Cultivating Words

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:20:00.000-04:00

I spent the last week in Berlin, Germany, attending executive meetings of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. We were hosted by International Green Week, the world's largest food, agriculture and horticulture show.

The show features exhibitors from around the world, and many selling food and showcasing the agricultural specialties of their part of the world.

Here are a few sights... More to come in future blog posts...

This lovely German potato farmer seemed thrilled that I came to visit his booth in the agricultural section of International Green Week. He proudly told me that they had 420 varieties of potatoes on display.

Guess which country had the large tulip display? Holland, of course.

Pakistan's booth had a heavy emphasis on food traceability and food safety.

These guys didn't appear very impressed with International Green Week.

Farmers work together

2011-09-27T12:26:00.000-03:00

It's pretty cool to watch a group work together -- especially when farmers band together to accomplish a task.

Many are self-proclaimed loners who admit to having to work a bit to share ideas with each other. But in this case, farmers in Ontario are teaming up in an attempt to set a new world record by harvesting 160 acres of soybeans with more than 100 combines in under 10 minutes.

The record attempt is part of Harvest for Hunger, a unique project organized by five local area farmers -- Richard Van Donkersgoed, Peter Rastorfer, Mike Koetsier, Randy Drenth and John Tollenaar -- to raise funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and help end global hunger.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will sell the harvested soybean crop in a live unreserved charity auction during the event, with all proceeds going to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The Canadian International Development Agency will also match proceeds raised in the auction.

Harvest for Hunger is a collaborative community effort involving more than 300 volunteers and more than 100 combines. Everything has been donated including the use of the land, field work, seed, fertilizer, crop protection, fuel and crop scouting. Ritchie Bros. is donating its auction services, staff and an auctioneer to support the event.

The harvest will yield about 8,000 bushels of beans which will be divided and auctioned in lots ranging in size from one bushel to 1,600 bushels (enough to fill a 40 tonne truck). Some of the crop will be sold as crushed beans for soybean meal or Identity Preserved beans (non-genetically modified beans that can be exported). Bidding on lots will be take place on-site during the Harvest for Hunger event. Each lot will be sold to the highest bidder, with no minimum bids or reserve prices.

"All the funds raised from the harvest will help the Canadian Foodgrains Bank provide critical food aid to drought ridden areas such as Ethiopia and Kenya," said Richard Van Donkersgoed, Fundraising Coordinator for Harvest for Hunger.

Harvest for Hunger will take place on Highway 23, just one kilometre north of Monkton at noon on Friday, Sept. 30. The public is invited to watch the soybean harvest and bid in the live charity auction. Lunch and drinks will be available by donation. Local dignitaries will also be on-site to determine whether a new harvesting world record is set, based on time and acreage.

"Community events like Harvest for Hunger speak to the strong heritage of Canadian farmers feeding the world," said Jim Cornelius, Executive Director, Canadian Foodgrains Bank. "We are grateful for the volunteers and donors who are working together in support of our mission to end global hunger."

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies working together to end world hunger through the collection and donation of grain and cash. To date, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank has provided more than one million tonnes of food to people in 80 countries around the world. Primary support for the organization comes from growing projects with farmers and communities in Canada's agricultural sector.

Canadian farm journalists examine food crisis

2011-09-23T10:36:00.001-03:00

Alan Scholz of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada is the winner of the first ever International Federation of Agricultural Journalists-YARA award for Reporting on Sustainable World Agriculture.

Scholz's story, Food Scarcity - A Myth?, appeared in the Spring 2011 edition of Sustainable Futures magazine, published by the Agricultural Institute of Canada. Judges said Scholz “dared to ask if there really is a problem with sustainability, and like good journalism often does, it offered a contrary direction to popular thought.” In that way, they said, it opened the door for further debate and discussion. But despite its clear perspective, the story was well balanced, offering no single, simple feel-good solution.

“The writer described this complex, emotional topic fairly, in an easy-to-understand, realistic way that can basically be summed up by saying a multi-faceted approach is needed to address the complicated food problem,” they said.

Laura Rance of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada received distinguished recognition for her story in the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper, ”Put on pot of soup, help fight food crisis.” Judges called her story “very well-balanced, discussing pros and cons.” They said Rance “combines different aspects of the world food situation in a very convincing way. Conclusions from FAO and from researchers are taken into account and presented, so they can be used in our daily life. She succeeds in presenting a complicated problem and a simple set of solutions.”

Distinguished recognition was also given to Deanna Lush of Australia for her story in Stock & Land newspaper, entitled ”Crop quality key to feeding the world.” The judges said Lush “focused on better food quality, and not just quantity, an important aspect of producing enough food for more than nine billion people in 2050.” They noted the story focuses on nutrient deficiency – sometimes called hidden hunger – and praised Lush for describing farmers’ and scientists’ role in reducing nutrient deficiency. Several relevant cases are used, giving the reader a thorough understanding of the problem.

The awards were announced at the 2011 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress awards banquet in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

The competition drew 23 entries from eight countries. The theme was how to feed a growing world population.

Judges for the inaugural competition were Henning Otte Hansen of Denmark, Cathy Reade of Australia’s Crawford Fund and a team of Fred Kirschenmann, Jeri Neal and Laura Miller of the University of Iowa’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

The award was sponsored by YARA International ASA, a global firm specializing in agricultural products and environmental protection agents.

The IFAJ is a non-political, professional association for agricultural journalists in 31 countries. It serves as a platform for communication, information and professional development for agricultural journalists from all over the world.

The IFAJ-YARA competition co-ordinator was IFAJ secretary general Owen Roberts of Canada. Guidance, support and liaison activities for the inaugural award were provided by IFAJ member Jorgen Lund Christiansen of Denmark.

Further information about the IFAJ-YARA award is availble on the IFAJ website, or by contacting Roberts.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T09:19:00.000-03:00

After a very long absence from blogging (no excuse!), I offer this link to you on Wordless Wednesday. And thanks to Jennifer MacDonald, New Brunswick ag promoter extraordinaire, for sharing this.

Cows sculptures created out of junked cars.

She wanted a horse, but her parents said no.

2011-06-09T11:25:00.000-03:00

I love this girl's spirit!

How wet is it?

2011-04-29T17:35:00.000-03:00

We've been hearing about flooding in Canada's Prairies, but how wet is it? It's hard to understand the impact of the excessive moisture without being there, but this video does an excellent job showing us just how disastrous the situation is.

Let's hope the rain clouds dissipate and the sun shines soon.

IFAJ 2011 Sneak Peak: Canada's Outdoor Farm Show

2011-04-18T16:30:00.000-03:00

When the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists meet in Ontario in September, one of the sites we'll have a chance to visit is Canada's Outdoor Farm Show.

I've never been to the show, but it has been on my To Do list for several years. I'm quite looking forward to attending with my IFAJ colleagues. The video above is a sample of last year's show.

When freelancers need more than a "work like hell" biz plan

2011-04-12T17:27:00.001-03:00

With the early registration deadline for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ congress in Canada only days away, now is the best time to decide if you're attending. Of course, you can register after the early bird deadline, but it will cost an additional $200.

Freelance writers have a particular concern. The cost of the congress -- whether it's the Canadian guild meeting, or the international meeting -- is always top of mind. The congress cost is a big expense, and when I have to pay the entire cost myself, it certainly makes me stop and look at my financial situation before dishing out any money.

As well, I live in eastern Canada, so airfare is another consideration. It usually costs me extra to fly anywhere.

But when I look at the benefit of attending either the national or international congress, I ask myself one question: Why I would I NOT attend? It's money very well spent; in fact, the expense is an investment in my career.

Why’s that?

Well, at IFAJ 2011 in Guelph, Ont. in September -- or any of the other IFAJ congresses -- there will be about 300 agricultural communicators and journalists, from all around the world. By attending, I'll have the chance to meet each one of them. We'll dine together, sit beside each other on the bus, muck through barns in our disposable protective footware, share a table at professional development sessions, tour food processors wearing silly hair nets, toast each other over drinks, sing together and share laughs. The congresses are held in relaxed, casual settings and are the perfect forum to get to know other like-minded professionals. The experiences we share at these congresses solidify our profession.

It's easy to look around the congresses and see the teambuilding going on. But there's also a lot of business activity happening that we don't see. Our national guilds (and IFAJ) include public relations professionals, journalists, communicators, broadcasters, editors, publishers -- anyone involved in ag communications. Many of the people in a position to assign work or hire contract writers are often circulating among us.

All the contract work I do today is because of just one connection I made at one of our national guild meetings. That work now puts me in a situation where I subcontract to freelance writers. I know of several others within our national guild who are in the same position. It's not unusual for me to receive phone calls from others in our guild who are looking for a freelance writer or someone to do some public relations writing for them. Last year at the IFAJ congress in Belgium, I overheard a conversation between a publisher and a foreign freelance journalist. The journalist was considering immigrating to the country where the publisher works. "Give me a call," the publisher said, "I'm always looking for good writers."

And even if I don't get a call immediately after the congress for a chance at freelance work, I could very well receive a call sometime in the future, or could myself been looking for a freelancer in the months ahead. You never know for sure when it's going to benefit you, but I feel it's our job as freelancers to work at these gatherings to make sure we are a part of every opportunity.

The cost of a congress is a concern, and I agree that it holds merit. But think of the alternative. Lower cost accommodations, such as a university residence, could be considered. But that has its own set of complications. The congress time would be restricted to June, July or early August, a time when many people are on vacation with their families. And in many parts of the world, those months tend to bring warmer temperatures. Many university residences aren't air conditioned. And it's common for residences to request off season visitors bring their own linens. Is that any way to welcome visitors to our country?

The early registration cost for the IFAJ 2011 congress is $1,090, double occupancy. Sharing a room with someone you don't know can often be a gamble, but if we're looking at this to save money, it's the best place to start. That price includes your hotel fee for six nights, all meals, bus transportation to farms and tickets to a dinner theatre event hotel fees. It's certainly not a bare bones congress, but it isn't lavish either. The hotel is modest -- exactly what is to be expected of a conference of professionals.

And maybe that's the key. As freelancers, we need to recognize the fact that we're professionals. We're entrepreneurs and we need to operate our businesses that way -- including writing business plans, setting goals and budgeting for professional development and career boosting opportunities. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't always worked this way. For many of my 20 years as a freelancer, my business plan was "work like hell." But over time, I grew tired of working just to keep my head above water. I felt the need to have career goals and feel a sense of professional accomplishment. It's a never-ending evolution.

Every handshake at an IFAJ or guild congress is an opportunity for future work. It pays to be open to every chance we have to develop and grow our career, even if the upfront cost might hurt a little.

Cooking with Souvenirs

2011-04-06T08:58:00.001-03:00

When I was in Berlin, Germany early this year at International Green Week, one of the items I picked up was a jar of a traditional Polish treat, krem mleczny.

The display at Green Week was amazing. The fountain of luscious caramel flowed and the rich, deep aroma drew us in. It managed to captured our attention above the assaults on our senses that surrounded us at Green Week.

I didn’t really have a plan for how to use the krem mleczny at home. I tucked it away in the cupboard, but every time I saw it, I wondered what to do with it. I often thought it would be good as a topping on ice cream.

Jose, a colleague also involved with the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists, bought the same treat and ended up using hers in a cake, which I thought was a great idea. When my mother-in-law invited us over for dinner a few days ago and told us a few other relatives would also be there, I volunteered to make dessert. Then, I started looking for a fabulous cake recipe.

The cake ended up being a bit more work then I expected, since it fell apart when I tipped it onto the cooling rake. My kids had no sympathy for me, though, and were more than happy to eat bits that were half in the pan and half on the counter.

In the end, all was good – very good! I used the krem mleczny as the filling between the two layers of the white cake and made a simple frosting. I probably could have made a cake in a tube pan, heated the krem and used it like a glaze, and the cake was probably a bit more dense than what the krem is usually used with, but it was a delicious learning experience and next time, I’ll have a better idea of how to put the treat to good use.

From the archives: Switzerland's bumper spaghetti harvest

2011-04-01T07:05:00.001-03:00

Some stories are of such high quality that they can stand to be repeated. This news story below is a prime example.

The story about Switzerland's bumper crop of spaghitte broke April 1, 1957 and garnered great reaction from the BBC viewers who wanted to know where they too could buy spaghetti trees. The bumper crop was credited, in part, "to the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil."

Here's an excerpt from the script:

It is not only in Britain that spring, this year, has taken everyone by surprise. Here in the Ticino, on the borders of Switzerland and Italy, the slopes overlooking Lake Lugano have already burst into flower at least a fortnight earlier than usual.

But what, you may ask, has the early and welcome arrival of bees and blossom to do with food? Well, it is simply that the past winter, one of the mildest in living memory, has had its effect in other ways as well. Most important of all, it's resulted in an exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop.

The last two weeks of March are an anxious time for the spaghetti farmer. There is always the chance of a late frost which, while not entirely ruining the crop, generally impairs the flavour and makes it difficult for him to obtain top prices in world markets. But now these dangers are over and the spaghetti harvest goes forward.

Historic news footage of the Swiss spaghetti harvest

The full story about the Swiss spaghetti harvest of 1957 is located at the BBC website.

(Special thanks to Truffle Media for posting about this on Twitter)

A blogging course -- Really?

2011-03-26T10:28:00.000-03:00

I'm lucky to have a strong professional network through the Professional Writers' Association of Canada (PWAC) and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF).

I have trusted peers locally, nationally and internationally who I can call on for help, advice, support and friendship. Or a glass of wine or bottle of beer.

A couple of PWAC colleagues, Wendy and Trudy, and I decided we were looking for just a bit more oomph from our network. We wanted to find someway to carry on that enthusiasm we get from professional development workshops, conferences and meetings. You know that high when ideas flow just by having a discussion with like-minded entrepreneurs? We wanted to bottle it and drink deeply every week.

Last November, we started to meet once a week via Skype. So far, so good, although in some ways, we're still finding our groove.

When we met last week and Wendy talked about taking a blogging course, my initial reaction (that I kept to myself) was, "a blogging course -- really?? Why do you need a blogging course? Just jump in and do it!" But Wendy was excited about it, the course came with high recommendation from another PWAC colleague and I was happy that Wendy was finally going to start working towards her goal of setting up a blog. Trudy asked for the course information and I did too.

I changed my attitude about the validity of a blogging course when I checked out the outline and realized it would answer many questions I've been wondered about blogging, but just hadn't gotten around to answering on my own. Making the switch to Word Press, syndication, effective use of widgets... stuff I could probably get a handle on myself -- probably someday -- were all nicely packaged into a six week course.

Sign me up! I'm in.

And that's the beauty of a good network of support. They're always inspiring, even when you least expect it and when you've let your support for the others slip a little.

Maple Syrup Time!

2011-03-21T10:50:00.000-03:00

Spring has officially -- and finally -- arrived and in Eastern Canada, that means warmer temperatures, longer days and maple syrup.

Here's a video produced by the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Producers. It gives an inside look at how maple syrup is gathered, processed and used.

New Brunswick Maple Syrup

Reveille is back!

2011-03-05T11:36:00.001-04:00

Reveille is an open mic evening of laughter and sharing as the general public and special guests read the angst-filled words they wrote as children.

Dig out that box from the attic or basement -- or maybe it's still under your old bed at your parents' place -- and get ready to read. Yes, it's awful. Yes, it's embarrasing. YES, it's funny!

