, has products that regulate energy going to particular devices so that you can use your computer but cut standby power going to your printer. You can use this for your work equipment as well as devices elsewhere in your home. You can also try out a power monitor to find out which devices are costing you the most and figure out usage patterns that can help you save.

6. Use Energy Efficient Equipment

Are you using monitors that suck up electricity like nobody's business? Or maybe you're using a browser on your laptop that's known to suck up the electricity? You might want to make a trade-in on your gear or software. If you're looking for new equipment with lower energy consumption, check out buy-back companies that sell used and refurbished equipment. It's both cheaper and greener.

7. Set Up Your Computer for Energy Savings

Your computer has a ton of built-in settings for saving energy. By checking your settings and making a few tweaks you can save just a bit more on your electricity bill. If you set things up right, you might even be able to unplug your laptop forever!

8. Minimize Your Gadgets

Without sacrificing ergonomics, you can minimize how many electronics you're using, from extra monitors to wireless keyboards. Think about what you absolutely need for your set-up, and give away or store those electronic devices you don't really need to have plugged in. Gadget minimalists can save a ton of electricity without trying hard.

Bonus Tip: Sign Up for Renewable Energy

Okay so this won't necessarily save you any electricity, but it will help cut your carbon footprint. Sign up for renewable energy from your utility to ensure that energy entering your home is from renewable sources as much as possible. This way what electricity you do use has the lowest environmental impact.

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Canada Foundation for Innovation Invests in U of G Research, Innovation

2011-09-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario September 01, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Researchers at the University of Guelph who are striving to find solutions for some of today’s pressing global issues — biodiversity conservation, clean water, physical and mental health ailments — have received nearly $700,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The investment, announced today by Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science and technology), and CFI president and CEO Gilles Patry, will support scientists using DNA barcoding technology to better understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and human impacts on the arctic, tropical and temperate environments.

It will also assist psychology professors examining how the Internet influences teens who engage in self-injury, engineers developing new wastewater treatments, and food scientists creating products to improve human health.

“University of Guelph researchers are setting the bar when it comes to innovations and discoveries that will help fill knowledge gaps, which are adversely affecting human and environmental health,” said Kevin Hall, vice-president (research).

“Not only will these projects result in significant advancements in the fields of ecology, food science, engineering and psychology, but they will also link research outcomes to practical applications, improving everyday life for Canadians.”

The funding comes from CFI’s Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), intended to allow Canadian universities to attract and retain leading faculty and researchers. LOF recipients apply for matching funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Integrative biology professors Sarah Adamowicz, Mehrdad Hajibabaei and Alex Smith received $375,000 to purchase state-of-the art equipment to support their collaborative research program in biodiversity science.

Using genetic tools, the trio is surveying biodiversity and conducting ecological and evolutionary research in the Canadian Arctic, in Algonquin Provincial Park, Wood Buffalo National Park and other Canadian parks, and in the Area de Conservacion in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The goal is to quantify the extent, structure, interactions and future of biodiversity in all of the regions, and compare patterns across groups and locations. The new knowledge gained will enhance technology development and help protect the arctic, forest and tropical ecosystems.

“Our research is a combination of classical and next-generation biodiversity science,” Smith said. “We are all honoured to receive this support from CFI and the Canadian and Ontario governments.”

Hajibabaei added:

“The infrastructure provided for in this grant is a critical part of maintaining research readiness for the influx of students, collaborators and projects that we are growing and sponsoring at U of G. It will be key to maintaining our position at the forefront of the field of biodiversity science.”

All three professors are connected to the Guelph-based Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), which is the scientific hub for the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) project. It involves 200 researchers from 26 countries creating a barcode reference library for all life and developing new technologies to access and applying DNA barcoding.

Psychology professor Stephen Lewis will use his nearly $65,000 grant to support his research into non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among teenagers. He’s looking at the nature and impact of NSSI material online and is creating a research program to help youth who engage in this activity and those with other mental health issues.

Prof. Sheng Chang received more than $124,000 to build a process lab in the School of Engineering. He’s working to develop advanced membrane bioreactor technologies for biological wastewater treatment, water reclamation and energy recovery.

Food science professor Lisa Duizer will use her $124,000 grant for equipment in her sensory evaluation laboratory. Here she studies flavours and tastes of food products to better understanding the effects of ingredient manipulation and substitution on sensory quality. This includes creating and testing new health products.

Lab Grown Meat Just 6 Months Away, Scientists Say

2011-09-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Fresh--from the lab? Photo: Fabrice de Nola via Flickr/CC BY-SA

from TreeHugger.com
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

It's long been an electrifying possibility: Red meat without the environmental drawbacks. Meat without animal cruelty. Meat without industrial scale cattle ranches, without the vast drain on resources required to raise millions of cows. Meat without the forestland razed for grazing room, without the methane emissions.

In an attempt to bring about such a world, researchers have been diligently pursuing laboratory-grown meat for years. Supermarkets are in line to sell it. And evidently, a breakthrough is near: some scientists speculate that we might see the first lab-grown sausage arrive in just six months. Six months after that -- a hamburger.

So sayeth some of the field's leading researchers, including Mark Post, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The New Scientist reports that

"Post has experimented mainly with pig cells and has recently developed a way to grow muscle under lab conditions - by feeding pig stem cells with horse fetal serum. He has produced muscle-like strips, each 2.5 centimetres long and 0.7 centimetres wide."

Mmmmmm. Horse fetal serum probably tastes just like barbeque sauce.

The lab-grown meat feels and behaves a lot like regular meat -- in part because Post actually manually exercises the synthetic tissue. With Velcro. Seriously. Here's the New Scientist again:

"Post makes sure his tissue strips receive daily exercise to give them the same constitution as real muscle. He anchors them onto Velcro before stretching the cells away from the surface."

