Organic Friends' E-Zine
Highlighting up-dates to the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC) website
en français	June 2008	Subscribe a friend!
	"Linking organic knowledge"

Photo of the Month by Andy Hammermeister
The OACC grains crew is on the job! Photo taken at planting on our PEI research site at Barnyard Organics in PEI.
L-R Etienne Papineau, Mark Bernard, Lloyd Rector, Andy Hammermeister, Linda Poon, Donald Kerr

Become an OACC Partner

• Weed Management for the Transition to Organic Vegetable Production
• Transition from Intensive Tillage to No-Tillage and Organic Annual Cropping Systems
• Benefits of No-Tillage & Organic Systems for Grain Production & Soil Improvement
• Comparison of Organic & Conventional Systems on Nutrient-Depleted Soil in Sweden
• Approaches to wireworm control in organic potato production
• Nitrogen supply in stockless organic cereal production

Featured Researcher: Darren Robinson, Ph.D. Guelph University

• New OACC Technical Bulletins

  • Organic soybean production in Atlantic Canada (PDF, 348 kb)
  • Helping wheat compete (PDF, 347 kb)
  • The connections between wheat cultivar choice, breadmaking quality and soil microbial communities (PDF, 348 kb)
• British Columbia Organic Industry Overview 2007 (BCMAL) (PDF, 1.3 MB)
  • including Organic Animal Production in British Columbia (PDF, 267 kb)
• CWB funds organic development projects 2008

• Putting Meat on The Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America (PEW Commission, USA 2008)
  • Executive Summary (PDF, 2.7 MB)
  • Full Report (6.2 MB)
  • PEW Commission website

Virtual Farm Tour

• Sunrise Farm - Alberta
  • Owners: Don & Marie Ruzicka
  • Products: Certified Organic beef, pasture-raised poultry and natural pork

• Graduate Student Assistantship (M.Sc.) at Guelph University

  • Insect Pest Management – Organic livestock production (PDF, 22 kb)
• ICROFS, the International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (formerly DARCOF, Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries) offers two job vacancies:

  • CORE Organic assistant coordinator
  • Assistant to the International Board
  • Deadline for application is 23. June 2008. See full description of the job vacancies at www.icrofs.org

• Environmental Benefits of Organic Dairy
• University of Alberta Student Wins International Organic Scholarship

• As prices of organic foods rise, plain old fruits and vegetables suddenly look better (Newsweek, May 2008)

• June 22nd, 2008 Local Bounty Farmer–Chef Connection Conference and Workshop
  Conexus Arts Center, Regina, SK More information (PDF, 62 kb)
• July 10th, 2008 Glenlea Organic Research Field Tour Contact Joanne Thiessen Martens at 204-474-6236
• July 16th, 2008 OCIA Chapter 5, Spalding area, SK. Contact Carol Lowndes at 327-4753, or Larry Hoffman at 872-2229
• July 17th, 2008 Organic Crop Production Research Twilight Tour - follow-up to June 19th, Carman Research Station, SK. Contact Joanne Thiessen Martens at 204-474-6236
• July 17th, 2008 Irrigation Field Day and Trade Show “Valuing Our Water”
  901 McKenzie Street South, Outlook, SK. More information
• July 18th, 2008 Going Organic Alberta, New Norway, AB, Contact Steve Snider
  780-855-2164
• July 24th, 2008 Scott Organic Field Day Scott Research Farm. Contact Sherrilyn Phelps, 306-446-7475. More information (PDF, 15 kb) Please note for your calendar: This event was posted with an incorrect date in the May E-Zine! OACC respectfully regrets any inconvenience this error may have caused.
• July 25-27th, 2008 Cherry Festival, Bruno, SK, Contact Corrine Norman 306-682-5936
• July 26th, 2008 Alberta Organic Producers’ Association. Emile & Lucy Lambert’s farm
  Pickardville, AB. Contact Kathy Petterson at aopa@cruzinternet.com
• July 26th, 2008 POCIC-OCIA Chapter #6 Veregin Skating Rink, Veregin, SK
  Contact Annie 306-563-5938 or annietoma@yahoo.ca
• July 27th, 2008 OCIA Chapter 4(Location TBA) Contact Robyn or Lyle at lrhamann@imagewireless.ca

Eastern Canada

• June 20th, 2008 Intense Vegetables, Weed Control & Composting, Pfennings Organic Farm New Hamburg, ON. For more information please contact the office of Bio-Systems at (989) 635-2864 or email bio-systems@centurytel.net
• July 6th, 2008 Potluck Picnic and Farm Tour, Meeting Place Organic Farm, 86016 Creek Line, Lucknow, ON. Contact the EFAO office for details - 519 822-8606 or 1-877 822-8606.
• July 21st, 2008 (rain date 23rd) The Maritime Organic Grains Network and the OACC will host an organic field day featuring variety and fertility trials and a Finger Weeder Demonstration. Barnyard Organics, Freetown PEI. For more information contact Mark Bernard at mbernard@nsac.ca
• July 24th, 2008 (rain date 29th) The Maritime Organic Grains Network and the OACC will host an organic field day featuring grain variety and fertility trials, pumpkin trials, wireworm control and vegetable cropping systems. NS Agricultural College, Truro, NS.
  For more information contact oacc@nsac.ca, 902-893-7256
• July 28th, 2008 (rain date July 30th) The Maritime Organic Grains Network and the OACC will host an organic field day featuring grain variety and fertility trials. Good Food Farm 12446 Route 114, Penobsquis, NB For more information contact Mark Bernard at mbernard@nsac.ca

Issues

• Organic farming and climate change (FiBL 2008) (PDF, 1.3 MB)
• Rising costs could cook up opportunity for UK organic bakers

Useful Links

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Organic Products
• Organic Federation of Canada (OFC)
  • Ensuring excellent standards and regulations that stimulate the growth of Canada's organic sector

Award-winner - Congratulations to:

• Don and Marie Ruzicka of Sunrise Farm received the "Growing Alberta" Environmental Stewardship Award for 2007. More information