Off-grid farm garners provincial nod Thursday, July 14, 2011 by SUSAN MANNMinimizing their fossil fuel energy footprint has earned the farm owners of Rainbow Heritage Garden in eastern Ontario a provincial innovation award.Kylah Dobson and her husband, Zach Loeks, picked up their regional Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Wednesday afternoon during a ceremony in Carlsbad Springs. They were excited and honoured to win.Dobson says the Premier’s award program is great for sharing innovations with other famers and learning about what other producers are doing on their farms. “It actually allows farmers to network and share innovations through the program.”On their five-acre organic vegetable farm near Cobden in Renfrew County, Dobson and Loeks grow 200 varieties of 30 different crops. Dobson says they’re working towards their organic certification. In addition, they grow as many heirloom crops as possible.Now in their fifth full year of production, Dobson and Loeks sell their crops at two farmers’ markets plus through the Ottawa Valley Food Co-Op. They also have 90 customers in the upper Ottawa Valley through their Community Supported Agriculture program. The entire farm is off the electrical grid. “Everything we do has to be rethought so that we’re using as little energy as possible,” she explains. They’re trying to keep their energy footprint small for themselves but also so they can pass the carbon savings on to their customers.“They know when they’re buying produce from us it has been produced with the least amount of fossil fuel energy possible,” Dobson says.One of the highlights of the farm is a mobile solar generator. Dobson says the whole system of solar panels is mounted on a wagon so it can be transported throughout the farm to wherever it’s needed. “It’s almost always in use, whether it’s pumping our water or charging a drill.” Dobson’s uncle was also a Premier’s award winner from the Cobden/Ottawa area. Grant Dobson and his wife, Dorothy, operate Connaught Nursery. The other winner was Greta’s Organic Gardens of Ottawa. BF Canada-wide milk pooling under discussion Spud packer moves
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online