If there's any way to make a scene involving pig stem cells and horse fetal serum sound less appetizing, it's probably tossing in the image of somebody yanking and pulling at the stuff with Velcro. Regardless, Post is growing closer to being satisfied with the results. The lab meat's appearance is still an issue (it looks anemic and whitish) but if he's on to aesthetic concerns, then this stuff is probably more than ready for McDonald's.

And there are real-world reasons to be rooting for the rise of lab meat -- it requires much less water to make lab meat than real meat (cows and pigs consume prodigious amounts of feed, which must be grown as crops), and 99% less land. It's much more efficient to just grow the meat you'll eat, and not raise entire animals for the slaughter. By some counts, it could reduce harmful emissions by a stunning 96%. Sure, there will be an endless well of health questions to be answered, and anyone distrustful of GMOs will surely be skeptical of lab burgers. But if we could feasibly replace industrial scale cattle farming with industrial scale laboratory meat manufacturing, it would almost certainly be a net gain to both society and the global environment.

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Prioritizing Conservation Over Farming Does Not Protect Nature

2011-08-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

From small-scale agriculture boosting global food production to reinventing our entire food system, the case for radical agricultural reform has been made many times over. Science Daily reports on a new analysis resulting from the joined forces of the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) that argues we can no longer pursue conservation and agricultural production as separate activities or goals. The key lies not in creating separate nature reserves and intensified, efficient agriculture—but rather in redesigning our food production systems so that they protect and enhance the natural world and produce the food we need to survive:

"Blanket prohibitions against cultivation do not always reduce ecosystem destruction and can make things worse," said Matthew McCartney of IWMI, who co-authored the report. "For example, the grassy 'dambo' wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa often provide vital farmland to the rural poor. Banning farming in these areas, however, has exacerbated rather than reduced ecosystem destruction. It has prompted deforestation upstream and led to a shift from farming to grazing in the wetlands themselves so that, overall, there has been a much greater impact on these natural systems. What is needed is a balance: appropriate farming practices that support sustainable food production and protect ecosystems."

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Buying Local Plums Proves to be Difficult in England

2011-08-30T07:24:00.001-07:00

Photo: yingyangskincare

from TreeHugger.com
by Bonnie Alter, London

It's the best British plum harvest in years but no one is buying... Farmers and good food shoppers are enraged as supermarkets favour cheaper European imports over the local ones.

The National Farmers' Union said farms have hundreds of tons of plums picked and ready to ship but the stores aren't buying.

Apparently, the English plum season started early this year, owing to the warm weather and it's been a vintage year for the Victoria plum, which should be widely available now. However, the National Farmers' Union said that "the situation in the British plum market is critical. Imported produce is being dumped on our market and sold at less than the cost of production."

Imported plums were being bought at 35p a pint from producers, compared to 70p for the British fruit. Both were sold in the stores for £1.

It is clear, as the NFU said, that major supermarkets are favouring the imported plums, despite their talking the good talk, because they make more money from selling them. As a result, many plum growers have decided against picking their crop, instead leaving it to rot.

Some supermarkets are denying this: Asda (Walmart) claimed that 35% of the plums sold in the stores are British grown. They seem to be missing the point: that means that 65% are foreign. A Sainsbury's spokesman said that they "buy more British plums than any other retailer and we will continue to support our British growers."

However, the NFU has done an anecdotal survey of several supermarkets and found that they are stocking plums from Spain, Israel, Portugal and France and putting up misleading signage which promotes British plums (and other fruits) as in season but are located under imported varieties.

It's not just the British. In Ontario, Loblaws, Canada's biggest supermarket, is once more proudly trumpeting its "Grown Close to Home" campaign which supposedly favours local vegetables. Except the corn is labelled "Grown in Canada" and it is sold shucked and packaged in plastic. Yummy.

At the same time, fresh, local farm grown corn is readily available: piled up on stands on every road leading to the store... read more story at TreeHugger.com

West Nile Virus (WNV) positive crow detected in Guelph, Ontario

2011-08-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

from Health & Safety Watch

GUELPH, Ontario August 26, 2011 -There are reports that the Ontario Veterinary College has confirmed that a dead crow found in Guelph tested positive for West Nile Virus.

“The positive result is a reminder for residents,” says Shawn Zentner, Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health’s Health Protection manager. “Taking precautions to limit mosquito bites and minimize mosquito breeding sites are still important even at this time of year.”

WDG Pubic Health stopped collecting dead birds this year because the virus is known to be present in the area so dead birds are no longer used as an early warning system.

WNV is spread by mosquitoes that have fed on an infected bird. The disease can sicken people, horses, many types of birds and other animals. It is not spread from birds to other animals or people. The majority of people who are infected with West Nile virus do not get sick. Those who do become ill usually experience mild flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, skin rash or muscle aches. Less than 1% of people infected with the virus get seriously ill. Older adults and people with underlying illnesses should be particularly cautious as they are more likely to develop the illness

To protect yourself and your family against West Nile Virus, public health officials recommend the following:

...Wearing light-coloured clothing with long-sleeves, pants and socks in areas where mosquitoes are present, especially at dusk and dawn when they are most active.

...Using an insect repellent with DEET. Follow directions for use, especially for children.

...Fixing holes in screens, windows and doors.

...Regularly emptying standing water from garbage cans, wheelbarrows, toys, flowerpots and saucers, pool covers, tires, and other items around your home and yard.

...Cleaning clogged eaves troughs.

...Cleaning and changing water in bird baths every other day.

...Keeping pool pumps circulating.

...Aerating ponds or stocking them with fish.

...Covering openings in rain barrels.

How Nature Makes Soil, And You Can Too (Video)

2011-08-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Ecofilms Australia

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

From helping to convert arid, salty desert into a productive permaculture garden, to reminding us of the astounding fact that there are 40 tons of life in just one acre of soil, Geoff Lawton knows a thing or two about the magic of soil. Here he reveals a few choice places where nature likes to make soil (it's not where you'd think!)—and tells us how to take advantage of that in your own garden.