The event is part of the Frye Literary Festival in Moncton, N.B., Canada.

This year's lineup of authors includes Margaret Atwood, Kenneth Oppel, Johanna Skibsrud, Sylvia Tyson, Charles Foran and many others. We often have some of the visiting authors drop into Reveille with samples of their work from their youth, but everyone is welcome to come and read, or come and laugh.

Reveille is hosted by the Moncton Chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. It's set for Wednesday, April 27, 8 p.m. at the Moncton Press Club.

In celebration of milk... if cats had thumbs

2011-03-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

International agricultural journalists to gather in Canada

2011-02-23T15:43:00.000-04:00

What will they see? This video just about says it all.

Galloping Cows at the Oscars?

2011-02-21T11:56:00.001-04:00

A Nova Scotia food producer is heading to the red carpet.

Ron and Joanne Schmidt of Galloping Cows Fine Foods in Port Hood, Nova Scotia, left Monday, Feb. 21 for the Oscars in Los Angeles, California. They will set up a display in the Oscars' Gifting Suite and present stars with a gift box of Galloping Cows Pepper Jellies.

Joanne says they broke into the star-studded gift scene when they attended the Toronto International Film Festival and the Golden Globes with their Brandy Cranberry Marmalade. But they will shine the spotlight on their Wild Blueberry Pepper Spread as the Oscars.

The company started as a roadside farm market 16 years ago. They've continued to evolve and develop new products over the years with Ron and Joanne creating the new recipes. They use 100 per cent Nova Scotia fruit in their products.

In addition to the red carpet, Galloping Cows pepper jellies are available in the deli departments at Sobeys stores in Atlantic Canada. Gift stores, farm markets, specialty food stores and their website also sell the product.

The Oscars air Sunday, Feb. 27.

New IFAJ contest addresses hot ag topic

2011-02-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

It's a question the agricultural industry -- including journalists and communicators -- has been asking repeatedly lately. It's even a topic that has spilled into mainstream media as analysts examine the topic.

Experts say agricultural production must double during the next 40 years. How does the world continue to feed its growing population?

As our work as agricultural journalists and communicators leads us to examine this question, the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has unveiled a new contest, the IFAJ Award for Reporting on Sustainable World Agriculture. The award will recognize excellence in work that examines issues-based questions each year.

The IFAJ Award for Reporting on Sustainable World Agriculture is open to articles, internet productions or radio/TV broadcasts on the broad topics of hunger, feeding the world sustainably and meeting the challenge of providing nutrition to a growing world population.

This new award provides a unique professional development opportunity for all IFAJ members to participate in a broad-based contest that is relevant to current global issues -- the goal of higher food production with a lower carbon footprint.

Entries to this year's contest must address the following theme:
"How to feed a still growing world population? Can we double agricultural production towards 2050? Experts say we must double agricultural production during the next 40 years in order to avoid hunger and in order also to produce agricultural products for energy purposes. At the same time agricultural land will only increase slightly, and water may be an even more limited resource."

Eligibility
Individual IFAJ members from countries with paid-up memberships are eligible to enter. This means national guilds are not required to have a judging or selection process to decide on an entry to go forward. One entry per member is allowed.

Entries may be a written article, a radio program or a television/internet production.

Entries should touch on the broad themes of hunger, feeding the world sustainably or meeting the challenge of providing nutrition to a growing world population. Entries can be macro (global, regional or national) or micro (local) points of view. Entries may focus on a broad array of topics including food supply and demand, trade, production agriculture practices and policy.

Judging will be based on objectivity, balance, content, clarity and relevance to the theme. Solid organization, depth of reporting and brightness of style will be examined. Entries have no length (words, minutes, etc.) requirement, but must have been published or aired in one (print) issue or single broadcast; series of reports are ineligible.

Entries must have been published or aired between January 1, 2010 and June 1, 2011. In this first year of the award, entries scheduled to be published or aired no later than December 31, 2011 are also eligible.

All entries must be written or spoken in English. The committee of judges will consider less perfect English from participants whose primary language is not English. Entry deadline is June 15, 2011.

The following information must be provided in the e-mail to which the article is attached:

Name, address, e-mail address and telephone number of the entrant;
Name of IFAJ member association of which the entrant is a member;
Name of publication, broadcast station or Web site where entry was published or aired;
Date and/or issue of broadcast, posting, airing, or publication;
The intended audience for the entry (consumers? farmers?)

For print entries, the layout and design will not be considered in the judging.

Entries, submitted in electronic format such as PDF or MP3, must be submitted to:

International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ)

c/o Secretary General Owen Roberts, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

email: owen(at)uoguelph.ca.

An email directing judges to the entry via a link to broadcast sites such as www.youtube.com is also acceptable.

Prizes

Cash prizes for first (3,000 euro), second (1,500 euro) and third place (750 euro) will be awarded, with the winners of the contest announced at the 2011 IFAJ Congress in Canada, September 2011. IFAJ will publish the names of the winners and will publish their work at www.ifaj.org. IFAJ reserves the right to use the entries and subsequent critiques in future professional development activities.

Judging

A panel of three judges will form an independent committee. The judging panel is lead by distinguished professor Henning Otte Hansen, senior adviser at the Institute of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen. Other judges will be selected from North/South America, and Africa/Asia/Australia/New Zealand.

Applications for Young Journalist Award now being accepted

2011-02-14T15:21:00.000-04:00

Are you:

     • 35 or younger?
     • A member of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation?
     • Interested in boosting your ag journalism or communications career?

The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) is now accepting applications for the 2011 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agriculture Journalism Award.

CFWF will select one entry from the Canadian applications for further judging by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ). IFAJ judges will go on to select the winners of the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agriculture Journalism Award.

This award recognizes the leadership potential of 10 young members from the 29 countries belonging to the IFAJ, and supports the young persons' participation at the 2011 IFAJ congress. The award is designed to offset travel and registration costs.

At the 2011 congress, winners of the young leaders' award will participate in a Boot Camp workshop. This will provide participants with expert training and feedback through on-site writing or broadcasting assignments and further develop their leadership skills through formal in-class training. They will be teamed with mentors during the congress to help with learning.

Participants will also write or record spot news three times during the congress. The stories will be made available to the general media and posted on the IFAJ website, http://www.ifaj.org/.

The 2011 IFAJ Boot Camp and congress are September 10-18, 2011, in the Guelph, Ontario, Canada region. Details, including the agenda, are available at http://www.ifaj2011.com/.

The only way apply for 2011 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agriculture Journalism Award is through the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.

A team of CFWF judges, selected by the federation executive, will pick one entry to represent Canada and will submit the successful candidate's name to IFAJ for further judging. The remaining nine IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agriculture Journalism Award winners will be selected from entries from other IFAJ member countries.

Rules and procedures for nomination and selection

1. Applicants must be CFWF members.

2. Applicants must write a brief (500 word maximum) essay that addresses:

why they believe they have leadership potential in IFAJ.
how attending Boot Camp and 2011 IFAJ congress will benefit them in their professional life.

Application essays, as well as the applicant's name, mailing address, email address, telephone number and regional farm writer organization, must be sent to Allison Finnamore, Canada's IFAJ executive member, at allison@finnamore.ca by 5 p.m. eastern time, Monday, February 28, 2011.

3. The IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award is valued at 1,000 Euro per winner.

4. The candidate must be able to attend Boot Camp and the IFAJ congress, September 10-18, 2011 in Ontario, Canada.

5. The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation will select one entry from the Canadian applications for further judging by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. CFWF will forward supporting information about the Canadian nominee, who will be required to provide CFWF with supporting information in a timely fashion.

6. Candidates must be involved in agricultural journalism or communications.

7. Candidates must be no more than 35 years old as of December 31, 2010.

8. Final judging will be conducted by a three-person panel chaired by the IFAJ general secretary.

9. Judges’ decisions are final.

Questions? Call Allison at 506-860-7761 or email allison@finnamore.ca

CFWF members, please share this with your regional associations.

Food Freedom Day

2011-02-12T14:07:00.000-04:00

Today is Food Freedom Day in Canada.

That means the average Canadian has now earned enough disposable income to pay for his or her individual grocery bill -- food and alcohol only -- for the entire year.

And yes, it's only February 12.

This is the third year in a row that Food Freedom Day has fallen on this date, and only slightly later than in previous years. The recession and an increase in the price of food have helped push the date back. The calculation is made by comparing Canadians' disposable income and the amount we spend on food.

According to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, in 2010 the average Canadian spent approximately 11.9 per cent of personal disposable income on food.

Beth Densmore, president of Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture points out that even though we enjoy reasonably priced food in Nova Scotia and the rest of the country, Canadian farmers "continue to be challenged with gaining a fair return of the food dollar."

Consumers want cheap food that is reliably safe. Farmers want to get paid fairly for the food they produce. Should Canadians spend more than 11.9 per cent of disposable income on food? What's the value of a safe food supply? Is enough money getting back to farmers?

Food Freedom Day may be a good time to take pause to reflect on these types of questions.

More on Food Freedom Day.

It'll be a wild party!

2011-02-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

It's been 15 years since Nova Scotia named the wild blueberry its official berry.

Nova Scotia's wild blueberry is worth $40 million in export sales to 30 countries.

Proclaimed the provincial berry on Jan. 11, 1996, the wild blueberry is often touted for its medicinal benefits.

"Early research suggested the antioxidant power of blueberries was responsible for health benefits," said Wilhelmina Kalt, research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who is investigating the berry's health attributes. "More recently, research indicates blueberries may be important in reducing inflammation that comes with disease and aging."

Health research is examining the blueberry's benefits in areas such as cardiovascular health, neuroscience, cancer, inflammation, aging and, more recently, diabetes and sight.

For more information about the wild blueberry or Select Nova Scotia, go to http://www.selectnovascotia.ca/.

Maple Syrup Dreams

2011-02-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

When I met recently with colleagues from the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists in Berlin, there was much talk about maple syrup. It may have been because we discovered the wonderful drink, firewater, or... well, no, the discussion about maple syrup definitely came from the firewater conversation.

It's easy to take what we have for granted and I forgot how novel the notion is of harvesting sap from a tree and turning it into sweet syrup. Eastern Canadians share the annual spring tradition of pulling on our rubber boots, usually one of the first times we wear them after shedding the winter boots, and heading into the barren woods for a walk to the sugar shack.

Timing is everything with maple syrup production. The night temperatures must drop below freezing and temperatures during the day must be above freezing. The see-saw on the thermometre is what makes the sap in the tree begin to flow after its winter's rest. Depending on the weather, the sap could run for many weeks.

Maple syrup facts and history

My most memorable spring maple syrup memory is from when I was about 12-years-old. I had a mouth full of braces -- the big, heavy braces that felt and looked like railroad tracks. They came with the firm instructions: no gum and nothing sticky to eat.

I was at a sugar camp and when it was time for some maple candy, the owner of the camp passed the first, sticky, gooey piece to me. Of course I took it. Of course it hauled the cemented-braces right off my teeth. Of course my parents were upset and of course, I was at the orthodontist the very next day to have the cement reapplied. But of course, for maple candy, I would do it all over again in an instant.

These are photos from a couple of years ago when my son's Cub group went the the maple sugar woods.

Heading into the muddy woods

The sap lines snaking through the bare tress

A gentle tap into the tree

Before producers used tap lines, they put buckets directly on to the trees. Some small producers still do, while others only do a few trees to demonstrate past practices.

The evaporator. It's not operating in this shot or it would be a room full of steam

Maple candy in the snow

I'm the best

2011-01-29T14:52:00.000-04:00

I'm doing an office clean-up today and while looking for some files on my computer, I found this. Mark just turned nine, so it's a few years old.

Since my son was born, I’ve said, “Mark, you’re the bestest boy ever made.”

When he began talking, he would reply, “You’re the bestest Mom ever made.”

It was just our thing. I know I’m far from it, but he’s six now – I know this won’t last much longer. I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Tucking him in one night, we shared usual exchange except this time, he went on to list what was good about me...

“You’re the best at making good food for us, you’re the best at taking good care of us...”

“But Mark,” I said, “I sometimes get grouchy.”

“Oh, you’re the best at that too,” he replied.

Oh Canada!

2011-01-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation hosted Canada Night at International Green Week in Berlin for our colleagues of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. Owen Roberts, IFAJ Secretary General, from Guelph, Ont. and I were happy to have Stefanie Nagelschmitz from Canada's Outdoor Farm Show join us and help host the evening.

We gathered in a charming Italian restaurant about a block from our hotel. Red and white checkered tablecloths (Canadian maybe?), candles, good conversation. It was a wonderful evening.

We were especially proud to bring a gift for our international colleagues -- red mittens with a white maple leaf. The mittens, sold by HBC, are in support of Canada's Olympic team. They seemed to be a big hit with our friends.

We look forward to hosting our colleagues in September at IFAJ 2011 in Canada. A schedule, registration details and information on sponsorship is available at http://www.ifaj2011.com/

Special thanks to Steve Werblow for being our photographer.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T13:57:00.000-04:00

These photographs to promote Berlin's International Green Week are surprising and a bit weird. But I can't stop looking at them!

They are certainly attention-getters, but, as I heard more than one of my colleagues muse, it's interesting to have such peculiar promotional material in a region that seems so afraid of genetically modified foods.

With glowing hearts

2011-01-25T12:18:00.002-04:00

National pride is something that most of us hold near to our heart, no matter what nation we come from. And when we have the chance to show off our nation – invite someone to our home and show them what makes us proud – we jump.

It was with great pride of nation that I went to Berlin, Germany. I was recently elected as Canada’s representative on the executive board of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists – and I’m kind of proud, and humbled, to be in this role. As well, Canada is hosting the annual congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists later this year. So not only is the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation expecting 300 of our colleagues from around the globe here in September, but I’m hosting a post-congress tour to Atlantic Canada.

With all of these elements combined, well, I’m pretty darn close to popping with Canadian pride.

The IFAJ executive meetings are held in conjunction with International Green Week in Berlin. During the 10-day food, horticultural and agriculture show, 400,000 people stream through the dozens of multi-levelled halls. In total, the 632 exhibitors from 57 countries fill 23 acres. The many people working at each booths was dressed in a traditional costume from their home country. The pride of their home country could be seen in the smiles on their faces.

There was a communal, yet individual sense of national pride wrapping its arms around us at Messe Berlin and I was anxious to find the booth representing Canada. I had heard that IFAJ colleagues sometimes invite others to their country’s booths for a drink or meal and I wanted to see what Canada had to offer.

When my Canadian colleague Owen Roberts, who is IFAJ’s Secretary General, and I arrived at Canada’s booth, Owen was met with a loud hello, a huge smile and a warm hug. The booth is operated by Marie-Luise Gareis. She remembered Owen from his visits in previous years and the sparkle in her eyes showed she was genuinely happy to see him. I felt that same kindness when she shook my hand.

Owen Roberts and Marie-Luise Gareis

From Germany, Marie-Luise and Fritz discovered Canada when Fritz went salmon fishing in British Columbia several years ago. He fell in love with our country and Marie-Luise did too when she joined him on subsequent trips. They’ve been back to Canada about 20 or 30 times, she can’t really remember, and her passion for Canada has grown.

