Farm land for sale!

Check out this article in Macleans… land grabbing is happening close to home:

Betting the farm – and winning Investors are buying up our farmland and making traditionalists nervous

Act before Wednesday February 9th! Farmers First!

Its time to push for change! Let’s stop dangerous crops like genetically engineered alfalfa.

Bill C-474 would support Canadian farmers by requiring that “an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted.” If the Bill is passed this February it would stop GE wheat and GE alfalfa.

The final vote on Bill C-474 will happen on February 9^th in the House of Commons and there will be a 5-hour debate the day before!

You can take action before February 9^th that will make a difference:

1. Write your Member of Parliament one last time to ask them to vote for Bill C-474 on Feb 9^th, and ask them to participate in the debate on Feb 8^th. Send a letter from: http://www.cban.ca/474action
2. The Liberal Party must support the Bill! Write the Liberals instantly from: http://www.cban.ca/liberalact474
3. Call your MP on Monday, Tuesday or even Wednesday! You can search for your MP’s phone number at http://www.parl.gc.ca

Saskatchewan Farmers and Food Processors:

Learn about services and programs to spearhead your business/product idea or expand into new markets.
* special focus on healthy foods and food safety*

FREE Info Sessions are offered province wide.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND	LEARN ABOUT
food processors farmers looking into value added opportunities entrepreneurs primary processors value added agriculture sectors	developing healthy foods (develop, reformulate or enhance food and ingredient products) development and processing options food safety (HACCP, GMP, Vendor Recognition) funding programs business management services

Pre-registration is required.  Visit the Food Centre to find out more.

Meet Your Farmer- Eight short films about Maine Farmers

I recently visited the Maine Farmland Trust and was incredibly inspired by the organization and all it is managing to do to make farming a viable and vibrant option in Maine.

I picked up a a very well done documentary that they have put together profiling some of Maine’s farmers.  Check out this collection of  short films online:  http://meetyourfarmer.org/

We checked out Chase’s Daily, one of the farm-run cafes featured in the documentary-quite a cool place. An inspiring project on all levels: the Trust, the documentary, and the farms.

Monsanto’s Glyphosate: Impacts on Human Health and Plant Life

The widespread use of glyphosate is causing negative impacts on soil and plants as well as possibly animal and human health. These are key findings of Don Huber, emeritus professor of plant pathology, Purdue University.

Click here to read this article.

COP16 Alternative Forum Update

We arrived in Cancun Sunday afternoon, partway through the second day of the Global Forum for Life, Environmental, and Social Justice, organized by La Via Campesina (LVC). The Forum was organized as a people’s forum to parallel the official United Nations climate change conference COP16.

5 Reasons Why Canada Needs More Farmers:

Canada’s farmers represent less than 2% of our population, yet they play a critical role in the country’s economic system, they are the cornerstone of our rural culture and provide an essential service to the rest of the country.  Here are 5 reasons why we need more farmers in Canada:

1) Food Safety

Farmers are accountable for the food they produce.  Large corporations have maneuvered around the accountability for their products resulting in widespread epidemics such as swine and avian flu, BSE and listeriosis.  Food safety requires more than government regulations, it requires real people who care about what they’re producing, it requires farmers.