I am assuming this clip was filmed as part of Geoff's Permaculture Soils DVD, which looks to be a veritable feast of information, tips and inspiration for those gardeners who believe in the old adage that if you feed the soil, the plants look after themselves.

Certainly the notion of looking to the bottom of your pond for valuable soil, before you go buying in top soil stripped from land elsewhere, is about as simple and as important a tip as I can think of. The fact is that nature is busy making soil in the most surprising of places—sometimes all we have to do is look.

Thanks again for the inspiration Geoff. Get more fascinating permaculture footage over at EcoFilms Australia.

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Ahimsa Milk Launches Slaughter-Free Milk Delivery in London England

2011-08-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY

An update on the progress of the UK's Ahimsa Milk and their efforts to produce milk while ensuring that no cows or bulls are harmed in the process, for the natural life of the animal: Now Londoners can begin having Ahimsa's slaughter-free milk home delivered.

The Independent reports that 50 families have signed up so far. The £2.25/L ($14.02/G) price tag is divided up as £1 for production of the milk, £0.65 towards a pension fund for the cows (to pay for their upkeep and vet bills once they reach old age), and £0.60 for administration and overhead costs. Delivery is an additional 15p.

While that price is well over double what most people are currently paying for milk, what really sets Ahimsa Milk apart is how well the animals are cared for.

All are retired after their last calf (usually around 13 years) and then cared for for the rest of their natural lives; all cows are bred to have only five calves in their lives, every two years; male calves are reared to work the land on the farm, rather than being sold off and eventually killed.

The price may be higher for slaughter-free milk, but if this was the norm the price very well come down and/or everyone's expectation would adjust accordingly. Plus, if it costs double to produce milk while not just treating cows and bulls solely as machines that humans can do whatever they like with, and ensuring that they live out their natural lives in healthy conditions, then that seems like a very fair trade off to me.

Obviously if you're a vegan and believe that no animals should be involved in agriculture (which I'm not sure is an ecologically tenable position, as Sami has pointed out), then even these steps are likely to be unpersuasive.

And if your only concern is the price tag, not concerning yourself with externalized costs either to the animals involved or the environment more broadly, then vegetarian or omnivore alike a doubling in price is probably too much to bear.

But, in case it's unclear from my tone, from this vegetarian's perspective Ahimsa Milk is very much on the right track here.

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Paddling Poets Deliver Poetry Readings by Canoe

2011-08-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Photo: fishquillpoetryboat

from TreeHugger.com
by Bonnie Alter, London

It's so Canadian. Where else would you find a group of poets setting out by canoe to give poetry readings? Only in Ontario you say...

It's the Fish Quill Poetry Boat: a group of 8 paddling poets, in four canoes, paddled the Grand River, giving reading tours at small towns along the way.

Travelling along the Grand River, from Elora to Six Nations Grand River Territory, they stopped to give readings and play music in cafes, arts centres, by camp fires, in covered bridges and outside until a storm chased them in. They had a musician on hand to liven things up.

It wasn't easy. The bugs were bad, the racoons took their food and the storms drenched them one night. They were not experienced canoeists but they paddled 5 to 6 hours a day, through all kinds of weather; rain and storms and broiling sun. To make things more challenging they rotated canoes, so each day they were paddling with some one different.

Photo: fishquillpoetryboat

Now comes the question: why did they do it? Canoes are a strong part of Canadian culture and the rivers were the original communication routes in the country before people built roads. They "wondered how taking a bunch of non-nature poets on a supremely "Canadian" canoe tour would affect how we and our audiences think about contemporary Canadian poetry."

Since most reading tours bypass small and mid-sized towns in favour of major urban centres the poets wanted to know if "you show up in a canoe can you still read poems about robots?"

The answer was yes: their poetry was contemporary and not necessarily nature poetry. They read poems about urban lives and how they related to a rural setting. Many of their poems ended up being about the weather.

The experience was memorable; they learned about life in a different part of the country, lived with the elements and as poets were able to define their place in contemporary culture through audience members' heartfelt responses.

... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Goderich tornado and insurance: What consumers need to know

2011-08-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

photo credit: Bun T Pein Photography via Flickr

TORONTO, August 22, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - After a violent storm and tornado hit Goderich, Ontario yesterday, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is informing consumers about what they need to know if their property was affected.

"First and foremost, those affected should ensure they and their families are safe," said Ralph Palumbo, Vice-President, Ontario, IBC.

Palumbo added: "The property damage to homes and personal property, businesses and public buildings is extensive. Ontario's home, car and business insurers will be there to help residents and businesses recover from this disaster."

IBC reminds consumers:

...Most home and business insurance policies will cover damage caused by wind, including broken windows and removal of debris.

...Auto policies cover wind damage if comprehensive coverage has been purchased.

...Marine insurance policies will usually cover damage to boats from wind.

...Homeowner's and tenant's policies usually provide coverage for additional living expenses if a home is uninhabitable.

Consumers should contact their insurance representative as soon as possible to discuss coverage and deductibles and to report damage claims. To facilitate claims processing, homeowners should document all property losses. And, if safe to do so, they should protect their property from further damage.

To help affected residents and businesses with insurance-related questions, IBC is deploying its Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion (CAMP) to Goderich. IBC representatives will be available to speak with consumers and media today at the Knights of Columbus Community Hall, 390 Parsons Court.

CAMP is one of a number of initiatives by Canada's home, car and business insurers to help Canadians prepare for, and cope with, disasters. The national program provides disaster victims with on-site, quick-response, insurance-related information.

In addition, IBC representatives attending the 2011 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference will be available to speak with media about the situation in Goderich at the London Convention Centre (Salon A), 300 York Street, London, at 1:15 p.m. today.

Affected residents can also call IBC's Consumer Information Centre in Ontario at 1-800-387-2880 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for answers to insurance-related questions.

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. The P&C insurance industry employs over 114,000 Canadians, pays more than $7 billion in taxes to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $40 billion.