The Gareis' booth is Canada’s only presence at International Green Week in Berlin. Their entrepreneurship is striking. They import bison meat and make beef jerky, marketing it as a Canadische spezialitäten (Canadian specialty). They also bring in Crown Royal, maple syrup and Moosehead beer. Smoked salmon use to be a popular item, but import cost restrictions have driven costs high and she’s stopped selling it. Along with the Canadian booth at International Green Week, the Gareis sell to high-end retailers during the rest of the year. Marie-Luise also creates and bottles a drink called feuerwasser, or firewater, a combination of Crown Royal, maple syrup and a secret ingredient that Marie-Luise refuses to reveal.

According to three other Canadians who I bumped into at Green Week, the Canadian booth was certainly one of the louder, more fun booths. Country music was blasting from on top of the cooler and plaid shirt, cowboy hat-wearing workers at the booth, including Aboriginal Murray Small Legs from Alberta, were calling out for folks to stop in for their feuerwasser.

Four Canadians, on the left, and a Dutch at the Canadian booth at International Green Week, Berlin

Congratulations to Marie-Luise for representing Canada – but it’s a huge responsibility. The one booth is a small presences for the world's second largest country and the agriculture and food sector that relies heavily on exports.

Like the Canadian booth, many of the booths represented stereotypes of our views of other countries, but this event is a chance to promote our countries and our foods. In Canada, there are agri-food and agri-businesses across the country who create wonderful products – endless unique and delicious foods. It’s a perfect chance to showcase Canadian products directly to German and other European customers. Canada needs more representation.

"Ich liebe dich" and other handy phrases

2011-01-24T22:52:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of going to Berlin, I downloaded an app for my iPhone that teaches basic German phrases. I had tried some that translate words when you type them into the "search" bar, but I needed the audio to help with pronounciation.

The app, Speak German, has phrases sorted by social situations: basics, business, emergency, travel... and then the topics like leisure and relationships. So along with teaching hello, good bye, do you have a business card, who are your customers the app also hits leisure and social situations. I want a beer, that's hilarious and let's party are classified as leisure topics.

Under relationships, the phrases are mostly typical bar talk: are you free for dinner, are you married and call me.

For the most part, the phrases are delivered in a clear, easy to understand voice. It would be nice if the app had someway to slow down the phrase -- I had to repeat several of the phrases many times in order to hear the sound of some letter combinations. Even with my headphones on, they could be hard to pick-up.

My favourite phrase is filed under relationships. The voice, Benjamin A. Holfeld is rich and smooth, and I blush with the passion he puts into Ich liebe dich or I love you.

And how great is it that in this day and age, we can find an app that not only teaches us to say I want a drink and what are you studying, also teaches I love you. Now that's special.\

iTunes preview of the Speak German app

We love food

2011-01-24T13:48:00.001-04:00

One of the greatest benefits of writing about agriculture is the direct link to food - and agriculture's pride in the food they create.

Now, stop for a second and think... which country stands out as having a deep and profound pride in its food. Italy, right? Hands-down one of the countries best known for its food and a place where what people put in their mouths is as much a part of their culture as music or dance.

Last week, I attended International Green Week in Berlin. The show continues this week, but I was in attendance for meetings with the executive of the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists and I had the chance to meet many of my colleagues from around the world, including Antonio Brunori, the IFAJ executive representative from Italy.

Antonio shared his pride of food with us and brought brochures about the creation of Parmigiano-
Reggiano and story of how it's made. The booklet is a poetic account, with the creation, the aging and the opening of the cheese told in three acts.

"With a piece of Parmigian-Reggiano in your bag, you are set and ready to take on any task. You feel as if you would like to sail away like Stevenson's adventurers in search of the Treasure Island, knowing that you are holding something that will stand up to time and adversity and that will always be both tough and tender. And then you realise that the Treasure Island is here in the Provinces of Parma, Regio Emilia, Modene, Mantua (on the right of the river Po) and Bologna (on the left of the river Reno)."

Another brochure is just as lush.

"Parmigiano-Reggiano is a true miracle of nature and of the traditions of the people who produce it. It is for the enjoyment of those who seek in what they eat not only nourishment, but also incredible flavor, love for the earth and respect -- a lot of respect -- for nature and its mysteries."

Antonio brought samples of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, who sponsors his trip to these IFAJ executive meetings. The cheese was just as described, and more.

We were very happy that Antonio was able to join us -- and we appreciate him sharing his love of his country's food with us.

So, what do you think of Green Week?

2011-01-24T00:24:00.003-04:00

Veterans of International Grune Woche in Berlin have asked me, a rookie, what I thought of the show.

Well, as a writer, I try to avoid comments like, "words can't describe," since that's kind of my job. But still, I think the exposition comes pretty close to being one of those "you just have to be there" situations.

The show began as a local market in 1926 and evolved into the agriculture meeting. Over 50 agriculture-related groups, including the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists, meet during the event. The displays cover 28 acres!

I think I needed a 17 hour trip home to Canada to give thought to describing the experience of Green Week. Every step I took while on the Messe Berlin site seemed to evoke another feeling about the experience of Green Week.

It was definitely a sensory riot. The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd pushes, even though the mass of people is so thick there is no place to go except to move along with them. Sweat snakes down my spine because of the heat generated by throngs of people, or, when I’m dashing from one building to the next, I caught my breath from the chill of the cold German air and watched my footing for icy patches on the roadway.

As the crowd shuffles along, I yell to be heard over the loud music being played at most booths. In the French hall, the wartime songs of Vera Lynn drifted around us as we sipped espresso. When the Swiss booth hosted us for an evening meal, musicians playing traditional music and wearing costumes performed for us. When we attended a lunch hosted by the German Farm Writers Guild, we had an upper level, bird’s eye view of the stage and watched a horn band play and a choir sing. Then, as we continued through the halls, I found it hard not to belly dance past the Middle Eastern countries' booths, do a jig through Ireland or even polka past the Poland people.

And the smells… they changed with each new breath. Fresh, sweet hay near the farm animals created the unmistakable farm smell and rubber tires of the farm equipment reminded me of Saturday mornings errands as a child with my father. The mild Gouda, sharp Emmental and pungent blue cheeses from Switzerland and France could be absorbed with each turn of the head. The aroma of Belgium’s decadent chocolates danced by me, and more than once, I had to stop despite the crowd, breathe deep and try to place the bouquet that met me in that space -- liquorice, paprika, the wonderful, rich and spicy goodness from the Vietnamese, Lebanese, Moroccan foods.

I flew over the Atlantic Ocean today to journey home. I think my senses needed the blandness of an airplane to recover, regroup and begin to describe what Grune Woche is like in Berlin.

Feeling a little green

2011-01-17T13:36:00.002-04:00

Every January, around 114,000 people converge on Berlin for International Green Week, one of the world's largest exhibitions of the food, agricultural and horticultural. This year, I'll be one of them.

I'm quite excited about heading to Germany, even if I'll only be there for a five days. Along with the chance to visit over 1,500 exhibitors from almost 60 countries -- ag machinery to garden equipment to food and wine -- I'll also be taking part in the executive committee meetings of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

The skies are clear and blue in eastern Canada and the forecast is fine for the next few days. Cross your fingers for me that they stay that way, as I leave tomorrow evening for the flight o'er the sea.

Gruene Woche

Who knows where we'll go?

2011-01-14T14:01:00.000-04:00

It's big world out there -- and everyone has a story to tell.

I'm looking for followers for my blog. Would you mind? Would love to have you along for the ride, although you must know, destination is unknown. That's where the adventure is.

I won't lead you down the garden path -- although we may visit some gardens. There will be farms and food and friends and probably a few wineries and breweries too. True to my family roots, I love taking photos, so I'll post many of those too.

Life is a highway...

Friends of Inspiration

2011-01-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

Wendy left today for six months in California. Sandra is a few weeks into four months in the British Virgin Islands. Deborah is enjoying the success of seven years (!!) of research on a book. Brian is living his dream of being self-employed. Debby raised some amazing kids (a success itself) while attending university and now holds a PhD. Doreen is confidently working towards her book. Nina's is continuously taking another step in growing her business. Lilian and Owen are leading an organizing committee into its final year of hosting an international event. Olivia had five A+ on her last report card. Tamara is Zen.

And that's just some of you. You're all taking amazing, awe-inspiring, wonderful steps in your lives. Each of you is living a full life and working towards your dreams. Some of you are living your dreams and creating new ones.

Every morning when I open up my email, Twitter or Facebook accounts and see what each of you have been up to, I get so excited by you and for you! If I'm feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew, I look around at my friends and am motivated to keep going -- work harder to reach my goals -- personal and professional.

Thank you for being you and being such wonderful sources of energy and inspiration.

For Best Results, Go Topless

2010-12-16T14:20:00.000-04:00

With the holidays upon us, an oven roast is the ultimate comfort food, for family and for guests. And what better way to entertain than going topless!

With a combination of both culinary and consumer research, the Beef Information Centre (BIC) is putting forward its findings for oven-roasting best practices. Oven roast enthusiasts across the nation can take comfort, confident they have the information they need to prepare the most juicy, tender oven roasts possible with just four easy steps: season, sear, reduce and stand.

With 65 per cent of Canadians not clear on the difference between a pot roast and an oven roast, BIC is stressing oven roasters 'go topless' (not use a lid), 'go dry' (not use liquid in the pan) and 'go low' (roasting at 275°F) to best achieve restaurant-quality roasting. Interestingly, 47 per cent of Canadians in BIC studies covered their oven roasts with a lid and 55 per cent used liquid in the pan. Oh the sufferings of the oven roast, confined under a lid and drowning in liquid - no more! And with the help of the step-by-step cooking lesson at www.beefinfo.org, a roasting revival is on the horizon as more Canadians discover just how easy roasting can be.

Canadians can learn all about the oven roasting best practices, how to make tasty homemade gravy, learn about serving sizes, get great holiday recipe ideas and much more by visiting www.beefinfo.org.

Oven-Roasting Best Practices

Season roast. Place, fat side up, on rack in shallow pan (no water is necessary). Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of roast, avoiding fat or bone.

Oven-Sear* by placing uncovered (topless) roast in preheated 450°F (230°C) oven for 10 minutes.

*(Not around to turn it down? Skip this step and roast at a constant 275°F/140°C).

Reduce heat to 275°F (140°C). Cook to desired doneness, removing from oven when the roast is 5°F (3°C) below finished temperature (145°F/63°C for medium-rare, 160°F/71°C for medium to well-done).

Cover with foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Roasts can stand 20 to 30 minutes before carving into thin slices.

FENNEL-CRUSTED BEEF STRIP LOIN ROAST WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Beef Strip Loin is a great roast to consider for entertaining - it's ever-tender and has amazing flavour! Since it's boneless, Strip Loin Roast is simple to carve and there's little waste. Bonus: Fully trimmed Strip Loin is lean, and because of its flat, thin shape, it cooks quite quickly for its weight.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 2 hours

1/4 cup (50 mL) minced fresh parsley

1 tbsp (15 mL) crushed fennel seeds

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

Coarse salt and pepper, to taste

4 lb (2 kg) Beef Strip Loin Premium Oven Roast

Port Wine Sauce:

2 shallots, minced

1 cup (250 mL) red wine

1/2 cup (125 mL) ruby port

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth

2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch

1 tbsp (15 mL) butter

1.Combine parsley, fennel seeds, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Rub all over roast.

2.Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of roast. Cook, uncovered, in 450°F (230°C) oven for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 275°F (140°C); roast until thermometer reads 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare, about 1-3/4 to 2 hours, or to 150°F (66°C) for medium. Remove from oven. Cover roast loosely with foil and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.

3.Meanwhile, make Port Wine Sauce: Drain off all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the drippings from roasting pan. Place pan over medium heat and add shallots; cook, stirring until shallots soften. Stir in wine and port, stirring up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Stir in broth. Combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup (50 mL) cold water and whisk into simmering sauce, cook stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain (if desired) and return to pan. Whisk butter into sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Per Serving: 255 Calories, 29 g protein, 11 g fat, 4 g carbohydrate. Good source of iron (22% DV), potassium (15% DV) and vitamin D (16% DV) and excellent source of zinc (63% DV), 7% DV sodium.

BEEF INFORMATION CENTRE For Best Results, Go Topless

Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec

2010-12-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

A GIGGLE with the GOATS Jingle Bells Holiday Performance

2010-12-08T08:49:00.000-04:00

How wet was it?

2010-12-07T10:25:00.000-04:00

We heard countless stories about the wet weather in the west last spring, summer and fall. But for those of us who weren't there, it's really hard to imagine the impact the rain had on the fields -- no matter how many anecdotes we heard.

Here's a website displaying some photos of what happened when heavy equipment hit the wet fields. Voting on the best photograph is only open to residents of Saskatchewan, but if you don't live there, don't let that stop you from checking out these incredible photographs.

http://www.stuckinthemuck.com/allphotos.php

Cheers!

2010-12-03T07:52:00.001-04:00

Nova Scotia Ag Group Elects New President

2010-11-26T12:11:00.000-04:00

(from MeetYourFarmer.ca)
Congratulations to Beth Densmore of East Noel, Hants County, the first female president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

Beth, who farms sheep and grapes with her husband Ronald, was elected Friday morning by the members attending the AGM in Truro, N.S.

She has served as director and president of the Hants County Federation of Agriculture and sits on various committees with the federation, including Ag Awareness, Health and Safety, and Transportation. She has a huge passion for the industry and is a tireless promoter of agriculture wherever she goes.
http://meetyourfarmer.ca/

Turkey Farm Tour

2010-11-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Farmers

2010-11-24T06:16:00.000-04:00

Our friends in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving this week. Here's a video in honour -- or should I say honor -- of American farmers. Happy Thanksgiving.

PEI Potato Industry Welcomes Rick Mercer

2010-11-17T12:20:00.000-04:00

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, November 16, 2010 --- The Prince Edward Island Potato Industry welcomed Rick Mercer, from The Rick Mercer Report, on October 12, 2010, through invitation by the PEI Potato Board.

Rick Mercer and his crew met with Jason and Bertram Webster, of Middleton Farms, and Troy Webster, of Webster Farms in Middleton, PEI to highlight the 2010 PEI Potato harvest and demonstrate the process of bringing in the crop. Rick Mercer spent the day in the fields, learning about growing and digging potatoes. Jason also showed Rick how to work the heavy equipment, including the tractors and harvesters. “It was a beautiful day in the fields. Rick was a great sport, and he and the whole crew really got into it. They were so easy to work with and it was like spending the day with some friends,” says Jason Webster, PEI Potato Grower, “Rick was genuinely interested in what we do.”

The crew also got to see how potatoes get to the consumer level by visiting a local packing shed where fresh consumer bags are packed. “People think that their food comes from grocery stores,” said Rick Mercer, to a CBC reporter. The visit provided a great opportunity to show viewers of the Rick Mercer Report right across Canada what goes into food production.

Greg Donald, General Manager of the PEI Potato Board says “We were very excited to welcome Rick and his crew. We invited them showcase the passion that the growers have and the pride in the product that they produce. What better way to than with The Rick Mercer Report.”

The segment will air on The Rick Mercer Report, on Nov. 23 at 8:00pm on CBC Television.

Prince Edward Island is Canada’s largest producer of potatoes, with 84,500 planted acres, 320 potato growers, and a history that dates back to the 1790’s. The industry is finishing up the 2010 potato harvest, with reports of average yields and good quality.

