In an effort to explore additional areas of agriculture that RealAgriculture does not cover on a daily basis, RealAg Radio featured potato production in Canada in a discussion with Kevin MacIsaac, General Manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada. How would you describe the overall health of the potato industry? Overall MacIsaac described the... Read more »

Abi Mordin and Kristina Nitsolova (blue shirt) are ‘Propogate’. They are a driving force in Urban Gardening and are photographed here at Moogety Community garden in Govan..24/05/18. (Photo by Kirsty Ande) Dr Roy Neilson, a scientist at Dundee’s James Hutton Institute, said there was “real potential” for urban growers to supply city cafes and other […]

Credit: Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JANET B. CARSON The Farm Stand at St. Joseph Center. Credit: Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Janet B. Carson In the middle of the largest and most urban county in Arkansas sits a 63-acre plot of land dedicated to urban sustainable farming. By Janet B. Carson Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette May 17, 2018 […]

Video link. “We know we have coyotes on the property,” Lynch said. “We trapped three. We had a trapper trap three of them for us.” By NBC4 Staff May 19, 2018 Excerpt: Hungry coyotes are blamed for what some call a chicken massacre in Ohio. The canines apparently broke into an urban chicken farm owned […]

Growers fear strawberries will be left to rot as Europe’s migrant workers stay away – but it’s not just a Brexit issue

Like many things considered quintessentially English, the humble strawberry is an immigrant. The first garden variety was grown in France in the 18th century, the result of cross-pollinating strawberries from North and South America. Those luscious fruits you buy today in the supermarket? A marriage of European and A merican strains.

It was only thanks to the penchant of Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, for serving wild strawberries with cream, that the fruit assumed totemic importance in the English psyche, never more so than during Wimbledon fortnight when tennis fans consume more than 34,000 kilos of the stuff.

Related: Brexit and the coming food crisis: ‘If you can’t feed a country, you haven’t got a country’

Related: From royal table to bust: asparagus farmer could close over Brexit

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This month, the USDA published a long-awaited draft rule around GMOs. Here are six ways the draft rule might leave consumers in the dark.

Michael Granzow says projects like community gardens in cities are beneficial, but they need to be part of longer-term planning that also looks at issues like land use, housing and income inequality. (Photo: Supplied) “Urban agriculture isn’t going to be the answer to all of our problems, but it’s a space of hope—a small but […]

Photo courtesy of Detroit Hives As the city removes thousands of blighted properties, this couple saw an opportunity to support a cooperative economy. By J. Gabriel Ware YES May 17, 2018 Excerpt: Last year, Paule and his partner, Nicole Lindsey, bought a 32,000-square-foot lot on the city’s east side from the Detroit Land Bank Authority […]

AgLanta “Grows-A-Lot” is a City of Atlanta program that invites entrepreneurs, non-profits, and residents to apply for a 5-year renewable license to adopt a vacant, city-owned property to start a new urban garden or urban farm in AgLanta. Jordan Johnson | Communications Manager City of Atlanta | Mayor’s Office of Resilience Together, we are producing […]

British microbiologists find that American technique at heart of Brexit trade row does not kill listeria and salmonella

The chlorine washing of food, the controversial “cleaning” technique used by many US poultry producers who want access to the British market post-Brexit, does not remove contaminants, a new study has found.

The investigation, by a team of microbiologists from Southampton University and published in the US journal mBio, found that bacilli such as listeria and salmonella remain completely active after chlorine washing. The process merely makes it impossible to culture them in the lab, giving the false impression that the chlorine washing has been effective.

This is very concerning. Chlorine-washed chicken, giving the impression of being safe, can cross contaminate the kitchen

A report by the Soil Association highlights 10 concerns about food safety in a post-Brexit era. These foods are currently banned in the UK:

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The boards of directors for Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) have agreed to explore a possible “integration” of the two grain industry organizations. A working group, made up of directors from both boards, has been formed to examine how the two entities could work more closely together. The mandate of this... Read more »

Grain markets were mostly higher this week in a risk-off sort of mood thanks to a relaxed tone of the trade war narrative we’ve been hearing, as well as a some weather premium creeping into the complex. Nearly two months ago, you could say soybeans (and soybean prices) were on the verge of Armaggedon as... Read more »

Property owners should be aware of special considerations for agricultural land in their counties. ByKate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com

If you are considering a farmland severance, you shou...read more

Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA) have announced they’re aiming to hold a plebiscite this fall, with the goal of returning to a non-refundable provincial check-off. The two organizations announced a joint agreement “to strengthen our investment in the future of the beef industry” on Friday. They say they’re looking... Read more »

What a week! To put the bow on a busy week in the ag world, here’s the lineup for Friday’s show, with host Shaun Haney: Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau discusses the passage of Bill C-49, the need for investment in transportation infrastructure, and Shaun even sneaks in a question about Canada’s plans for ratifying... Read more »

Beginning Farmers
Beginning Farmers - Practical Tools for Successful Family Farming

Get Your Farm Insurance Questions Answered - Free Online Tutorial from Farm Commons   At Farm Commons, we get asked some questions a lot:

• What happens if someone is injured on my farm?
• Do I really need workers' compensation at my farm?
• Do I have enough insurance? Too much?
• What are farmers doing about crop insurance these days? 

When it comes to insurance, farmers often have more questions than answers.    Farm Commons has created an online tutorial to help resolve them.    This interactive tutorial will assist farmers (and their advocates) in understanding and prioritizing the specific legal risks and insurance needs for individual operations. Have a pen and paper ready, as viewers have the opportunity to develop an action plan for getting insurance coverage that best matches the farm’s actual needs.    Get your farm insurance questions answered: This tutorial begins by walking producers through the process of developing a risk assessment/exposure profile specific to their farm. Equipped with this risk assessment, folks will have a better sense of the insurance options to consider more closely. Now what?   "Manage Your Farming Legal Risks with Insurance" highlights key aspects of four core insurance categories for farms: (1) property insurance, including structures and equipment, (2) crop and livestock insurance, (3) liability for worker injuries, and (4) liability for other injuries, including guests and farm owners. These sections are full of practical tips and action steps.    The tutorial can be watched in entirety or by section. Overall, it will guide viewers through the process of evaluating and obtaining the best coverage for farm and ranch operations.    Go to our website anytime to learn more, and to get your farm insurance questions answered. While you are there, check out all our detailed resources on farm insurance and on other farm law subjects including farm employment, food safety, and more. Users need to create an account - which is free and easy - before utilizing our resources.     Find more farming resources from beginningfarmers.org by going to https://www.beginningfarmers.org/additional-farming-resources/

Farm Insurance Questions Answered
Taylor

There’s been plenty of buzz this week among farm groups and the grain industry about the long-awaited passage of Bill C-49 — the federal government’s transportation legislation that covers everything from airline ownership rules to what grain companies can put in contracts with railways. Farm group leaders and representatives from the grain industry joined federal... Read more »

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference opposed the contract by a 98 per cent vote By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The unions representing employees at Canadian Pacific Railway have voted...read more

Helping young farmers gain confidence through the Alberta Canola Leaders Program By Yvonne Dick

The Canola Leaders Program (CLP) is entering its third year with good results all around.

The Alberta Canola Producers Commission began the project to assist young farmers (those under 40) and to allow board members to pass on th...read more

Nexus Robotics developed a robot capable of removing weeds By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A small agribusiness from Nova Scotia took home top prize at an ag robotics challenge in Rock...read more