To view media releases and information, visit the media section of IBC's website at

Let's Live in the Country.... Or Not.

2011-08-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

from HubPages
by Ziyal

CHESTERVILLE, Ontario - Everyday more and more people make the move to rural areas. They want wide open spaces, cleaner air and a slower pace. What a wonderful idea. Or it would be if these folks would realize before they moved that living in a rural farming community is quite a bit different than living in suburbia. Here are just a few of the drawbacks to country living.

Twice a year, or more, your rural paradise is going to smell pretty bad. Manure spreading seasons are usually spring and fall.

The roads can get clogged up with tractors and such during planting and harvesting. Things move pretty slowly and not all farmers will go off to the side to let the masses pass.

A number of people "burn" the old grasses etc off in the spring. Smelly, smoky and not good for asthmatics or clothes hanging on lines.

Depending on where you decided to live you may, at some point in your life find a cow in your back yard. Fences have been known to break down occasionally.

There are a plethora of weeds that can cause nasty rashes if you brush up against them or squash them underfoot. Until you have been living in the country awhile you probably will have no idea what they look like, where they are or why you have that blistering, itching, runny rash.

Since you are the new comer in the area, old timers will either be incredibly nosey or incredibly aloof. Doesn't seem to be a happy medium.

It is very quiet at night. Consequently sound carries an incredible distance. If you are going to have a knock down drag out fight with your spouse you might want to remember this or your private life will be the talk of the town next day.

The night life in small areas is usually limited to a local bar but the wild life is unlimited. Racoons are notoriously smart and not even screw on lids can keep them out of your garbage. Skunks have no respect for boundaries and tend to leave smelly reminders that they passed by. If you are a ways out of town, deer crossings can be a problem and finding a coyote in your driveway is not unusual. Just this past spring we had five of the biggest vultures I have ever seen parked in our back yard for the afternoon. Just to be on the safe side I made sure all the cats were indoors. And then there are the cats... lots of them. The neighbours, the farmers, the strays... If you have a dog or too, porcupines can become a problem. Even dogs tied on their own property have been know to get a snout full of painful reminders that porcupines pretty much go where they please.

On the other hand there are some incredible advantages to living in a rural community. For one thing, the air really does smell sweeter out here most of the time and the scenery is usually very beautiful and peaceful. You can see all the stars on a clear night and the moon looks like you could just reach up and touch it. In the spring all the apple and cherry trees are in bloom all along the country side and they are lovely to see.

When you go into the local watering hole your drink of preference is on the counter by the time you get there. At the restaurant the coffee is waiting and you seldom have to read the menu because the waitress knows what you are going to order anyways... sometimes better than you do.

Almost anyone can pick up your parcels at the post office or Sears which saves you a trip if you know someone else is going in.

A trip to the local grocery store takes hours because you know half the people in there and you must chat awhile with everyone. Catching up on the "news" so to speak.

In small rural communities most of the folks know your business which saves you the trouble of having to conceal things you don't want people to know. They will already know pretty much anything and everything about your "private" life by the time you have unpacked.

If you get sick and can't do your own running around there is usually someone around to do it for you.

Your kids are watched by an entire community and if they are doing something wrong you'll know about it in pretty short order. Good for parents, bad for kids.

Country living isn't for everyone. You have to have patience, a love of wildlife, a good sense of humour and a personal life that can take a bit of scrutiny. Rural living is "different" and you have to remember that the farmers were here first and FARMERS COME FIRST. If you find smells offensive, aren't fond of "critters" and want to go fast then perhaps you might want to just stay where you are. The country won't change for you.... you have to change to suit the country.

... read more story at HubPages.com

FarmzOnWheelz - Connecting urban audiences to agriculture

2011-08-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2011 - from the Agricultural Adaptation Council newsletter

On the move bringing country to the city, FarmzOnWheelz, an interactive and educational exhibit, is successfully introducing agriculture to urban audiences. This 600-square-foot exhibit aims to communicate with teenagers and their families about a wide variety of farm issues including animal welfare, food safety, nutrition and renewable energy sources.

The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre, designed and built FarmzOnWheelz. This project was approved for $443,000 in funding under the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) program and was launched at the Canadian National Exhibition in August 2009. Since this time, the travelling exhibit has been present at various agricultural events across the province including; the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (feature attraction of 2009), Woodstock Museum, BioEnergy Science Fair, Poultry Industry Show, International Plowing Match and the Farm Machinery Show.

FarmzOnWheelz is reaching out to urban audiences increasing awareness, understanding and acceptance of the benefits, value, technologies and innovations in farming. On May 26, 2011, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Carol Mitchell, recognized the success of the FarmzOnWheelz exhibit and presented OFAC with the Premier's award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

To learn more about FarmzOnWheelz please visit: www.ofac.org/farmz/index.php.

This project was funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Adaptation Programming and administered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

On Sheep Dogs, Farming, and the Ethics of Eating Meat (Video)

2011-08-15T07:22:00.001-07:00

Image credit: The Perennial Plate

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

I asked before whether sheep dogs would return for post-peak oil farming, but that question presupposed that they have already gone away. The fact is that while all terrain vehicles, enclosed pens, and other methods have made the role of a working dog less common in farming, there are still farmers out there who would do it no other way.

Here we take a visit to an Oregon farm raising lambs and cows for slaughter. We learn about the role that dogs play in the operation, and we also get some important musings on the ethics of farming and eating meat.

The Perennial Plate Episode 66: On A Northern Farm from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Much like the notion of young farmers rediscovering farming with horses, this video from The Perennial Plate's ongoing nationwide tour reminds us that the future of sustainable farming may just lie in learning from the past.

It's worth noting that however pastoral and inviting these scenes may look (at least to the meat eaters among us) when compared to factory farming, no agriculture is without its environmental impact. In fact a recent study suggested that lamb has one of the highest carbon footprints of any food due, in large part, to the methane produced by ruminant animals. (Although, to complicate matters, commenter Eric Johnson noted that grazing animals also sequester carbon, which should have also been included in the equations.)