Merry Christmas, Boston

2010-11-16T12:26:00.001-04:00

In what has become a Nova Scotian tradition, a Christmas tree is being sent to the people of Boston as thanks for their help during the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion.

Every year since 1971, a Christmas tree is chosen to be delivered to Boston. This year's tree, a 15-metre white spruce, was cut today, Nov. 16, at a ceremony on Gary and Roseann Misner's property in North Alton, King's Co.

"For many of us, this annual ceremony marks the start of the Christmas season here in Nova Scotia," said John MacDonell, Minister of Natural Resources. "A symbol of goodwill and thankfulness, the Boston tree represents the true meaning of Christmas."

On Dec. 6, 1917, two ships, the SS Mont-Blanc, a French ship carrying munitions, and the Norwegian SS Imo, collided in Halifax Harbour resulting in the largest man-made explosion in pre-atomic history and much of Halifax was devastated. Nineteen hundred people died and 9,000 more were injured. Boston was quick to respond, sending a train with doctors, nurses and supplies. There were community relief drives in Boston for the people of Halifax.

"It's an honour to have our tree chosen," said Mr. Misner. "We're glad to get the chance to contribute and we're quite proud to be part of this tradition."

The Boston Christmas tree usually comes from a private landowner and is selected by the Department of Natural Resources. The chosen tree must be balsam fir, white spruce or red spruce, 12 to 16-metres tall.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal provides staff and equipment to load and deliver the tree to Boston, which will make part of the journey by ferry. RCMP from

Kings Detachment took part in the ceremony, escorting the tree to the highway.

The smell of Canadian Tire

2010-11-02T09:07:00.000-03:00

I'm hitting the road next week and am off to Alberta to attend the Agri-Trade farm show in Red Deer.

My father, who is now retired, always worked in industrial sales. He sold oil systems for hydraulic lifts, chainsaws, snowmobiles... all of that "guy" stuff. He spent many of his working days traveling Atlantic Canada, making sales calls to dealers and retailers. Many of our family vacations consisted of my brother and I waiting in the backseat of the car in some parking lot in an industrial park while my father made work stops. My mother sat in the front seat, knitting. Good times...

But when I consider the work I do now -- telling farmers' stories -- I wonder if my interest in "guy stuff" started in on those family vacations (we did, by the way, do more kid-friendly things too). There were also the times at home when I would much rather be outside with my father in the garage while he worked on his car than doing chores in the house. When I was older, he sometimes brought me to the Atlantic Farm Mechanisation Show, or other nearby equipment trade shows. And yes, the smell of Canadian Tire makes me think of home.

So all of that "guy stuff" (I keep putting that in quotation marks because I really don't really believe it's guy stuff, although it once was) gives me a sense of nostalgia. Every time I attend a farm show, I end up bringing home stacks of brochures for Dad. I love walking among the machinery and just chatting with the folks who are there -- and I look forward to chatting with the folks in Red Deer.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T10:46:00.000-03:00

Promoting Agriculture

2010-10-22T15:33:00.000-03:00

Yesterday, the Ontario Farm Animal Council released its 2011 Faces of Farming calendar.

The high-end, glossy, black and white calendar features 12 Ontario farmers and includes a blurb about their lives, their farms and their contributions to the their communities.

2011 Faces of Farming

Kudos to OFAC and the sponsoring groups who put the calendar together. It's a fabulous promotion of agriculture and the tasteful but sexy photographs help show that agriculture can be a great career choice.

Now, why aren't all provinces doing something like this?

Celebrating Canadian Farm Families

2010-10-19T10:58:00.000-03:00

I'm writing a book, Celebrating Canadian Farm Families (working title), and I need your assistance.

This book will profile farms of all sizes, from all sectors, from all parts of Canada and I'm looking for farmers to write about.

Who am I looking for?

Male or female, it doesn't matter. Size of the farm doesn't matter either -- I want to profile corporate family farms that are thousands of acres in size and the family farms that are the size of a postage stamp. As long as someone is earning an income from the farming they do, I'm interested. Organic or non-organic (and everything in between) -- that doesn't matter either.

Since the book is a celebration of family operated farms, that's a key element to who I'm looking for. But just like families come in all shapes and sizes these days, so do the farms. Maybe you know of a multi-generational farm, siblings working together or spouses. In all of these cases, I want to interview several members of the family farm operation, so an openness to sitting around the kitchen table or taking me out to show me around the farm is important.

Also key is passion and enthusiasm for agriculture -- loving what they do and loving the life they're living. I recognize there are problems facing Canadian farmers and I'm open to talking about those matters with the families, but I will focus on those who approach issues as problem-solvers, rather than problem-moaners, with the overall celebration of family farming as the main theme.

If someone comes to mind , I would appreciate it if you could forward their contact information to me and maybe tell me a bit about them. If you've written about them, just send me a link to the story, or direct me to the family farm website.

Alternatively, you can send my contact information to them and ask them to contact me. I will be travelling this fall and winter and visit many of the farmers to profile in this book.

A million thank yous for your help with this -- and please contact me at allison@finnamore.ca if you have questions or comments. Also, please feel free to circulate this.
Allison

Strong voice lost

2010-10-18T18:06:00.000-03:00

In the 20 years that I've been a reporter, I've met probably thousands of people. Most of them have been kind, some have been rude. Luckily most have been helpful and eager to tell their story.

Sometimes I've been lucky to meet someone who has a passion burning deep in their soul -- someone who loves what they do and has such a story they have to tell, that it's all they can talk about.

Patton MacDonald was like that.

Patton passed away on Thanksgiving weekend. He was the former executive director of the New Brunswick Potato Agency (which changed its name to Potatoes New Brunswick) and former manager of the Nova Scotia Cattle Commission.

I knew him best when he was at the potato agency and I was working for the local daily newspaper. My beat was the entire region -- whatever the news was happening -- and since my base was in the heart of the province's potato belt, agriculture topics became regular stories for me.

I think I had about four phone numbers for Patton -- two cell phones, an office number and a direct line. I knew that if I couldn't reach him, he would call me back as soon as he could. I also knew that if I didn't reach him when I needed to, I could keep calling him until I did reach him.

And he knew that he could always call me with story ideas, comments or concerns. He also knew that he could chat and rant and give me the background of an issue without the rant (necessarily) going into print.

We shared a mutual respect.

Here's how the conversations usually went: I would call him to find out about an issue. I would keep calling every hour until I reached him, or he would call me at about 10 p.m. I would ask him a question then listen to him talk for about 45 minutes about matters sort of related to the question, but not really. He was usually on his way someplace and in a hurry. Near the end of the conversation, I would nail down a comment from him about whatever it was that I called to talk about.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say he helped do more for the province's potato industry -- and for that matter -- New Brunswick agriculture -- during his time at the agency than has been done in the last 20 years.

Patton was on top of Canada-United States potato trade issues, negotiating with trade officials for reduced barriers. He promoted farm safety and helped implement a farm equipment signage program. And when New Brunswick potato farmers were faced with labour shortages and were struggling to get their crops in from the fields, he helped set up a labour hotline, which expanded to a rural labour hotline -- helping put farmers and woodlot owners get in touch with willing workers. He was instrumental in starting the New Brunswick Potato Conference, an annual two-day professional development meeting held every February during a snow storm (I never did figure out how he managed that!).

Nothing Patton did was done alone. Whatever project he tackled he had teams working with him and everyone should share the applause. But Patton was a driving force on getting the word out there about agriculture. He didn't create the news, but he championed the work of New Brunswick farmers. Now, it seems, reporters have to go looking for agriculture news.

It's sad when a strong voice is silenced. Even though Patton hadn't been speaking out loudly about New Brunswick agriculture for some time, I hope another champion can be found. Patton can never be replaced, but the work he did helping promote the province's agriculture industry shouldn't be lost.

I am thankful for... turkducken

2010-10-11T13:18:00.000-03:00

This weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada -- a traditional time to pause and take stock of what's around us and what fills our lives with happiness and peace. It's also a traditional family gathering time.

My father's brothers, their wives, two of my four cousins, their girlfriends, my parents and brother arrived at my house on Saturday afternoon. We had the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, squash and gravy simmering away, but I had decided a few weeks ago that we would also cook a turducken -- a cranberry dressing stuffed-chicken, stuffed in a duck, stuffed in a turkey. I had ordered it from the Old Fashion Meat Market a couple of weeks ago and was quite looking forward to five kilograms cooking adventure.

Except for the legs and wings of the turkey, the birds are deboned, which I'm sure eases the construction process. It was well sewn together, but when my mother asked me what it looked like, the only description I could think of was "kind of limp."

I was assured when I ordered the turduckin they would give me instructions on how to cook the beast, so I wasn't too concerned until I had the prize in my hands and asked for details. The response? "Just like a turkey." Fine, I said, "but tell me more," figuring solid meat must require something extra, right? Cook at 275 F for 5.5 to 6 hours, I was told. OK. Sounds simple, right?

After about two hours, I figured I would be smelling the wonderful scent of roasting turducken, but there was nothing -- I even checked to make sure the oven was on. It was, but I cranked up the heat and stuck the birds back in the oven, knowing the hungry dinner guests would soon arrive.

As the clock approached 3 p.m., we could indeed smell turducken (smells like chicken) wafting through the house. Tummies started to rumble. "What time are we eating?" became a popular question. My answer: "It's all on the turducken at this point." I think they were beginning to eye the dog food...

Sometime in the hustle of the afternoon, I turned the heat up to 400 F and the turducken was done on time. It was a bit dry, but I believe that was because I had to cook it at the higher temperature. I think the meat market made a mistake when they told me to cook it at 275 F and should have instead told me to cook it at 375 F.

Regardless, we certainly didn't go hungry. In fact, we had so much food left over that we had another full meal again on Sunday with other relatives. There were even enough unopened rolls to take to a drop-in centre downtown. I am thankful that I have the means to fill tummies and invite people into my home.

Now, next year... I'm thinking I'll serve tofurkey.

Autumn in New Brunswick

2010-09-21T09:58:00.000-03:00

Apple picking is a traditional New Brunswick activity in the fall. Those of us in the city head to the gentle rolling hills of the countryside for some fresh air and fresh produce.

Last Sunday was also Open Farm Day in Atlantic Canada. Combined with the nice weather, it made for long lineups at many farm markets and farm gates in the region.

I was hoping to pick some of the Honeycrisp variety, but trends take a bit longer to catch on in eastern Canada than they do in the rest of the country. McIntosh and Cortland apples still reign for popular choice here.

Belliveau Orchards in Memramcook have established a wonderful farm market at the orchard. Along with tree fruit, they also carry other favourite fall vegetables and autumn decor.

Out of the mouths of babes

2010-09-09T11:03:00.000-03:00

Like most kids, my children have an uncanny ability to cut to the chase and make their point. They often weed through a message and summarize with a statement that starts something like, "so basically, what they're saying is..."

They're promoters of the KISS method of communication: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

New research released today from the registered dietitians at Dairy Farmers of Canada show my kids aren't alone.

The survey of Ontario kids, one of the largest of children's attitudes and opinions on healthy eating, shows kids have strong opinions and advice for both parents and teachers about healthy eating.

According to a news release from the Dairy Farmers of Canada, the survey shows pre-teens are concerned about nutrition and healthy eating, and not just interested in greasy take-out food and sugary treats.

Another encouraging finding is that pre-teens actually care about what their parents do and say when it comes to healthy eating -- they are still interested in guidance and support from their parents (but don't tell my daughter, because she would deny deny deny).

Highlights of the research include:

- 89 per cent of kids agree their parents are their most important role models for healthy eating.
- 82 per cent of kids want to learn how to cook in school.
- 80 per cent of kids want to know about the benefits of healthy eating and not just what they should not be eating.
- Three out of four children agree that if their parents had healthy food in the house, they would eat it.
- 71 per cent of children describe their eating habits as 'sort of healthy', while 21 per cent describe their eating habits as 'very healthy'. Only eight per cent say their eating habits are 'not very healthy.'

The registered dietitians at Dairy Farmers of Canada have combined the results of this survey with their more than 35 years of experience as nutrition educators to create a brand new online resource. Parents and teachers can visit http://www.kidsonfood.ca/. Along with a summary of the research, the website includes video clips of advice from the kids in the research, tips for parents and teachers from children, recipes for home and school and free resources and tools.

Back to school blues

2010-09-05T20:54:00.011-03:00

The beginning of the school year always feels far more like the start of a new year than Jan. 1. There's the bittersweet ending of summer, the change in temperatures and the excitement of new notebooks, pencils and pens. Really, what other simple joy is there than a new, pure white eraser, a box of new markers, or (gasp) cracking open a new notebook and starting to write on the first page?

My excitement is dulled, however, with the back to school lists. Really, I want to know what my kids need for supplies in the upcoming months, but I would rather have a list of supplies the kids will truly need, rather than what seems like a made-up list.

This year, two of the more unbelievable items on my son's list included 48 HB pencils and a box of plastic bags with a zipper.

With class sizes up to 30 children, that means the teacher will be collecting 1,440 pencils on Tuesday morning. There are about 195 school days a year, so that means each child will have 7.4 pencils a day at their disposal!

Conversely, the Grade 2 list doesn't even have pencils on it.

And I'm extremely curious to know what 30 Grade 3 children are going to do with a box of Ziplock bags this year.

I know there are kids who arrive at school on the first day who don't know the joys of new school supplies and I am happy to help them experience this same excitement. But if that's the case, tell me.

Equally annoying is the need to request specific brands of school supplies. There is always a note pointing out that after years of testing, the mentioned brands have proven to be the best, but why is one type of marker or crayon recommended in one grade and another brand the next year?

I suspect the teachers aren't aware of the lists, haven't been kept up-to-date on changes or brand recommendations and just make the best with whatever arrives on the first day of school.

Perhaps it's time they give the lists a quick review, just to make sure they really do make the grade.

THEY CAME, THEY ROLLED, THEY CONQUERED

2010-08-18T11:12:00.000-03:00

THEY CAME, THEY ROLLED, THEY CONQUERED

Butter, made by cows.

2010-08-15T21:04:00.000-03:00

Harvest for Children 2010

2010-08-09T10:03:00.000-03:00

200 combines in a field all at once! Awesome...

Happy Cows

2010-08-09T09:21:00.000-03:00

Good, funny commercials always strike a chord with me and make them memorable. Here's a great one from California Cheese. And, it's always interesting to see what different sectors of agriculture are doing to promote themselves.

Cattle Breeding Explained

2010-08-05T13:44:00.000-03:00

Great video that explains the basics of cattle breeding -- well done, National Geographic!

Stay safe

2010-08-04T13:32:00.000-03:00

Accidents happen -- on and off the farm.

Here's a video of some chilling farm accidents. The music that accompanies the video is horrible, in my opinion, but the pictures tell the story.

Stay safe.

What's it Worth?

2010-08-02T16:02:00.000-03:00

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture recently released a report called Are Nova Scotians Eating Local. The answer? Not so much.

Despite "buy local" campaigns, Nova Scotians spend only about 13 per cent of their food dollars on local food, the same amount they were spending in 2008 and a drop from 17 per cent in 1997.

The Nova Scotia study found that over 60 products on average travel nearly 4,000 kilometres before they land on the plates of residents in this eastern Canadian province.

One reason for the lack of local food support may be the price.

