There's no escaping pesticide residue, claim organic leaders Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by BETTER FARMING STAFFLeaders of Canada’s organic movement say consumers shouldn’t be surprised or alarmed that Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) tests found trace amounts of pesticides in organic apples from Canada, the United States and New Zealand. Records released to CBC News by the CFIA show 23.6 per cent of the 178 organic apples tested in 2009 and 2010 contained pesticide residue.Jacob Pries, in charge of membership and communications for the Organic Council of Ontario, says there is no escaping trace amounts of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, “because we live in a polluted world. They find pesticides in Arctic ice.”Ted Zettel, president of the Organic Federation of Canada, says, “these things are in the air and in the water so these trace amounts are not something that we would be surprised or alarmed at.” Zettel added that producers and consumers understand “that there has never been or will be any claim to be perfectly pure or free from the agricultural toxins that contaminate the landscape.”While routine chemical testing is not part of the organic certification process, Zettel says random tests are allowed if there “is suspicion of fraud” on the part of the producer.Pries says the main problem facing Canadian organic apple producers is post-harvest contamination in processing centres where conventional apples have been dipped in a fungicide. “It’s real hard to get those fungicides out of the buildings, out of the processing centres,” he says. BF Flour mill planned for Guelph site Prince Edward County farmer wins wheat yield challenge
Farmers—protect yourself from fraud Thursday, February 6, 2025 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay It can happen to anybody. It doesn’t matter how safe you are or how smart you are; there’s always a chance you are going to get scammed over something. And the agricultural community is no exception. One of the latest instances involves... Read this article online
Canadian tech leads the way for egg gender testing Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash Canadian Egg Technologies and MatrixSpec Solutions Inc. have announced that their technology is delivering accurate in-ovo gender determination for white and brown eggs as early as the fourth day of incubation. Called a transformative breakthrough for... Read this article online
Nortera celebrates $25M expansion Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Nortera, a North American leader in frozen and canned vegetable processing, has celebrated the $25 million expansion of its Wright Street frozen warehouse in Strathroy, Ontario. This investment directly supports the local economy by sustaining over 270 jobs and strengthening... Read this article online
Profitable Pastures 2025 webinar series Wednesday, February 5, 2025 The Ontario Forage Council (OFC) has announced that its is back, providing best management practices for pasture and grazing managers. There will be three webinars airing daily from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm EST over March 4-6, 2025. Registration is required, but there is no cost to... Read this article online
OFA says farmers appreciate risk management program funding Increase Monday, February 3, 2025 Ontario farmers are expressing their support for the January 28, 2025, announcement that the provincial government is expanding risk management funding for farmers. Over the next three years, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness is phasing in a $100 million... Read this article online