Whatever the truth about the environmental impact of eating meat, it seems hard to disagree that it would be a huge step forward if the meat we ate was sourced from farms like this one. Besides the obvious animal welfare benefits, as Magnolia Farm's Elissa Thau so clearly demonstrates, both the cost and care that is put into raising these animals makes a compelling case for eating a whole lot less of them.

We don't need to eat giant hunks of meat, and we don't need to eat meat every day (if at all). If and when we do eat meat, let's make sure it's raised right.

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Snapshot of Wind Power in a Small Texas Town (Video)

2011-08-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

from TreeHugger.com
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

Okay, so it's a little hokey at times, but this video that Peter Sinclair points to at Climate Crocks is a nice depiction of the economic benefits of wind power in struggling rural communities.

I've harped on the importance of recognizing the real-world impact renewable energy projects have before -- for some reason, folks (politicians in particular) forget that building and running wind turbines creates jobs and provides new revenue streams for local economies.

And at a time when one tenth of the nation is out of work, it's hard not to see the benefits provided by the renewable energy sector beyond their clean power generation -- the sector continues to be one the few bright spots in the nation's economic picture. Still quite small, but bright indeed.

So the question is, how can we scale up the deployment of wind and solar to bring economic relief to more communities like this one? It seems that with the unemployment rate stagnating, the stage is ripe for a jobs bill that focuses on renewable energy production -- hey, a guy can dream, right? Seriously, though, I'll delve further into this prospect next week: I've got an idea for a Jobs for Energy Security Act that I think Obama might want to check out ...

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A Kid's View of a Humanure Garden & a Great Poop Song (Video)

2011-08-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Image credit: Humanure Handbook

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

Whether it's humanure composting in urban Oakland, or safer sanitation with humanure in Haiti, there are many advocates of humanure systems and other forms of composting toilets around the world. Yet every time the topic comes up, there are concerns about sanitation.

Maybe this video of a young girl frolicking in a humanure-fed garden will make skeptics more comfortable. Or maybe it will scare the living daylights out of them...

We have, of course, posted on the Lovable Loo humanure toilet before. It's a $195 kit for a humanure toilet and collection system. (The composting is done elsewhere.)

But now the team behind the loo, which was designed by Humanure Handbook author Joe Jenkins, has found a new spokesperson in the form of Lovable Lulu, and a new troubadour in the form of Frank Meyer, aka Thangmaker. And just in case you are still not convinced by the safety of a humanure composting system, check out this article by Joe Jenkins on humanure composting sanitation (PDF).

... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Fromagerie Bergeron again recognized as one of North America's finest cheesemakers

2011-08-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

SAINT-ANTOINE-DE-TILLY, Quebec, August 11, 2011 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Fromagerie Bergeron is pleased to announce that two of its creations were honored as among the best cheeses in North America at the 27th Annual Competition of the American Cheese Society.

Coureur des Bois took silver in the very competitive flavored cheese category, while Six Pourcent earned the bronze in the low-fat cheese category.

The American Cheese Society 2011 Competition drew a record number of 1,676 cheeses created by 258 different companies from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For the first time the competition was held outside the United States as part of the Cheese & Fromage: Common Cultures event held in Montreal from August 3 to 6.

Brothers Sylvain, Mario, and Roger Bergeron, and the company's master cheesemakers can be proud of these honors that spotlight the company's talent for producing large volumes of artisanal-quality cheeses at an affordable price.

The Bergerons, a third generation of master cheesemakers

A family business founded on August 16, 1989, by a third generation of master cheesemakers, Fromagerie Bergeron has over 150 employees. Production runs 24/7 and more than 26 million liters of milk are processed each year to offer a range of nine fine cheeses, fresh-made cheeses, table cheeses, as well as Gouda and Parmesan fondues. These honors once again recognize the dedication and creativity of its master cheesemakers.

Guelph Turfgrass Institute ... Trial Garden Hosts Open House

2011-08-11T06:43:00.001-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario August 10, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release - The University of Guelph is holding its annual trial garden open house on Aug. 17 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, 328 Victoria Road. The event is free and open to the public. Offering an opportunity for the greater Guelph community to get a sneak peek at what’s likely to appear in gardening centres next year, guided tours will be available. Details are available online .

“Ongoing favourites in all areas, such as vegetables for small urban spaces, will be available, but there’s also much to see that’s new,” said Rodger Tschanz, a U of G plant agriculture technician who manages the trial garden. “For instance, ‘Romeo’ is a new series of the popular Diascia; it’s an addition to last year’s ‘Juliet’ series. There’s a new tri-colour corn that can be grown for popping or simply as an ornamental, and there are peppers that some suggest are attractive enough to be used as cut flowers. Perennial growers will be interested in the Echinacea varieties that are more compact and have different colours, while among the annuals planted in the shade area adjoining the Frost buildings, the 16 cultivars of the New Guinea Impatiens seem to get larger every year.”

A second generation black Petunia with a more open and dramatic flower form has been trialled this year. Another striking plant is Purple Fountain Grass, dubbed “Vertigo,” with incredibly dark purple leaves, Tschanz said.

Also new to the trials are “Combos,” three cuttings pre-selected to be planted and sold together based on complementary vigour, form or colour. Members of the public can vote for a favourite “Combo” and are encouraged to contribute to the information that the trial garden provides the breeders by voting for favourite flowers overall.

Guelph and Wellington County master gardeners will be available throughout the day to provide information about the various plants and flowers and answer questions from visitors. The City of Guelph’s healthy landscape team will also be there to answer questions about natural pest control and wise water use.

