From the yearly archives: 2011

How Cover Crops Suppress Weeds

By On December 29, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

 

eOrganic author: Mark Schonbeck, Virginia Association for Biological Farming

Introduction

A growing cover crop can suppress weeds in several ways:

Direct competition Allelopathy—the release of plant growth–inhibiting substances Blocking stimuli for weed seed germination Altering soil microbial communities to put certain weeds at a disadvantage

After a cover crop is tilled [...]

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Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario

By On December 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

The New Year is a great time to start your new farm research for 2012. Take a look at the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario website and watch for their upcoming workshops at the Guelph Organic Conference.

The EFAO offers a series of great farmer led courses and workshops [...]

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Raising Pigs Organically?

By On December 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

Are you raising pigs or considering adding pigs to your farm?  FarmStart will be offering our popular Pastured Pigs workshop in July 2012. Additional resources to consider are reports such as “Importance of Providing Roughage to Organic Growing / Finishing Pigs” published in this months edition of ON Organic.

Pigs are naturally [...]

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The IDRF supports the New Farmers initiative with FarmStart

By On December 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

 

‘New Farmers’ initiative with Farmstart
The healthy harvest that greets you at McVean Farm in Brampton belies the fact that it has been a difficult year for farming in Ontario. The array of crops grown, the experimentation and curiosity of the farmers at Mc Vean to try new crops and [...]

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Skills Building Farm Tours

By On December 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Home Page

FarmStart is offering two series of great tours to ecological farms, where you learn from experienced farmers!

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Stewardship has its benefits

By On December 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

  FarmCentre.com Published December 6, 2011 Photo credit: Y U Ranch

Tobacco’s demise not only hit farmers in the pocketbook but also threatened the fragile ecosystem of the productive, but highly erodible soil of the Norfolk sand plain.

Hundreds of cedar hedgerows have been planted in the last half century, often [...]

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Weed Management workshop coming up!

By On December 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Home Page
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How are Farms connecting to Schools?

By On December 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

Photo Credit: John Gundy

Farm to School Ontario

Across Ontario kids are learning to grow, cook, value, and eat good food. A new network is forming to connect groups across the province who are transforming food environments for kids. If you are involved in food programming with kids or if you want [...]

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Are You Doing Your Market Research?

By On December 13, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

Photo credit: Simone Rivers

  By News Canada-Éditions Nouvelles for FarmCentre.com Published December 2011 You know you want to start or expand your business, but you need to know about potential competition, customers and trends. We’re talking of course about market research. For instance, what price your customers are willing to pay, where [...]

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Mobile Abattoirs in Ontario

By On December 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Uncategorized

Sustain Ontario is looking for involvement from those interested in meat processing in Ontario, as interest is growing in getting mobile abattoirs started. A group will be working over the next several months to bring in the expertise that we need to learn more about the practical and policy aspects of [...]

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