Last week while camping in Nova Scotia, a fellow camper commented that her first corn feast of the season rang in at $9 a dozen -- pretty steep compared to what roadside stands and farm markets have charged in past years (however, I realized later, if you do the math, it is only 75 cents an ear).

Sticker shock may be working against "buy local" campaigns. At the same time, large grocery store chains, notorious for not supporting local farmers, likely aren't helping either. And if that's the case, I bet you six dozen corn that New Brunswickers spend even less on local food.

Roadside markets are a dime a dozen in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In Metro Moncton -- New Brunswick's largest municipal region -- unless you're at the Saturday morning farm markets, there are very few places to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The alternative? Heading to the grocery store, driving many kilometres to find a roadside stand or waiting until the next time the market is open. Summer is too short for that!

Promoting what's ours

2010-07-19T09:04:00.001-03:00

I'm not sure if it's lack of pride, enthusiasm or money, but something is lacking in New Brunswick with agriculture promotion.

I'm spending a few weeks travelling in Maritime Canada and currently, I'm in Prince Edward Island.

Fruit and vegetable stands are around every turn and maps at every tourist bureau point to the flavour routes... highlighting agri-tourism or agriculture experiences, farm markets and restaurants. Local food is highlighted in every restaurant.

Many of the promotional steps are simple and cost effective. A map with farm markets, pick-your-own farms and other agriculture activities has advertisements -- it's a promo tool that likely paid for itself. With thousands of tourists through visitor information centres each summer in PEI, the spin-off of promoting themselves is invaluable.

Personally, with this handy map highlighting local foods, I'm using it to plan my meals, whether I'm doing the cooking or eating out.

So why isn't this happening in New Brunswick? I know farmers are proud of the product they produce, but are their energies too tapped out to do the promotion? What role does the federal an provincial government play?

Reprise: How to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course)

2010-07-15T12:50:00.000-03:00

Originally posted a couple of months ago, I was thinking about this list again the other day and decided to repost.

Is there anything I forgot? Send me a comment with additions. ~A

(disclaimer: I have a great crew of writers and every week, I'm thankful that I have them as part of my team. What lies below are general comments and most certainly not directed at any of them. If I was referring to my writers, we'd be talking in person, not here.)

Early in my career, I met a few editors who made my life hell. They were mean. They were nasty. I think some even had green skin and horns.

Now 20 years into my career, I realize that those editors taught me rock solid, core journalism values. (And for the record, many more editors were patient. A special few were also a lot of fun to be around and were wonderful mentors).

Now that I've "crossed over" to the editor's side, I sometimes wonder if I may be growing my own set of horns.

Good freelance writers are hard to find so when we find you, we want to keep you. To keep our horns from growing, here's a Top 10 List of how to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course):

10. File on time. Stuff happens, I know that. I have family and friends and pets too. Sources go on vacation, get tied up in meetings, don't return calls -- it happens. If you're working on an assignment for me and something comes up, let me know as soon as you can. Don't wait until deadline.

9. Check your facts. We're human and we all make mistakes, but it's your job as a journalist to get the facts and figures in your story right. Your reputation, my reputation and the publication's reputation is on the line.

8. Ask me for my style guide. If I don't have one, I'll let you know if there are specific rules for you to follow.

7. Stick to the word count. I only have so much space and I assigned you a specific word count for a reason. If I ask for 800 words, don’t file 873 words -- or 542 words. And if you do file a story that's 873, don't add a note like, "I've trimmed as much as I can, maybe you can do something more…"

6. Do suggest a sidebar. If you have some quick facts that can easily be made into a sidebar, I'm open to suggestions.

5. Every story should be your best story. I know some topics actually hurt when you're writing the story. I've written them too. But I've assigned this story to you because it's a topic I want to publish -- and you accepted. I expect your best work.

4. Check your spelling. 'Nuff said.

3. Follow up, but don't pester. Many editors get hundreds of email a day and, I'm sorry, but I sometimes lose your pitch. Check with me, I don't mind.

2. Tell me how to reach you. Add a signature on your email. You should do this anyways if you're a freelance writer, but if I have a question for you, I don't want to go sifting through business cards to find your phone number. And make sure you have voice mail.

1. Send a real pitch. Don't send me a three day conference agenda and ask if I'm interested in a story. Focus. Craft. Sell.

Getting it done

2010-07-06T09:41:00.000-03:00

Not that I'm one to hold back, but I realized earlier this year that there were several things I've always wanted to do, but had never gotten around to doing.

When summer plans started to take shape, I decided I would work in as many of these "you-know-what-I-should-do" events and activities as possible.

Last week, I went to Ottawa and celebrated Canada Day on Parliament Hill -- I've always wanted to do that. Great feeling to stand among 100,000 people and heard spontaneous rounds of O Canada break out. Not so great feeling to be in a gridlock with 100,000 people, all of us trying to leave at the same time and all going in different directions.

This week, I'm working from a campsite that's within view of the ocean. I've been getting up early to do a bit of work (I've scaled back this week), then walking down to the sandbars, settling in with a book and watching the waves roll in. A late afternoon drive to the local vegetable stand, maybe a stop for some fresh seafood -- I could easily settle into a whole summer of working like this.

I'll continue on this path as the summer goes on. Some of the plans actually do include work goals, too!

Colbert takes up farmworker's cause

2010-06-28T08:10:00.000-03:00

It seems like on-farm labour is an issue that frequently draws attention, sometime from the most unlikely sources.

A shortage of workers throughout North America is cause for concern from farmers. Meanwhile, working conditions are often called into question.

American comedian Stephen Colbert is wading into the issue now.

Colbert takes up farmworker's cause

Canada gets underfoot at the World Cup

2010-06-21T16:24:00.000-03:00

Canada may not have a team playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but that doesn't mean we don't have a presence at the competition.

The grass comes from seed produced by Canadian farmers in Manitoba.

Here's a story printed in one of the country's national newspapers.

Grass greener thanks to Manitoba farmers

We've come a long way, Baby

2010-06-18T14:16:00.001-03:00

I received my 10 year pin from the Professional Writers Association of Canada today. It's pretty hard to reach any milestone with out a bit of reminiscing, so here are my Top 10 PWAC lessons/thoughts.

10. A decade ago, I had no idea how to write an invoice, what to charge a publication or how to write a query.

9. It's been 10 years since I met many of my PWAC pals. Do I dare name anyone in particular? Kate Merlin and I use to meet at the local park during the summer. Her kids played and I nursed my daughter. Then there was my first AGM in Montreal, when Trudy Kelly Forsythe, Tracey Carr and I -- strangers at the time -- drove together. Nothing like spending eight hours in a car with someone to get to know them!

8. Over the years, PWAC has taught me to be a confident entrepreneur. As an optimist who believes anything is possible if you work hard, giving me the tools to be successful in business helped fuel my optimism.

7. PWAC helped me to think big -- outside my town, outside my province, outside my country -- there are publications around the world seeking good writers. We just need let them know we're here.

6. The best chocolate of my life -- so far. A large group of us, including Doreen Pendgracs (and is anyone surprised that Doreen was involved?), were in a restaurant in Edmonton on the Sunday night, after the AGM had wrapped up. The chocolate crepe dessert we had that night was, dare I say, orgasmic.

5. It was through PWAC that I heard about a publishing company looking for writers for this series called Amazing Stories.

4. It was through PWAC that I learned a bit about how to fight book publishers that go under.

3. PWAC taught me how to read a contract. Trudy Kelly Forsythe and I, under a committee headed by Kevin Yarr, sifted through writing contracts that PWAC members from across the country sent in. The final report discussed what publishers are seeking in contracts, but the lesson for me was learning the language of contracts.

2. As the current moderator of PWAC's biz list, I've learned that I can't make everyone happy. I always suspected it, but the moderator's job has cemented it.

1. Without PWAC's never ending inspiration and idea-generating vitality, I'd probably be stuck in an office somewhere.

Canadian farmers using SM, but not to promote ag

2010-06-16T16:36:00.001-03:00

A survey released this week by Farm Credit Canada shows 54 per cent of Canadian farmers is using social media -- but mostly for personal use.

54 per cent of producers use SM for personal business, while only 30 per cent use it to promote their business, connect with customers and speak out about agriculture.

"There are opportunities to incorporate social media into a number of areas -- such as research, making business connections and promoting agriculture as an important part of society and the economy,” says Kellie Garrett, FCC Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Knowledge and Reputation.

Four in 10 producers who are online, or 44 per cent, state they spent more time using SM this year compared to last year, while 43 per cent of non-users say they don’t have the time or they don’t see value in using social media (30 per cent).

Age also appears to matter.

Producers under 40 are more likely to use Facebook for both personal (56 per cent) and business (11 per cent) compared to producers over 40 (34 per cent and 4 per cent respectively).

When putting SM to work for business, 44 per cent of producers are doing research and looking for information, while 19 per cent are reading up on industry news and 13 per cent are networking with other producers. Only nine per cent are advertising their products via SM and seven per cent building their network of customers. Four per cent are using SM to network with current or potential supplies and a meager three per cent are using social media to promote agriculture.

Use of social media is expected to grow among producers who are currently online and already using social media; four in ten (39 per cent) believe they will spend more time using social media in the upcoming years. Producers under 40 (45 per cent) are more likely to agree with this statement than producers over 40 (34 per cent).

43 per cent of non-users say they're too busy to use social media and 30 per cent stated they don't see the value of social media. Half of non-users told say they're unlikely to start using social media for personal use.

No matter what their age, two thirds of online producers are unlikely to use social media for business use (65 per cent).

The survey was sent to 1,636 FCC Vision panelists, including both primary producers and agriculture-related businesses. Of these, 883 completed the survey, translating to a 54 per cent response rate.

Full results of the survey are at www.fccvision.ca/research.

Looking ahead

2010-06-15T08:25:00.000-03:00

In 2011, the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ)comes to Canada. The main gathering will be in Ontario, but a post conference tour to Atlantic Canada is planned.

I've been to most stops on our Atlantic Canada tour, but this summer, I plan to visit the other places... so over the next few months, I'll be heading out on a buffalo safari, horse back riding and a few cultural shows that highlight some of Atlantic Canada's history. I'm also going to take the chance to revisit favourite places along the way.

Thanks!

2010-06-09T22:12:00.001-03:00

Lots of well wishes have come to me about the formation of the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Assocation. Thank you.

Here's a link to Owen Roberts' blog, Urban Cowboy, where he kindly gives us some ink. http://www.urbancowboy.ca/.

Brewing passion

2010-06-05T22:41:00.001-03:00

It's hard to remember sometimes where our passion comes from. Do I truly love this here and now or do I love this because I always have?

I was feeling a bit of that when I set off for Belgium in April for the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists annual congress.

See, the idea of forming an Atlantic chapter of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation was something that some of us in this part of Canada had been talking about for several years. Four of us had been talking prior to IFAJ and decided to get the ball rolling with an event at the end of April. But as for planning the details, we decided to wait until I returned from IFAJ in Belgium.

In the weeks leading to up to IFAJ in Belgium, I had worked on several additional contracts. In fact, after several consecutive 18 hour days, I calculated that I had written 10,000 words in seven days. By the time I reached Belgium, I was exhausted and feeling quite burnt out.

When I thought about continuing the push to form the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers Association, I was overwhelmed. So much work to, was it worth it? Is it a worthwhile project to put my time into? Why is it worthwhile? And whose big idea was this, anyways?!

But attending IFAJ just prior to the first meeting of the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers couldn't have been any more perfect. My passion was reignited.

I don't know exactly when it happened.

Maybe it was at the beginning or end of each day, when Janet and I caught up with what was going on in our respective lives. Or maybe it was hearing Billy's Facebook updates about his crazy travels to reach the congress, or when Rodney and I shared the joys of working from a home office, or when Markus blocked the bathroom door for me at the farm, or when many of us stared with disbelief at the Belgium blue cattle, or when Adrian told me about his recent trip to Africa, or one of the many times Joe cracked a joke, or when Marc let me try on his wooden shoes, or when Kelly, Lilian, Joanne and I piled into the clown car. Or, or, or, or....

All of the reasons, none of the reasons, each one individually, none of them in particular, all of them put together and so many more brought the passion back for me. It was never far away anyways, but you know, sometimes we just need reminding.

In Belgium, I was reminded of exactly why it was important to have a local farm writers' group: Farmers and agriculture -- around the world, throughout our country or in our own back yard -- have important stories to tell and we need to help them. It isn't any more complicated than that and it certainly isn't any simpler. And as writers who help tell these stories, we need to gather together so share our experiences about what works and what doesn’t work when we tell these stories. We need to learn about the new practices farmers are adopting and how they're working on the farm. We need to stay informed and up-to-date with the latest communication methods. We need to polish our photography skills and sharpen our reporting proficiency. We need to network with each other.

So zeal renewed, I came home and caught up with Wayne, Andy and Heather to plan our June 4 Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association meeting.

I have always been confident that we had the potential in Atlantic Canada to have a good size group, but how many would I actually see on June 4? Nine had contacted us and expressed an interest, so with that number in mind, I set off for Charlottetown. By the time I started my presentation talking about what CFWF and IFAJ have to offer to those of us in Atlantic Canada, there were 12 of us. Twelve!

I. Knew. We. Could. Do. It.

And do you know what the best part of whole experience was? I didn't have to "sell" them on the advantages of regional, national and international farm writers' groups. They already knew. They could feel the energy in the room and see the potential of what broader groups can offer. We're already brewing our very own passion, right here in Atlantic Canada.

Allison's Follow Friday Twitter List

2010-06-03T16:03:00.001-03:00

Here's my Follow Friday list for this week... and some of the reasons why these are great folks to follow.

@KimEagles - for her organizing tips
@upmagazine - for seeking out freelance writers
@AaronBillard - for the love of Star Wars
@LtoG - for her hard work at freelance writing
@briancormier - for his brilliant idea of buying two coffees at once at Tim's
@rebeccahannam - for her curiosity about all things ag
@SteakPerfection - come on... steak. Perfection. What more do I need to say?
@JPlovesCotton - for our shared love of making an entrance
@FredMarcoux - for hot news tips
@Tamara_Stecyk - for helping feed Edmonton's hungry

Details settled for first meeting of Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Assoc.

2010-05-26T09:10:00.002-03:00

A tour of Prince Edward Island's Institute for Nutrisciences and Health and the Atlantic Vet College will highlight the inaugural meeting of a new regional professional farm and food writers' organization.

The Atlantic Farm Writers' Association will meet in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on June 4 at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre. The tours of NCI and the vet college will be held after a networking event and lunch. Reporters, editors, broadcasters focused on food and farming, as well as communication professional for agri-food business and government are invited -- everyone involved in telling the story of food and farming within industry and to the general public.

At the Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Dr. Chris Kirby and his research team will show how a state-of-the-art piece of equipment called a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer is changing the way scientists look at agriculture and its potential for human and animal health.

The Atlantic Veterinary College is one of five vet colleges in Canada. The farm service program contributes to the health and well-being of thousands more animals off-site at farms around the region. The college has 14 centres of expertise, like the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research, Atlantic Swine Research Partnership, Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research and Maritime Quality Milk. The group will tour a portion of the facility.

Registration for the event, which includes a one year membership to the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association (ACFWA), is $40. That also includes, among other benefits, membership to the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) and the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ), which will hold its next annual meeting in Ontario in September 2011. Both organizations, as well as ACFWA, are non-political, professional associations serving the common interests of those in the agriculture communications field.