Located along the entrance to the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, the trial garden’s 1,400 square metres of growing space allows gardeners to see what flowers and plants perform best in southwestern Ontario’s climate. It’s the only university-operated ornamental trial garden in the province and is part of a network of research centres across North America set up to determine which plants grow higher and fuller, bloom quicker, withstand extreme weather conditions and resist common plant diseases.

“There will be several twists on old favourites for visitors to enjoy, such as a white-flowered Joe-Pye weed,” Tschanz said. “With beds and containers featuring sun and shade plants, annuals and perennials, vegetables, ornamentals and cut flowers, there is something for everyone.”

Holland Marsh Growers' Association Increases Distribution to Public Institutions

2011-08-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

- Greenbelt Fund Announces Second Round of Grants -

TORONTO, August 9, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Holland Marsh is known for having a wealth of Ontario produce available. With support from the Ontario government, the Greenbelt Fund is helping more of the great produce that grows in the Marsh find its way into day care centres, schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and long-term care facilities through, the Broader Public Sector Investment Fund: Promoting Ontario Food. Increasing the amount of Ontario food in public institutions will benefit our environment and agricultural community.

Now, even more local food will be available in these facilities through the second round of grants announced today, which will support an additional 15 innovative projects.

"When we buy Ontario, everyone wins. It's good for our economy, our farmers and the environment. Through this program, we are increasing the amount of local food in the kitchens of our hospitals, schools, daycares and other public institutions, providing our patients and families with fresh, local Ontario food."
- Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Holland March Growers' Association is identifying and contracting a food service broker to connect their 100 farmers and products with foodservice distributors, operators and buyers. This unique model will create a sustainable systemic change that will increase the supply and demand in the province for local Ontario food.

"With support from our government, the Greenbelt Fund and the Holland Marsh Growers' Association will put more healthy and nutritious food from local growers and farmers into public institutions in Oak Ridges-Markham. Not only will this project benefit our community, it will also help to stimulate our economy."
- Dr. Helena Jaczek, MPP for Oak Ridges-Markham

From small and large farm operations to food distributors, the local food movement is spreading along the food value chain. With a total of 27 projects approved to date, we are beginning to see the results and this second round of grantees are building on that momentum.

"The Holland Marsh Growers' Association has identified an innovative system to reach more buyers, operators and distributors. Helping farmers make connections with food service buyers is a critical step towards increasing access to local foods. This will mean more high quality home cooked meals at hospitals, schools and municipal facilities."
- Bill Duron, Program Director, Greenbelt Fund

"There is a lot pride in the produce that comes from the Holland Marsh. This grant from the Greenbelt Fund will help us to establish a food safety standard across all our members and directly link the farmers to the buyers via a partnership with a food service broker."
- Jamie Reaume, Executive Director, Holland Marsh Growers' Association

About the Greenbelt Fund:

The Greenbelt Fund is a sister organization of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. With funding from the Ontario Government, the Fund is helping to increase the amount of Ontario food served in daycares, schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and long-term care facilities through its program, the Broader Public Sector Investment Fund: Promoting Ontario Food.

This program provides grants to local food industry leaders, producers, distributors, food service providers and public institutions working to serve more Ontario food. Helping to overcome challenges, support economic growth and the sustainability of agriculture in Ontario, the Fund's goal is to help create systemic change to permanently increase the amount of local food in the province's public institutions.

For more information about the program, please visit www.bpsinvestmentfund.ca

University of Guelph Hosts International Farm Animal Welfare Conference

2011-08-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

Photo: OAC University of Guelph
GUELPH, Ontario August 02, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Animal welfare experts from around the globe will gather at the University of Guelph Aug. 8 to 11 for the fifth International Conference on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level (WAFL).

The event, hosted by U of G’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW), is expected to attract almost 300 people from Europe, Asia, South America, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. They’ll discuss existing and emerging welfare assessment methods, including those used in zoos and laboratories.

“Consumers, food retailers and regulatory agencies are increasingly requiring formal assurances about the way that animals are cared for. This is resulting in animal welfare audits in animal agriculture and in other industries in which people use animals,” said Prof. Tina Widowski, chair of the scientific committee and co-organizer of WAFL 2011.

“While the word ‘welfare’ may mean many different things to many people, there is underlying science, and we’re here to explore that. Objective criteria and protocols can be and, in fact, are being developed around the world.”

Widowski said she hopes the conference will help broaden animal welfare assessments to include environmental and social aspects.

“Consideration not only of the effects of these welfare assessments on animals but also of their impacts on and benefits for people is where we’re headed.”

As CCSAW director and a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, she studies effects of housing and management practices on the behavioural biology and welfare of farm animals. She was recently named the Egg Farmers of Canada Research Chair in Poultry Welfare.

CCSAW was the first Canadian centre for conducting research on improving quality of life for animals. The internationally recognized centre is a hub for research and teaching, and for international partnerships with industry and government.

Conference sponsors include the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Agri-Food and Rural Link; the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; the Canadian Pork Council; Chicken Farmers of Canada; Dairy Farmers of Canada; Dairy Farmers of Ontario; Egg Farmers of Canada; and IceRobotics.

“We are encouraged by the tremendous interest and financial support from food animal industries, government and professional associations,” Widowski said.

Dairy Farmers of Canada welcomes the American Cheese Society to Montreal from August 3 - 6, 2011

2011-08-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

MONTREAL, Aug. 2, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) welcomes The American Cheese Society (ACS) to Montreal, Quebec as it hosts its 28th Annual Conference and Competition from August 3rd- 6th, 2011. DFC is delighted the ACS chose to host this event for the first time ever outside of the United States and chose Canada to do so.

Dairy Farmers of Canada will host the American Cheese Society's 28th Annual Conference After Awards Ceremony on Friday, August 5th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Additionally, DFC is the Marquee Sponsor of this year's Annual Conference. The ACS Conference and Competition is a unique opportunity for cheese makers, retailers, distributors, academicians, food writers and cheese aficionados from around the world to reunite under one roof to share the same passion - their love for cheese.

