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.

CAP 2013: European Civil Society Demands Change

In a statement released on Tuesday, European Civil Society Organisations are asking the European Union to reshape the CAP – Key Proposals for a new Common Agriculture and Food Policy that meets European and Global Challenges.

Click here to read the 12 key proposals.

La Via Campesina in Cancun

SUPPORT THE PRESENCE OF La Vía Campesina
AT THE CLIMATE SUMMIT IN CANCUN 2010

HELP THOUSANDS OF PEASANTS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MAKE OUR VOICE HEARD

We are peasants, family farmers and indigenous peoples from Mexico and the world.

• Our sustainable farming practices cool the planet
• We defend the Mother Earth
• Help us say NO to false solutions to climate change!

La Vía Campesina is the global movement of organizations of peasants, family farmers, indigenous peoples, farm workers, the landless, rural women and rural youth. We are an autonomous, plural, multicultural, independent movement without political, economic, or any other type of affiliation. The organizations that form La Vía Campesina come from 69 countries from Asia, Africa, Europe and the American continent.

August Newsletter

Summer is on the fast track out and we’re gearing up for another harvest season!  Check out our August Newsletter that follows Upper Canada Heritage Farm on their search for new farmers.

“This summer, we caught up with Barbara Schaefer who owns Upper Canada Heritage Meat. Barbara, her two teenage children and two full time workers are busy taking care of this unique farm which includes pastured Large Black Pigs, Lincoln Red cattle as well as heritage ducks and chickens on 100 acres close to Merrickville, Ontario. What makes this farm even more unique is Barbara’s approach to solving a problem common on many farms today, too much farm and not enough farmers. Barbara is currently on a search for a couple to come farm with her. Not only as apprentices or employees though, Barbara Schaefer is opening her farm up to new farmers who could potentially make their own full time living on this land.” …read more