Electric power from potatoes Monday, February 28, 2011 Slices of freshly cooked potatoes can provide electricity for remote, off-grid communities, says a research team at the University of Jerusalem. A slice of potato can generate light for 20 hours, and several slices could power simple medical equipment, or even a low-powered computer.The work was described last year in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy and hinges on a recent discovery that electricity flows from membranes disrupted by boiling. Potato batteries are estimated to generate electricity at a cost of about US$9 per kilowatt hour, about the same cost as AA alkaline batteries. D cells generate electricity for about $50/kWh.Expect to see another debate about "food or energy" to develop. The "antis" argue that these "food batteries" would be grown and used in areas of Africa where food may already be in short supply. Proponents, on the other hand, say many potatoes can't be moved to city markets in time to prevent them from rotting. BF ALUS and EG&S: The tangled world of ecological services Key Asian meat market in turmoil
EMILI Celebrates 10 Years of Connecting Farmers, Innovators, and Industry Partners Saturday, July 18, 2026 The Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) has received $3.5 million in funding from the Government of Canada to strengthen agricultural innovation and technology adoption in Manitoba. The announcement was made earlier this week during EMILI’s Field Day event... Read this article online
Minnesota Wildfires Threaten Agriculture as Governor Walz Mobilizes National Guard Friday, July 17, 2026 Farmers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and Manitoba are closely monitoring a growing wildfire situation in northern Minnesota after Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to assist firefighting efforts. The decision... Read this article online
Woodland Mills Expands Portable Sawmill Capacity Friday, July 17, 2026 Woodland Mills has introduced the HM126MAX Portable Sawmill, a new machine designed to provide greater cutting capacity and improved lumber production for customers. The latest model builds on the success of a long-standing portable sawmill platform while offering enhanced performance and... Read this article online
Asian Vegetables Like Bok Choy Grown Right Here in Ontario Friday, July 17, 2026 When you think of vegetables grown in Ontario, do you think of ethic vegetables? Also known as pak choy or Chinese cabbage, bok choy has become an increasingly important crop for Ontario's vegetable industry, driven by growing consumer demand for fresh, locally produced ethnic... Read this article online
Survey aims to amplify voices of rural Ontarians Friday, July 17, 2026 New surveys for rural Ontarians are helping people in these communities paint a comprehensive picture of what life is like. “For too long, rural communities have lacked access to reliable, credible and reflective data,” Leith Deacon, a professor at University of Guelph’s School of... Read this article online