Posted in Other on 20. Jul, 2010
Farmer's Market in Koper Slovenia
One of the greatest highlights of traveling to other countries is the opportunity to try new and different foods. This past semester I went on the Canada-European Union Peace and Conflict Resolution Exchange to Slovenia, a very small, hilly country in the former Yugoslavia. (To give you an idea of just how small this country is, we lived a town called Koper on the east coast and were able to drive to the western border in a mere three hours!) While my studies investigated peace and justice from a political perspective, I also had the chance to take a look at food justice in this Eastern European country.
Export agriculture makes up only 2.5 percent of Slovenia’s economy, however (more…)
There is a growing interest in pastured pork as a method of sustainable agriculture. Raising pigs on pasture is not only more humane and natural for the animals, it is also environmentally sound and produces meat that is more nutritious and, as many people discover, flavorful as well. Family farms raise pigs to pass the benefits of pastured pork onto to their friends, family, and other eaters while engaging in a local and just food system. Organizations such as Fort Whyte Farms even use pastured pork and other sustainable agriculture methods as learning tools in youth outreach programs.
If you’re interested in raising your own pigs, or are simply eager to learn more about pastured (more…)
We are in the process of starting our own Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative Food Buying Group based out of our house. The plan is to try to build a network of buying groups throughout Winnipeg to build a grassroots community of farmers and eaters that would act as a distribution network for locally and sustainably produced food.
Click here to download more information…Info Package 1… Info Package 2
Contact jgriffen (at) hotmail.com for more information about how to get involved.
Tyler Jones on Afton Field Farm
I visited Tyler Jones of Afton Field Farm near Corvallis (website……..blog). We talked about food buying clubs/groups and it brought me back to some previous ideas I had around starting one such club back in Manitoba with members of the Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative. Check out this video of Tyler talking about his clubs/groups.
Farmers and ranchers who direct market need to be jills and jacks of all trades. Grower, shipper, seller, distributor, marketer, fixer, troubleshooter, processor, etc. Undoubtedly, many of the folks I talk to are up to the task and balance these tasks with impressive skill and patience. Still…..there is never enough time in a day. (more…)
Well… I think it’s crazy but… objective Science would argue otherwise. I came across this article on the Bits and Bytes webpage – which I highly recommend you check out – it is a clearing house for food security related literature/media and loaded with all sorts of great material.
http://bitsandbytes.ca/resources/YouAreWhatYourAnimalsEat.pdf
The gist of the study was to test the effects of finishing (feeding) cattle using a ration of, get this: chewing gum that is till in the wrapper. To be clear, this means feeding: a) chewing gum to cows and b) aluminum wrappers to cows. (more…)