A regional organization is an opportunity to link media and industry at a local level.

Island Farmer Editor Andy Walker of Prince Edward Island, Farm Credit Canada Express Editor and freelancer Allison Finnamore of New Brunswick, Farm Focus Editor Heather Jones of Nova Scotia and Wayne Riley of Prince Edward Island, Senior Atlantic Communications Advisor with AAFC will be on hand.

The meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. in Conference Room B at the AAFC Research Centre, 440 University Ave. Charlottetown, PEI.

For more information, visit our Facebook group, Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association or contact Allison Finnamore at 506-860-7761 or allison@finnamore.ca.

Atlantic Farm Writers plan inaugural meeting

2010-05-17T15:56:00.000-03:00

Charlottetown, P.E.I. -- The inaugural meeting of a new regional farm and food writers' organization will be held June 4 at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

After a brief presentation about the organization and lunch, participants will head to tour local research facilities and farms on a learning and networking expedition.

Reporters, editors, broadcasters focused on farming and food, as well as communication professionals for agriculture and agri-food business, industry, associations and government are invited.

This new organization will be part of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) and the International Federation of Agriculture Journalist (IFAJ). Both are non-political, professional associations serving the common interests of those in the agriculture field. A regional organization is a chance to link media and agriculture and agri-food industry communicators at a local level and provide professional development opportunities related to agriculture and food.

Island Farmer Editor Andy Walker, Farm Credit Canada Express Editor Allison Finnamore, Farm Focus Editor Heather Jones and Wayne Riley, Senior Atlantic Communications Advisor with AAFC are organizing this event.

The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Contact Allison Finnamore at 506-860-7761 or allison@finnamore.ca for details.

How to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course)

2010-05-07T18:04:00.002-03:00

(disclaimer: I have a great crew of writers and every week, I'm thankful that I have them as part of my team. What lies below are general comments and most certainly not directed at any of them. If I was referring to my writers, we'd be talking in person, not here.)

Early in my career, I met a few editors who made my life hell. They were mean. They were nasty. I think some even had green skin and horns.

Now 20 years into my career, I realize that those editors taught me rock solid, core journalism values. (And for the record, many more editors were patient. A special few were also a lot of fun to be around and were wonderful mentors).

Now that I've "crossed over" to the editor's side, I sometimes wonder if I may be growing my own set of horns.

Good freelance writers are hard to find so when we find you, we want to keep you. To keep our horns from growing, here's a Top 10 List of how to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course):

10. File on time. Stuff happens, I know that. I have family and friends and pets too. Sources go on vacation, get tied up in meetings, don't return calls -- it happens. If you're working on an assignment for me and something comes up, let me know as soon as you can. Don't wait until deadline.

9. Check your facts. We're human and we all make mistakes, but it's your job as a journalist to get the facts and figures in your story right. Your reputation, my reputation and the publication's reputation is on the line.

8. Ask me for my style guide. If I don't have one, I'll let you know if there are specific rules for you to follow.

7. Stick to the word count. I only have so much space and I assigned you a specific word count for a reason. If I ask for 800 words, don’t file 873 words -- or 542 words. And if you do file a story that's 873, don't add a note like, "I've trimmed as much as I can, maybe you can do something more…"

6. Do suggest a sidebar. If you have some quick facts that can easily be made into a sidebar, I'm open to suggestions.

5. Every story should be your best story. I know some topics actually hurt when you're writing the story. I've written them too. But I've assigned this story to you because it's a topic I want to publish -- and you accepted. I expect your best work.

4. Check your spelling. 'Nuff said.

3. Follow up, but don't pester. Many editors get hundreds of email a day and, I'm sorry, but I sometimes lose your pitch. Check with me, I don't mind.

2. Tell me how to reach you. Add a signature on your email. You should do this anyways if you're a freelance writer, but if I have a question for you, I don't want to go sifting through business cards to find your phone number. And make sure you have voice mail.

1. Send a real pitch. Don't send me a three day conference agenda and ask if I'm interested in a story. Focus. Craft. Sell.

Farm Writers in Atlantic Canada

2010-05-06T18:37:00.004-03:00

Have you ever had the experience of working with people who are so excited and enthused about a project that it rubs off on you? I love that feeling.

I had that experience earlier this week when I had a conference call meeting with three people from Atlantic Canada. Together, we're working to start a regional branch of our national farm writers' guild, the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF).

Up front, I have to say that the desire to start our own group is in no way a reflection of the branch we currently belong to, the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (ECFWA). The simple vastness of Canada and the geographic divide between the majority of our current ECFWA members means farm writers in Atlantic Canada feel disconnected.

Personally, the desire to gather together with some of our own is inspired by ECFWA, as well as CFWF and our international group, the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ). Once I experienced gatherings with like-minded individuals, I felt the aspiration to do it more often with those closer to me.

Not all farm writers in Atlantic Canada are onboard with the formation of a regional group. Some have said they want to maintain connections with former colleagues within ECFWA, while others may not be interested in the work involved in setting up a new organization (not that anyone has said that to me, I'm just speculating). I hope they'll reconsider.

The folks I met with earlier this week are keen and ready to get a local group formed. We're pooling our talents to host a day of farm and research centre tours on June 4.

Early in my career when I wrote for daily newspapers from rural New Brunswick, I kept hearing the untold stories of farmers and opted to help be one of their voices. From that, I found out about CFWF and that connection eventually led me to focus my career on agriculture writing.

Through CFWF, I've toured farms across the country, met agriculture experts and associates, gained writing and editing jobs and met hundreds of Canadian farmers. I've also met a lot of great people and developed some very good friendships.

Cumulatively, what the organizations have given me inspire me to help create like opportunities for farm writers in Atlantic Canada. I hope we'll create a network, come to count on each other and grow opportunities for ourselves.

Then together, we can help farmers tell their stories about the food they grow for us.

2010-05-03T20:36:00.005-03:00

M-m-m-maple syrup
from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada

In the culinary imagination of the world, maple products are associated with Canada, the world’s leading producer and exporter of maple products since the early 20th century.

For Aboriginal peoples living in the Maple Belt, and for the settlers who followed, the trade and supplementary income generated by these products were important. To a degree, these products represent, both at home and abroad, the national identity and way of life of Canadians and are a symbol of the end of the Canadian winter.

There are more than 150 species of maple trees in the world, but only a few of the 13species native to North America produce sap that can be used to manufacture maple products.

In Canada, the six species with sap that is sweet enough to produce maple sugar and syrup are found in eight of the 10 provinces. However, only Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have enough sugar maples for a real maple industry. These trees offer a sap that is high in sucrose and produce the best yield of syrup through tapping. These four provinces are part of a larger maple region known as the Maple Belt, which also includes some parts of the north-eastern United States and the Midwest.

The Aboriginal peoples who inhabited this vast region before the arrival of the Europeans were very knowledgeable about maple sugar. They knew how to extract the sap in the spring and the products they made from the sap were used for trade. Later on, the colonists who came to settle in this region learned to boil down the maple sap into syrup and sugar and acquired a taste for it. This activity became a yearly ritual to mark the transition from winter to spring and it was a time of celebration for friends and families. Maple products were used for domestic consumption as well as trade.

Over the years, they have provided a significant off-farm income for family businesses, and, by the late 19th century, maple products had become a valuable export resource. During this time, however, the United States was the world’s leading producer of maple products, a position it maintained for several decades.

2010-04-30T12:25:00.004-03:00

How two families tackle business decisions

originally printed in AgriSuccess, January, 2010. If you're interested in reprinting this, please contact me at allison@finnamore.ca

How do you make important decisions on your farm? Is there a lack of consultation or, on the other hand, is there so much talking it causes paralysis by analysis?

In the run of a day, there are dozens of decisions to make. From simple, straightforward choices to those that require planning and reflection, nearly every step during the day needs some background preparation before moving ahead.

Now, mix in a team of knowledgeable co-workers who also happen to be related to you – suddenly, even the simple decisions could become much more complicated. Many family farms in Canada seem to have found their stride working together, including Four E Farms in Leamington, Ont., and Steppler Farms near Miami, Man.

At Four E Farms, father Peter Epp and sons Ken, Ron and Ed produce 2,200 acres of corn, beans and wheat, and 240 acres of processing tomatoes. During their years in business together, family members each found a niche in the farm operation. In some instances, their roles evolved over time, while in other cases, the sons were guided by their father.

“Dad recognized some of our strengths and tried to guide some of us to certain areas, Ken recalls. “’Why don’t you do this?’ he would ask. If it worked out and we enjoyed it, then we stayed.”

And if it didn’t, the role changed. Finding each person’s place at Four E Farms took about 10 years, Ken says. Now, day-to-day operational decisions fall to the shareholder who handles that part of the farm.

At Steppler Farms, parents Dan and Pat are in partnership with their sons Ian, Geoff, Adam and Andre. The charolais, grain and honey producers formalized their partnership in 2008. Prior to that, each son was farming on his own, with everyone helping the other out. But they faced an annual mountain of accounting paperwork. When Dan and Pat started succession planning a few years ago, incorporation became part of their plan. The family has now pooled its resources and divided the workload, so decision-making is clear-cut and well-defined.

Since the sons farmed prior to incorporation, they knew their areas of specialty. Dan is chairperson and takes on the role of mediator and advisor. Dividing up the managerial roles between his sons provides each with autonomy.

“As operational bosses, each son makes and enacts day-to-day decisions and has the authority to make essential minor purchases like repairs, medications and so on,” Pat explains. Major expenditures and budget decisions are made by all five, with input from everyone.

Both the Epps and the Stepplers agree that decisionmaking in a family farm business relies on one very important factor: communication.

At Four E Farms, the Epp brothers and their father meet every morning to discuss farm plans for the day ahead.

“Sometimes, not everyone agrees, but you build a consensus,” Ken explains, noting that no matter what decisions the family farm faces, the family maintains a common philosophy. “We work for the good of the company and not the individual.”

The Stepplers, while firm believers in communication, were skeptical when it came to the idea of setting up formal meetings with those who are so close.

“At first the idea of family meetings seemed awkward,” Pat says. “Before incorporation, we talked or planned somewhat individually with no formal structure. Now, we conduct each meeting in a semi-formal manner.”

Dan and Pat set the agenda, including issues brought forward by the sons and matters they want discussed. With each decision, everyone has the opportunity for input.

“Dan actually goes around the table to make sure that each person states his opinion,” Pat explains. Meetings are monthly during the winter, but that changes with
the seasons.

“We hold weekly meetings to plan the work that is ahead of us for that week, as well as long-range decisions on things that have to be fixed or purchased,” Pat says. “Each morning, the four boys meet for about 20 minutes to plan out that day’s work so that when the workers arrive at 8 a.m., the day’s schedule is in place. Over the noon meal, any changes to this schedule are then made.”

Both families also agree that keeping an open mind when working with family helps facilitate decision-making.

“Choose your attitude,” Pat advises. “Recognize when to shrug your shoulders, when to press a point,” she says, adding this advice also applies to older generations, reluctant to release control.

2010-04-28T13:38:00.008-03:00

The International Federation of Agriculture Journalists Congress in Belgium is over and life goes on. We're back in the real world now, back to work, back to our routines.

But I'm feeling a bit heavy-hearted. It's hard to say good-bye to new friends, a new part of the world and new experiences. The daily pace of bus tours was exhausting, yet many of us thrive in that atmosphere. To be blunt, daily working life is boring after IFAJ (don't get me wrong, though, I'm still glad to be back home and to see my family).

There seemed to be precious little time to visit with new friends during the congress in Belgium. That didn't stop us, though. We managed to find time for chats, whether it was on the bus, over an afternoon drink, while wandering through a barn or during late night walks. I'm happy we made the time to do this -- thankful I had the chance to get to know more about you, your work and your lives.

We shared stares of amazement and awe at the Belgium Blue cattle, wondered about the ethics of breeding such large, muscular animals. We meandered together though La Floralies, impressed and curious with the floral displays, entertained by the police escort and maybe a bit frustrated with the structure of being herded through the show. We shared toasts from our home countries, challenges to pronounce each other's last names and countless laughs. In between, we continued to find time to talk about the world of agriculture from our home countries -- the stories we tell, the farmers we write about, the challenges they face. I think many of us discovered that no matter where it is around the globe that we call home, where the farmers are that we write about -- much of agriculture deals with similar challenges.

This was a unique travel experience highlighted by the eruption of the dormant volcano in Iceland and the resulting grounding of air traffic. Many of us were stranded in a foreign country and, for a short time, had no idea how or when we would get home. The European members worked together to help us figure out alternative travel plans, offered to take us in, drive us to airports, navigate the train system and decipher the language. This touched me deeply. If I had to be stranded, I'm glad it was with colleagues from IFAJ.

I sincerely hope to see each of you again next year at the IFAJ Congress in Canada. I look forward to showing you around my part of the world, renewing friendships, making new ones and sharing more about who we are and the people we write about.

IFAJ 2009 Texas

2009-09-13T12:48:00.003-03:00

The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation annual meeting in Edmonton is just wrapping up and if attendees heard about anything these last few days, it was IFAJ - the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists.

It wasn't the only topic of discussion, but 18 CFWF members attended the IFAJ congress in Fort Worth, Texas last month. Many of us were at the CFWF meeting in Edmonton. As well IFAJ President Mike Wilson attended CFWF. So it was top of mind!

I attended as the recipient of the CFWF/Monsanto bursary. The $2,500 prize is awarded each year to a CFWF member who applies to CFWF -- independent judges review the application and use a point system to mark categories of the application.

more later,
Allison

Class action suit settled

2009-05-07T10:27:00.001-03:00

From PWAC

CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.

"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."

PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.

Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.

Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.

Earth Day

2009-04-24T09:36:00.005-03:00

My daughter is an Eco Kid at her school. She's not much into sports, so I was thrilled when she joined the environmental club. They meet once a week, discuss ways to make the school greener and, from the sounds of her accounts of the meetings, share a lot of giggles. Shouldn't every Grade 4 event be like that?

To mark Earth Day, the Eco Kids and their faculty advisor organized a fair at the school, transforming the gym into a trade show and inviting local businesses to show off their green wares. I went in on Tuesday night to help set up. One of the booths was a spin-the-wheel trivia game for the students -- spin the wheel, answer a trivia question and, if you get the answer right, win a prize.

Thumbing through environmental trivia cards, I was truly disheartened that the game shed such a negative light on farming and made agriculture producers out to be ecological villains.

Lots of questions bashing genetic research, fertilizer use and pest controls. One questions asked: "what tools do farmers use that damages the earth?" (Answer: farm machinery, since it compacts the soil and therefore destroys vital nutrients.) No mention of drought resistant crops, no-till practices or pest resistant crops.

As you’ll read in this week's edition of AgriSuccess Express, out later today by email, we have a story about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry practices that continues to promote the good things producers are doing to care for the earth.

However, we need to ensure that each of us at an individual level is also doing what we can to share the news, so local schools, neighbours and our communities know that producers are the original stewards of the land.

Atlantic journalist wins international bursary

2009-03-14T23:44:00.002-03:00

A past-president of the CFWF will represent Canadian farm writers at the 2009 International Federation of Agriculture Journalists congress in Texas this summer. Self-employed communications consultant and writer Allison Finnamore is the winner of the CFWF International Bursary. The bursary, sponsored by Monsanto, reimburses up to $2,500 of the winner’s costs to attend the congress.