While hosting the After Awards Ceremony, on August 5, DFC will serve guests cheeses that were awarded the titles of winners and Grand Champion during the seventh biennial Canadian Cheese Grand Prix competition organized by Dairy Farmers of Canada in April 2011. This competition encourages cheese makers across Canada to outdo each other and in turn, to outdo themselves. It also helps to showcase the outstanding quality, variety and versatility of Canadian cheeses made from 100% Canadian cow's milk. The goal of the competition is also to make Canadian cheeses better known and appreciated by consumers and the food industry in general.

"We are thrilled that ACS members will discover the numerous cheeses Canadian cheese makers across Canada offer," said Ian MacDonald, national director of nutrition and marketing for DFC.

"Our Canadian cheese makers produce cheeses that measure up to the best cheeses in the world as they are produced with a flair for innovation, talent and passion."

The ACS four-day conference, held at Palais des Congrès in Montreal, concludes at the annual Festival of Cheese on August 6th, which features more than 1,676 competition cheeses on display and available for tasting by the public.

About Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) strives to create favourable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. DFC works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy producers and to promote quality Canadian dairy products made from 100% Canadian milk as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Turfgrass Education Initiative to Help Rural Communities

2011-07-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Wildlifecontrol via Flickr

GUELPH Ontario July 29, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Safe school grounds and high-quality municipal sports fields maintained without the use of traditional pesticides are the focus of a new University of Guelph-based initiative.

The Turfgrass Outreach Project (TOP) offers support to rural groundkeepers across southern Ontario, providing workshops, training programs and an online knowledge centre.

The project is being run by scientists and educators from the Guelph Turfgrass Institute and is supported by the Knowledge Translation and Transfer program, a new initiative under the University's partnership agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). It sets aside funds for projects that improve the impact of research projects by transforming research knowledge into use for different research audiences across the agriculture, food and rural sectors.

Without cosmetic pesticides - which have not been permitted for use since 2009 - rural groundskeepers have had to make major changes to manage school and municipal sports fields. But so far, public outreach has focused on the impacts on residential lawns and urban sports fields. This is an outstanding need that this project is looking to address, said Eric Lyons, a professor of plant agriculture and TOP project manager.

“Urban areas have often had municipal restrictions in place for a while, but in many cases, rural communities have had to adapt very quickly to managing turf without cosmetic pesticides,” Lyons said. “The education and outreach to deal with that just isn’t in place in rural communities like it has been in urban centres.”

In response, TOP is pulling expertise from the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College and School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, and OMAFRA to create accessible educational opportunities for rural groundskeepers. It’s also partnered with the Sports Turf Association.

“We welcome the chance to learn more about the specific challenges faced by rural schools and municipalities,” said Nicole Markwick, TOP’s project co-ordinator. “For example, the safety of sports fields is important because they are used year-round for various sports and events that impact rural communities economically, socially and environmentally.”

TOP also aims to foster stronger networks for continuing education on sustainable resource management for rural turfgrass managers. It has also partnered with community organizations.

More information about the Turfgrass Outreach Project is available online.

U of G Professor Using DNA Technology to Improve Public Health

2011-07-29T06:02:00.001-07:00

GUELPH, Ontario July 27, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Your dog’s mouth is cleaner than your own, right? Wrong, says a University of Guelph professor who has used cutting-edge DNA technology to show that your canine pet’s mouth harbours as many kinds of bacteria as your own.

That’s just one example of public health-related research into microbes in dogs, horses, cats and people afforded by a “next-generation” DNA sequencing machine now being used by Scott Weese, a pathobiology professor in U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College.

The instrument — about as big as a computer printer — tells researchers which species of bacteria are in samples with complex bacterial populations, such as those in the GI tract. That’s an improvement over the meticulous and time- consuming work of examining individual sample slides, said Weese.

And unlike earlier machines that look for DNA of only one microbial species at a time, this next-generation device can sift through samples to quickly tell him the full range of bugs in the gut or mouth.

Weese and other researchers are using the machine to examine gut microbes in various animals — and to overturn a few public-health myths in the process.

Looking at dog saliva samples, he and his grad student Jason Stull found more than 100 species of microbes, about as many as in human saliva. Some can cause serious disease in people, especially children and elderly people or people on drugs that suppress their immune systems, said Weese. “I’d say the idea that a dog’s mouth is cleaner is a myth.”

He suggests people avoid being licked by dogs and wash their hands after handling pets, although he adds that the overall risk of infection is low.

In the first comprehensive survey of its kind, he has looked at gut flora in horses, especially horses with and without diarrheal diseases. His study found a wider range of microbial species in the normal equine gut than researchers had known about earlier, as well as lowered diversity in diseased horses.

Weese said his studies suggest veterinarians should treat illness by improving gut microbe diversity — perhaps through feeding supplements as in human probiotics — rather than using antibiotics to kill one or two target species. “The gut is a complex, dynamic system. We need to figure out what’s going wrong and what works.”

Weese holds the Canada Research Chair in Zoonotic Diseases. He also belongs to U of G’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ), a group of researchers and agencies helping to control animal-related diseases that threaten human health, from bird flu to E. coli O157:H7.

The new DNA sequencer will be located in a new CPHAZ facility at OVC that will open in the fall. Said PhD student Marcio Costa:

“This is cutting-edge research that we do with this machine. We need to control disease in animals to control transmission to people.”

Dr. Oetker Announces Plans for New Production Facility in London, Ontario

2011-07-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Expansion to provide opportunities for Ontario farmers and hundreds of jobs for local families

LONDON, Ontario, July 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - At an event held this morning, Dr. Oetker Canada, the maker of many beloved frozen pizza brands, dessert brands and dry baking mixes for both retail and food service, announced that it will build a new frozen pizza production facility in London, Ontario. The plant, which will act as a production hub for the company's North American pizza operations, will come along with over 125 jobs in London and bring some expected 300 additional jobs to the area. It is supported through Ontario's Rural Economic Development Program.