A graduate of New Brunswick Community College, Finnamore began her career as a reporter in Grand Falls. That was followed by reporting for The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and The Fredericton Daily Gleaner.

Her freelance career has seen her work appear in many agriculture and specialty publications across Canada including: Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada, Country Guide, Nova Scotia Business Journal, Top Crop Manager, The Milk Producer, Canadian Poultry Magazine, Fruit and Vegetable Magazine, Country Life in BC, Farmers’ Independent Weekly, Manitoba Co-Operative, Canadian Cattlemen, Canola Guide, Farming A Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Atlantic Construction Journal and The Carleton Victoria Advertiser.

Today, she is the Editor of the weekly Farm Credit Canada AgriSuccess Express and Associate Editor of the bi-monthly AgriSuccess Journal. She also does contract communications work with business and government.

In addition, she has been a tireless contributor to the CFWF in leadership and volunteer positions. She spent five years as a board member representing the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) and a year as CFWF President in 2004-05. She’s worked to organize national CFWF conferences, find judges for annual award competitions, and sponsors for events. She says she’s committed to welcoming international visitors to Canada when the Congress is held in Guelph in 2011.

“My volunteer work with CFWF and my freelance business offer me a broad understanding of agriculture throughout the country. The conference being held in the United States, a country with which Canadian agriculture has experienced many challenges and shares many commonalities (BSE, COOL, trade, farm labour, organics), heightens my interest. I relish the chance to be in the heart of American agriculture writers, editors and farmers. I am excited about the trip and look forward to sharing the Canadian experience with fellow conference attendees. I fully expect to stir interest and enthusiasm for attending IFAJ in Canada in 2011,” says Finnamore.

Finnamore says she’ll share her learnings with all who are interested through her already established blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“I believe there are many more potential CFWF members in Atlantic Canada who may be drawn into the organization when they hear about my experience.”

Canada's Worst Driver makes Moncton casting call

2009-02-24T11:58:00.001-04:00

Help to Make Moncton Roads Safer!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, Ontario (March 2, 2009) - The record-breaking Discovery Channel series Canada’s Worst Driver is on a mission to make Moncton streets less dangerous by rehabilitating the worst drivers in the city. But finding these drivers isn’t easy, so Proper Television, the company behind the show, is enlisting the help of Moncton residents. People in the area are being asked to put forth their Canada’s Worst Driver nomination for the fifth season of the hit show.

To submit a nomination, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591.

Every single nomination from the Moncton area will be reviewed immediately. Producers have scheduled a trip to Moncton early in April to meet with the worst of the worst. Final selections for the program will take place shortly after. Drivers bad enough to make the cut will earn a coveted spot at the nation’s most intense training hub, the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre.

The idea of the program is to resolve the serious and dangerous behaviour of these drivers through a series of challenges based on core driving skills. As each driver shows improvement, they graduate back onto real roads. At the end, one of the eight candidates will be crowned with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.

“At the end of the show, someone will be given the title of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’ but more importantly, a handful of the country’s worst drivers will be exposed to skills that they can use in everyday situations,” says Andrew Younghusband, host and writer.

Why would anyone want to put themselves forward for such a title? The training is unlike any driver’s training in the world. The challenges and courses have been designed to improve the driver’s core driving skills by mimicking real life situations on a grand scale.

“The training is truly extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping those who need a more than just a refresher course behind the wheel,” says Guy O’Sullivan, Executive Producer of Canada’s Worst Driver. “Whether it’s a relative, neighbour, colleague or friend, we have the resources to help.“

To give the bad driver in your life an opportunity to learn from the country’s best at a state of the art driver’s rehabilitation centre, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591. Filming is slated for June 2009.

For more information and to view past episodes of Canada’s Worst Driver, you can visit www.worstdriver.ca.

Interviews and high resolution stills available upon request

Canada’s Worst Driver is produced by Proper Television, a Toronto based indie headed up by ex-BBC director Guy O’Sullivan. Proper specializes in factual entertainment and specialist factual programming, and has been named among the Realscreen Global 100 indies for 2008.

Media Contact – high resolution stills, information and interviews:

Meredith Veats, Proper Television Inc.
Telephone 416-598-2500 x224 Fax 416-598-2550 Email meredith@propertelevision.com

Feb. 12 is Food Freedom Day

2009-02-11T11:25:00.003-04:00

On Feb. 12, the average Canadian will have enough income to pay his or her individual grocery bill for the entire year.

In observing Food Freedom Day, farmers across the country will celebrate their role in providing consumers with one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world.

Food Freedom Day is occurring slightly later in 2009 due to the recent rise in the price of food. This bucks the trend of recent years, where the disposable income of Canadians rose significantly faster than the cost of food. However, thanks to farmers, Canadians still get the best deal in the western world for their food dollar.

In many parts of the world, the cost of food is significantly higher. Member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average, spend 8.3 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians. Australians spend 12.7 per cent more, the Japanese spend 35.7 per cent more and Mexicans spend over 125 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians.

In 2008, while prices in some agriculture commodities soared, Canadian farmers continued to take only a very small percentage of the consumers' food dollar at the grocery store.

In 2005, a grain farmer received $0.07 for the corn in a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and $0.11 for the wheat in a loaf of bread. Even with a doubling in the price of commodities, those costs would then become 14 cents and 22 cents, certainly not justifying the significant retail mark-ups which many consumers complained about.

Given the processed nature of many consumer foods, it is far more likely that an increase in the cost of energy played a much larger role in the retail price increase.

Canadians continued to receive high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards. To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food industry.

For more information Food Freedom Day calculations is here

More Food Freedom Day facts are here .

Words to live by

2009-01-21T08:24:00.000-04:00

"Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long. In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world." -- Vince Poscente

2009-01-15T19:19:00.002-04:00

Prince Edward Islanders with a special interest in the work of the local international-development NGO Farmers Helping Farmers are invited to an orientation and information session on Saturday morning.

The session is part of the organization’s semi-annual meeting. Farmers Helping Farmers started in P.E.I. over 30 years ago. It maintains an ambitious and highly successful program of community-based projects, primarily in support of small-scale women farmers in Kenya.

The meeting will be held in the basement meeting room at St. Pete's Church Hall, All Souls’ Lane (off Rochford St.), Charlottetown from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

For more information, contact Harry Baglole at 675-4134.

Wine and Cheese in Nova Scotia

2009-01-15T11:55:00.002-04:00

Wine and cheese -- sounds like the perfect way to pass the time during this deep freeze in Atlantic Canada.

And just because there's a chill in the air doesn't mean you should hibernate. The annual Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch is coming up and Fox Hill Cheese House in Port Williams, N.S. is extending its hours during the Eagle Watch. Sunday, Jan. 25 from 1 - 6 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 1 from 1 - 6 p.m.

Bird lovers can drop in to Fox Hill Cheese House and pick up some of cheese, yogurt or gelato; admire the eagles perched in the tall trees en route!

www.eaglens.ca

Also coming up at Fox Hill Cheese House is the Ice Wine Festival, Feb. 12 - 22.

Velvety, Luscious and Sweet - Tempt your tastebuds with Foxhill Gelato drizzled with Icewine from local wineries

February 14 & 15: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Domaine de Grand Pre

February 21 & 22: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Gaspereau Vineyards

Time: 2 - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 per serving

2009 Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival

Ontario food marketing support ramped up

2009-01-14T16:39:00.001-04:00

Ontario is boosting grassroots marketing efforts for Ontario foods and
strengthening rural economies by encouraging more residents and businesses to
buy locally grown food.

Ontario is initially investing more than $850,000 in 15 projects,
including, such as:

- A media awareness campaign to raise the profile of Ontario apples.

- A "Nothing Tastes Like Home" mobile educational trailer to market and promote "buying local" through cooking demonstrations and tasting opportunities at industry, community and school events.

- A Grey/Bruce county project to encourage growers to participate in the local food market, and to demonstrate that using local food is a viable option for area institutions and restaurants.

Eating – Is there a solution to the confusion?

2009-01-14T14:29:00.001-04:00

Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, is set to cut through the confusion when he addresses the annual meeting of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association on Friday, Jan. 16 in Saskatoon.

Conventional or organic? Local or imported? The confusion mounts when virtually every day brings news about some “miracle food” that we should be gulping down. One day it's tomatoes to prevent cancer, then flaxseed against heart disease or soybeans for menopause. Then there are the worries: genetic modification, pesticide residues, aspartame, MSG, the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements. We need proper science to guide us through this nutritional maze.

Attendees will learn the proper science behind nutrition which will better enable them to dispel some of the myths driving various diet trends.

Schwarcz writes a weekly newspaper column in the Montreal Gazette entitled “The Right Chemistry” as well as a monthly column in Canadian Chemical News. He was the chief consultant on the Reader’s Digest best sellers “Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal” and “The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs.”

Working Weekends

2009-01-11T15:47:00.003-04:00

When I first started to work from home, I would spend my days goofing off. These were the times before blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even email, so I really have no idea how I wasted so much time. At least now I have an excuse!

My husband would come home from his office job and reality kicked in -- I still had a pile of writing to do. Yet he was at my office door wondering when I would be finished, if I wanted to go out, what I wanted to do with the evening. "Sorry," I had to say, "I've got work to do. Can't."

I did that maybe twice.

Working 9-5 isn't always possible, especially with laptops and Blackberries and iPhones keeping us connected. It's even harder, I think, when we work at home, since you're always "at the office." Even if you don't work from home, that Blackberry tends to keep humming right through the weekend.

Still, I do my best to watch the clock and keep somewhat regular working hours. I've gotten pretty good at it too -- except this weekend, where procrastination has lead me to my office and leaves me sitting at home working while everyone else is out for dinner.

I guess it's been a while since the fun left me behind at the computer and I needed a reminder. I'm lucky to have family who understands.

But dare I hope my family's dinner host tonight will send a doggy bag home for me??

2009-01-09T15:24:00.001-04:00

Prince Edward Island potato farmers and other industry members are invited to attend the upcoming United Potato Growers of Canada seminars on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel and Wednesday, Jan 14 at Credit Union Place in Summerside.

The day-long seminars will provide excellent information.
- what’s happening in agriculture worldwide
- financial/risk analysis for potato growers
- how fiancial/risk analysis can be impacted by the decisions made on individual farms and as a province or country
- the U.S. approach to managing the potato market (as growers working together)
- what’s been happening on the Canadian side of the border in terms of better understanding potato market dynamics
- the latest developments in processing contract negotiations in North America.

The association says top-notch speakers from across North America will deliver this information, and, they say, the event will be extremely valuable as producers consider their plans for 2009.

2009-01-09T15:11:00.001-04:00

Cities are eating up our prime farmland at the rate of two acres per minute 24-7-365. This loss of farmland leads us to ask…

How can we save enough farmland to maintain our food chain? (#619)

This Saturday at 9am Pacific, Michael Olson’s Food Chain Radio hosts Ellie Kastanopolous from Equity Trust and Jody Bolluyt from Hudson Valley’s Roxbury Farm for a conversation about holding on to farmland.

Listen on your radio, computer or IPOD: www.metrofarm.com.

Topics include whether enough privately-owned farmland can be saved to maintain the nation’s food chain; what alternatives exist to private ownership of farmland; and what results to these alternatives yield?

Cleaning up the cell phone

2007-10-04T10:04:00.001-03:00

I was deleting some photos from my cell phone last night and it's interesting to see what images I felt I just HAD to take when I didn't have my camera with me. Some are of friends and family, others from shows I attended. And other, just curious images from the place I'm in at the time.

In hindsight, I should have been at a different angle to capture this awesome tree house in Nova Scotia. There's the tower with a bridge that crosses to a balcony that surrounds the tree. It was amazing. I bet that dad's a carpenter!

I was driving my daughter and her friend home from swimming lessons one night when I just had to pull over and take this shot of the atrocious spelling on this grocery store sign. I suspect it's a bilingual sign, combining Acadian and English. Whatever the reason, it made for a great discussion with two young, keen girls in the back seat.

This jacket was just too ugly not to record! I was at Value Village one day -- it never hurts to know what's out there! -- and found this jacket. It was the most curious piece of clothing I've ever seen. The ribbons, the satin applique -- yeesh. No wonder it was at Value Village.

Right to Know -- forgotten?

2007-10-02T21:08:00.000-03:00

I received this news release today from P.E.I. Wouldn't it make more sense to send out a news release before Right to Know Week? And what about Right to Know Day -- why mention that when it was last week? Seems like someone forgot to say anything about our right to know...

October 2, 2007

ATTORNEY GENERAL PROCLAIMS RIGHT TO KNOW WEEK

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- International Right to Know Day is recognized worldwide as an opportunity to raise awareness about the right of individuals to access information held by public bodies.
In recognition of International Right to Know Day, September 28, and planned local activities, Attorney General Gerard Greenan has proclaimed September 28 - October 5, 2007 as Right to Know Week in Prince Edward Island.
“I hope this declaration of Right to Know Week will help to raise public awareness about the public’s right of access to information,” said Attorney General Greenan. “Islanders expect their provincial government to operate in a manner that is both transparent and accessible. We are responsible to ensure Islanders know they have a right to request information held by government departments.”
The Minister said, in the past year from November 2006 to September 2007, provincial government departments have received 51 requests for information.
The Attorney General thanked Karen Rose, Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner, and the local Right to Know steering committee for organizing local activities in recognition of Right to Know Week. Activities include an essay writing contest, poster contest and public information forums.
More than 60 countries have legislation promoting access to information, and more countries are in the process of developing such laws. The Prince Edward Island Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act was proclaimed on November 1, 2002 to make government more open and accountable, and insure that Islanders’ personal information held by government is protected. The Act covers the records of provincial government departments, agencies, boards, commissions and crown corporations. School Boards were added under the Act in November, 2003.

Weblinks:
Right to Know Canada -
PEI FOIPP page
PEI Information and Privacy Office

Working the networking

2007-10-02T13:33:00.001-03:00

Are you a networker?

I think for some people, the gift of gab comes easily, while for others, it's a chore. Plunged into a room full of business contacts, sometimes we don't have a choice but to strike up a conversation with the person beside us. It's better than standing over in the corner looking like a wall flower.

I attended a cocktail party in Ottawa once (sounds so glamorous!) and I noticed one man standing by himself for quite some time. Been there, done that, hate the unease of it all, so I went over and started a conversation. My journalism background probably makes it easier to jump into a conversation, but I wasn't asking any probing questions -- where are you from? What do you do? -- that kind of stuff. Turns out he was a politician (Ottawa, go figure) from Atlantic Canada. When I made that link with him, we began to talk about bars that we hung out in during college years. We were likely in many of the same places at the same time, it turns out.

Finding that one nugget of shared commonality is the key, I think, to opening someone up in these kinds of sitations. Do you work in the same field? Have kids ths same age? Play similar sports? Vacation in the same places? Asking the other person about their job and their passions is always a good idea, giving you the chance to let them do the talking.

The worst thing you want to do is walk away feeling like it's been a one-sided conversation and you've done all the talking.

2007-10-01T14:21:00.000-03:00

I'm just back from a train trip from Belleville, Ont. The nearly 24 hour trips is excruciatingly long, but I'm glad I had a room to lounge in, pulling a bed down and night and allowing myself to be rocked to sleep by the trains movement along the tracks. I was also jolted awake each time the train came to a stop throughout the night.

Train travel gave me an inside peak at the outside world. I was detached and withdrawn from contact, unlike traveling in the car, where if I wanted to talk to the people we passed by, I could have simply pulled over and struck up a conversation.

As we pass by the back doors of houses along the way, I wonder what stories are inside. Lavish homes by lakes, dilapidated shacks by the tracks, farm houses away from the city and condos in the thick of down towns. Workers of the land, offices and homes, why do you live where you do? Why did you choose the train as your neighbour? Do you get along with your neighbour? What's going on in your life to bring you to this home? I hope the people living in the run down apartments and shacks can find the inner strength they need to find a better home. No one should have to live like that.

Before I booked my ticket, I debated over whether to get a room. I did, and, cocooned inside, I spread out my books, papers and clothes in my own little space.

Through the woods of Northern New Brunswick at dusk on the way to Belleville, I anticipated the chance to see some wildlife, but the closest I came was when the stench of a skunk seeped into my little room during the night. I guess it tried to outrun the train and lost. However, there was a certain comfort in knowing that air is being circulated in from outside, and not just recycling smelly feet air.

The graffiti along the route is amazing. Sometimes it’s right near the train station, on the backs of retainer walls or on the slanted sides of overpasses. Fat, round letters in black and white spray paint but there are many colourful ones to see too. At Dorval Station, vibrant blues, yellows and reds create words. I can’t make out what it says, but it doesn’t matter. I can instead admire the simple beauty of the artwork, knowing the white stucco was probably a very inviting canvas.

I changed trains in Montreal, leaving the wrapping of my private room to regular seats. I treasure solitary time, but human contact is interesting too.

In the seats, we're certainly closer together. Maybe even too close. The old woman beside me has fallen asleep. She's snoring softly and her relaxed arm is increasingly creeping into my space. I lean closer to the window just a bit.

The crying baby is finally asleep. I was getting tired of hearing other passengers heave sighs of annoyance, as if the mother was pinching the boy, keeping him awake and fussy on purpose.

Remember the little movie cards we has as kids? Hold the deck with one hand and flick your other thumb quickly through the edges on the outside. The fast movement makes the pictures on the cards come to life. I always loved the little “zip” noise as my thumb passed over the cards.

Corn fields flick by and their straight and narrow rows make me think of the movie card. There’s no movie, though, although I’m sure the farmer growing the corn has some fabulous stories to tell.

There are many stops along the route and it’s fascinating to watch reunions at the train station.

Happy children bound off to meet awaiting relatives, or run across the yard to greet disembarking grandparents. Middle aged husbands efficiently whisk luggage out of the hands of their wives or extend a friendly pat on the back to young men.

At one stop, several young adults, probably around 15 years old, were greeted with deep, strong hugs from who I presume were their parents. One girl gets off and nearly falls into her father’s arms and sobs. As she melts into her mother's arm, the older woman takes the girl's face in her hands and wipes away tears with her thumbs, smiling reassuringly to her at the same time. The young adults were hugging each other too. Long, compassionate hugs that clearly showed a strong bond between friends.

What’s going on? My only guess is they’re a sports team, but they don’t appear to have any equipment with them. I wonder if they won or lost. I search their faces for clues, but I really can’t tell.

The whole scene is gripping. Despite only being a few feet away, since I’m still on the train and they’re on the pavement outside my window, we seem worlds apart. I can’t ask them what’s happening and I can’t hear what they’re saying... it’s like watching a silent movie.

The hugging continues as the train pulls away and I turn backwards to catch a different point of view, maybe see a clue on someone else's face. It’s only after they’ve disappeared from sight that I realize I’m crying too. I’ve never seen such an obvious display of affection.

It was a long ride, but enjoyable. Peeking into the backyards of homes along the way, wondering about the people who live there and catching just a peak of another world.

I took some other photos, but they're on my cell phone, which I left on the train. I'll have to make another trip down to the station later tonight to pick it up.

Copyright

2007-05-29T21:20:00.000-03:00

Folks in business of freelance writing for a living do more than just write. Sure, there are the interviews, filing, invoicing and other office tasks, but freelance writers also work hard on contract negotiations and copyright infringements. Sometimes these tasks seem to take up more time than the writing itself.

Here's the thing: just because a story is posted on the Internet doesn't mean it can be copied and reprinted someplace else.

It's very simple.

What most people don't realize is that before the last button was clicked and that story appeared on the World Wide Web, the writer and publisher likely went through a series of negotiations. And if they didn't they should have. An agreement should have been reached for fair payment for the work.

If I sell a story that's already been published someplace else, then it goes for less money. But if I write a story for one particular publication (called an "exclusive") and that publication is the first one to print it, well, they pay a higher price. Additional payment is due if publications are doing hard copy only, putting it on their website, storing it in their archives, translating the piece or planning to use the article in some way in the future, like a book. Publications can use articles in a variety of ways and each time it's used, the writer needs to be paid. After all, if it's good enough to print, it's good enough to pay for.

I've heard all of the arguments and all of the excuses. Top statements include how flattered I should be by the reprint, that they didn't know they weren't allowed to reuse an article without my permission or that if the article is on the World Wide Web, then it's public property.

None of these hold any water. The Canadian Copyright Act is law. My work is protected from being republished without my permission. Flattery does not pay the bills. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Barbara Florio Graham, a freelance writer and media guru in the Ottawa area uses this brilliant analogy to explain reusing articles found on the web: I park my bike outside my house overnight, leaning it against the outside of the garage. You walk by and see it. You know it's not yours, but you also know that I'm not using it at the moment, so you take it for a ride. You know you shouldn't have taken in, but you do anyways. Overnight, you use my bike and then return it early the next morning.

I urge you not to take anything off of any website without the author's permission or permission of the website operator. It's not yours to take, even if you're just going to use it for a little while.

I should have been doing labels and links for this post and all of that fancy stuff, but I don't have the time right now. This is a subject I could go on for hours about, so I'm sure I'll have the chance to do that kind of stuff on another day.

Cheers,
Allison

Doggie Dementia

2007-05-08T08:05:00.000-03:00

When friends ask us how old our dog is, we jokingly refer to him as our first born.

Dusty adopted us in the spring of 1993, right around now, come to think of it. We were married in October and knew we wanted to expand our family just a little bit. I hadn't had a dog since I was a pre-schooler. Dale had one growing up too, but not that we were settled in our own home, we decided to take on some responsibility. Just a little bit.

My office at the time was on the main floor of the house. In the winter, Dusty would spend his time under my desk. If he heard the approach of a snow plow on a stormy day, he would make a wild dash for the back door, race across the snow drifts and along the fence, barking as he chased the snowplow. I often wondered what he would do if he actually caught the plow.

During the summer, he would go outside when Dale left for work and spend the whole day lazing on the deck -- early mornings in the sun, late morning in the shade by the cedars and hot afternoons under the deck in a custom dug hole in the dirt to keep him cool.

Things changed a bit when Olivia was born. Doesn't it always for the dog? Remember Lady and the Tramp? They maintained a relationship of indifference unless food was involved, then Dusty became Olivia's best friend. They're pals, though. Same goes with Mark.

Since we've moved to Moncton, Dusty doesn't spend much time outside anymore. Our yard isn't as big. Snow plows aren't as easily accessible. He's not under my desk anymore because my office is in the basement and he finds the stairs hard on his back hips. He knows there's safety down here during a thunder storm, though, or when the wind is blowing hard.

When we purchased a tent trailer last summer, Dusty rediscovered his love of the outside. On most camping trips, we had to pick him up and carry him inside at night. He was happy to spend the entire day outside, lazing in the sun, sitting in the shade, walking through the woods or at the beach or curled up by the campfire.

Over the last few weeks, Dusty has started having accidents in the house. It doesn't happen every day, or even at the same time of day when it does happen. But it's been increasing in frequency. I've tried preventative measures, like putting him out and making sure he stays out, but that doesn't work -- 10 minutes after he's in, he's done it again.

Yesterday, I called the vet just to see what they thought and whether I should bring him in for a check-up. The vet told me that Dusty may have some kind of a parasite in his digestive system or he may be seeking attention, especially if we've had a major change in our house lately. Yes, we renovated our kitchen, but this started before that mess. Nothing else out of the ordinary at all. Then, the vet suggested something so shocking that I'm finding it funny -- Dusty may have Alheimer's disease!

I had no idea there was such a thing as doggie dementia. One of the symptoms is failure to respond to his name -- I thought he was just ignoring me! Other symptoms, like getting stuck in corners, is something I've seen Dusty do, but never realized exactly what it was he was doing. Accidents inside, even after he's just gone out, is another symptom.

Here are a couple of links: Doggie Alzheimer's Disease and CDS in dogs

Snow?!

2007-04-12T11:36:00.000-03:00

There's a snow storm on the horizon for my part of the province tomorrow. Forecasts say there is 20 centimetres on the way! Today, temperatures are slated to reach 11 C.

How crazy is this weather?

Easter morning was thrown into an upheaval when we had about 25 centimetres fall in the area -- I think it was the largest snowfall we've had all at once all winter.

I had hoped to take photos of the kids in their spring-like Easter clothes -- crisp, leafy greens and sharp, sparkling white. Instead, they're in their snowsuits, sitting on a snowbank. Hard to believe the grass was greening up just the day before.

Weather forecasting is a fine art and the meterologist who do this work have a tough time. But technology is improving. At the same time, meterologists are letting the general public know that their work is not an exact science. There are many variable with weather forecasting and what falls, or doesn't fall, from the sky is something that none of us can control. The scientists can only make their best educated guess.

Environment Canada has teamed with weather forecasters in the United States and Mexico to develop a broader spectrum of weather outcomes. It's called ensemble forecasting and uses weather prediction computer programs to develop 16 possible weather outcomes in Canada for conditions like cloud cover, surface wind speed, precipitation and surface air temperature.

But why?

Is this information really useful or does it just create an environment of information overload?

Well, for farmers, the more useful information like this, the better.

Ted O'Brien is acting manager of the National Service Office, Agriculture Meteorological Service of Canada with Environment Canada. He says a wider window of possible weather outcomes gives producers more information to determine weather predictions for their own farms.

Let's face it, there are no cut and dry answers when it comes to predicting the weather. With ensemble forecasting, we can see a range of possible weather conditions.

If the weather forecast indicates a high probability of rain, for example, producers have more information to base their field work priorities like planting, spraying or harvesting. The ensemble forecast system also provides other other information such as cloud cover and the liklihood of obtaining a range of surface temperatures.

“Producers are dealing with risks and probabilities all the time,” O’Brien says. “They’re factoring in what the forecast is saying, what they’re use to seeing and the condition of the crop – how wet it is – and trying to decide when to harvest, when to cut, when to seed. Providing a little more information so they can factor in better how weather is going to impact their operation is what we’re doing.”

For ensemble forecasting that can be tailored to your community, click here. But don’t let the complex-looking graphs scare you! A detailed explanation on how to read the graphs is located here. Other results of ensemble forecasting can be found here. Click on the “information” link at each page for instructions on how to read the maps.

Stay dry!

Winnipeg Rocks!

2006-02-23T00:11:00.000-04:00

A dash to the airport and on to the plane to Winnipeg. We were met by a giant bus that laid us in the lap of luxury! Well, maybe not quite, but it was pretty nice.

Jay Whetter, editor of Country Guide, met with us and then it was off to Friercrest Dairy. They were some very well photographed cows and calves by the time we left there!

We had a good meeting to learn about Hytek Ltd. The hog industry is certainly complex.

Here are some shots of what we've been up to. At the top, Jay checks out the calf, two cows check out me and in the group shot -- well, we're hungry. Clockwise are Stacie, Aire, Marie-Eve, Nicole, Angela and Joanna. Last shot -- well, how cute is this?

Cheers,
Allison

Mushrooms, chickens and bling

2006-02-21T23:59:00.000-04:00

What a day!

We hit the road early again and drove to a mushroom farm in Ashburn, Ont. We all commented on the proximity of the community to the farm and noted how odd it was that there was large retail development and then bang! a mushroom farm.

Clay Taylor showed us around the composting and told us of the steps he's taken to work with the community. It's been an uphill battle and he continues the climb up the steep path to neighbourhood harmony. But it's not like he's the bully. The issue of urban crush is an urgent issue in agriculture and for producers like Clay, protection against the city has become a cost of production.

Daryl and Sherry Phoenix run a poultry/layer operation. For all four of the students, this was their first time into a layer barn and afterwards, they were a lot of mixed emotions about the visit. Daryl talked of how he cares for his chickens and does what he can to ensure they're comfortable and content. Yet when we actually saw the poultry in the barn, it was a bit shocking for the students. As far as the eye could see were rows of chickens. They were timid but curious.

We've spent a lot of time talking about chickens since we left the poultry farm. Are they comfortable in that environment? Are they happy? Are we putting human values on chickens? The facility meets standards, but are the standards good enough. It made for some thoughtful discussions.

We ended our day of touring with a stop in downtown Toronto. We were all a bit starved for some city, but when we stopped in the hemp store, each of us grabbed a pamphlet on mushroom growing -- uh, different mushrooms this time.

Arie, our lone male on the trip, was a true trooper as we stopped in a few dress stores, jewelry shops and purse boutiques. We offered to find a hardware store for him, but he graciously declined. Besides, by the time we finished in all of the "girl" stores, the hardware store was closed.

Tomorrow, on to Winnipeg. I might try to get some photographs up there too.

Ciao,
Allison

Ag 101 on the Bus

2006-02-20T22:55:00.000-04:00

Hi from Oshawa.

First of all, we spent last night in Trenton. It was a late evening, as we lingered over dinner with the Chairperson of Farm Credit Canada, Rosemary Davis. With four young female journalism students taking part in this tour, it was perfect to have the opportunity to spend time with a successful, busy, vibrant business person who is a woman. What a fabulous role model. Rosemary certainly made me want to strive to do more and work harder. I'm sure the students picked up on her enthusiasum as well. She also gave us a great tip -- ask a farmer for a ride in his tractor!

We've had a busy, but wonderful day. First, a stop at a canning facility. Sprague Foods has the contract for President's Choice soups. How impressive to see a Canadian agri-food business doing so well! Two wineries later and we're in Oshawa.

Tomorrow, an early start -- a mushroom farm and poultry facility.

Cheers,
Allison

Things that go bump...

2006-02-18T19:46:00.000-04:00

The wind cut right through us as we made the short walk from the van to the terminal of the Moncton Airport. I knew it was going to be a bumpy flight but that seems like an understement now. After about 10 minutes in the air, however, we settled down.

Olivia cried as we waved good bye. I made my way to the end of a long line-up to board the plane. I could have waited, but we had already been trying to talk through the security glass for some time and I could tell the wait wasn't helping. We sat for a long time before we took off. I don't know if they waited to see the plane go or left.

The wind made it a slow trip. Added to the fact that we were about 30 minutes late leaving and it quickly ate into the hour I had to spend in Montreal before catching my flight to Toronto. I ended up waiting only moments before the flight boarded.

And what a difference a flight makes! From Moncton to Montreal, I sat in aisle 1, but ended up in the last seat on the plane from Montreal to Toronto. As I made my way down the aisle, scanning the row numbers, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be sitting with the luggage.

I now need to find the rest of the group and see what's going on.

Allison