"Over the past few months, we've worked closely with officials from the Province of Ontario, the City of London and the London Economic Development Corporation," said Dr. Martin Reintjes, Executive Vice President at Dr. Oetker GmbH, the German headquarter. "I am delighted to be able to participate in today's announcement and to thank them all for the financial support provided to Dr. Oetker Canada for this project. As a fourth generation family owned and run business we understand the importance of community and we are thrilled to become a part of this thriving community here in London."

The company's famous "Trattoria" was onsite during the announcement treating guests to the company's pizza as they heard remarks from Dr. Martin Reintjes, as well as London-area MPPs Khalil Ramal, Hon. Chris Bentley and Hon. Deb Matthews and London Mayor Joe Fontana. This new facility will help Dr. Oetker produce about 50 million frozen pizzas per year for the Canadian and U.S markets and source over 24 million pounds of high-quality ingredients from Ontario farmers and food processors.

"The McGuinty government is proud to be a part of Dr. Oetker Canada's expansion, bringing a world class company to Southwestern Ontario, that will use fresh ingredients sourced from Ontario farmers and food processors," said Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "Our government will continue to invest in projects like these, which will strengthen our agri-food industry, create jobs for our families and grow our economy."

Dr. Oetker Canada has been in operation since 1960 and ranks as one of the top five subsidiaries for the organization which operates in over than 35 countries, and has production facilities in 15. The Canadian unit has 120 employees today, produces over 300 products, and has doubled in size over the last five years due to new product development and a culture that thrives on innovation, quality products and fresh thinking. Most recently Dr. Oetker has seen success with its frozen pizza line, in fact nearly one in three frozen pizzas sold in Canada are Dr. Oetker pizzas. The company also operates a manufacturing and R&D facility located in Mississauga, Ontario. The Dr. Oetker pizza plant is slated to take up operations in late 2013.

"This plant will house production of our frozen pizza lines including Ristorante, a thin-crust gourmet pizza, Casa di Mama, our Italian homemade style pizza and our newest product Panebello, a bakery crust pizza," says Reintjes. "No matter what your pizza style is, this plant will offer great products for every pizza lover in Canada.

About Dr. Oetker Canada

Since 1960, Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. has provided innovative quality food products to Canadian consumers. Recognized as one of the fastest growing food manufacturing companies in Canada, Dr. Oetker produces and distributes a variety of desserts and dry baking mixes (Shirriff, Added Touch and Dr. Oetker branded) and frozen pizzas (Ristorante, Casa di Mama and Panebello). The Canadian company is a subsidiary of the family-run Oetker Group which is currently led by Mr. Richard Oetker, great-grandson of the original founder. Established in 1891 with the launch of Germany's first baking powder, today Dr. Oetker carries out a legacy rooted in the belief that "quality is the best recipe" and a commitment to building a sustainable presence in the communities in which it does business. In 2009, sales were $2.5 billion.

The Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival: A Delicious and Exhilarating Event

2011-07-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

Thousands of smiling cheese lovers gather in Whistler, British Columbia

MONTREAL, July 23, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today 165 enthusiastic cheese loving competitors spent the afternoon chasing a giant wheel of Canadian cheese down Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler during Dairy Farmers of Canada's Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. The two Grand Champions each went home with an 11-pound wheel of Canadian cheese and a Whistler season's ski pass for two.

The male Grand Champion, Guy McLintock of Vancouver, British Columbia, won the men's race in a time of nine seconds and the female Grand Champion, Lorraine Phan of Richmond, British Columbia, won the women's race in a time of 19 seconds. In addition to the men's and women's races, 139 children participated in uphill races.

"This festival, which is now the most unique one held worldwide, attracts families, contestants and spectators from across Canada and all for the love of cheese. The number of people participating in the races, attending the festival and sampling some of Canada's great cheeses exceeded our expectations," said Solange Heiss, assistant director, marketing and nutrition communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Dairy Farmers of Canada is proud to sponsor the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival for the fourth year and shine the spotlight on the high quality cheese produced in this country from coast to coast."

In addition to the races, more than 12,500 spectators took in a host of other fun activities including cheese Twister, free cheese seminars and a Cheese Market full of delicious samples of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian milk.

Renowned Canadian and award-winning stand-up comic, improviser, actor and writer from Western Canada, Roman Danylo, hosted the day's festivities, which involved 11 race heats before the final Grand Championship races.

For the fourth consecutive year, Canadian cheese maker Natural Pastures produced the special 11-pound wheels of delicious Cracked Pepper Verdelait cheese for the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival.

Visit www.canadiancheeserolling.ca for race results from the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival.

Canadian Cheese

Cheese is a staple food in the Canadian diet, with 98 per cent of Canadians eating cheese regularly. The cheese making industry is one of Canada's oldest, dating back nearly as far as the fur trade.

About Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) strives to create favourable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. DFC works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy producers and to promote quality Canadian dairy products made from 100% Canadian milk as part of a healthy balanced diet. DFC is completely funded by dairy producers.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

2011-07-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Corporate
Document Repository

Founded in 1945, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works on four main areas that inform their mission: access to information, sharing policy expertise, meeting space for nations, and bringing knowledge to the field. Although they work in both developed and developing countries, as well as rural and urban areas, the FAO has concentrated their
efforts on rural areas, as that is where the majority of poor and hungry people reside.

Visitors interested in the current state of such topics as "Food and Agriculture", "Food Insecurity in the World", and "World Fisheries and Aquaculture" should click on the link entitled "The State of..." on the far right hand side of the homepage. There, visitors can download the publication on the subject, as well as see a table of contents and a basic overview of the contents of the publication.

Back on the homepage, visitors can check out new document releases, including a teaching toolkit on "Setting Up and Running a School Garden", which aims to promote lifelong healthy eating habits.

Visitors can download the toolkit as a PDF. [KMG]

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011.
http://scout.wisc.edu/