Tag Archives : farming

A variety of seeds available at a Seedy Saturday seed exchange Photo credit: Brian McInnis
 March 31, 2020

GROWING A FOOD SOVEREIGN ISLAND

Island farmers save seed to assert local ownership over food production Food sovereignty: the central element of a food system in which communities control the production and consumption of their food. It prioritizes local, affordable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate food. On PEI, farmers believe that the Island can become food sovereign. The movement begins with a network of farmers saving…

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November 1, 2019

SELF PROCLAIMED PEI NUTTERS

Island man defies odds by growing warm climate crop of hazelnuts in Bonshaw Hazelnuts grow well in Turkey, Italy, and British Columbia, all areas with much more-temperate climes than PEI, so people thought Bill Glen was crazy for wanting to grow them here. But what started as an experiment has turned into a hazelnut orchard in the “alpine region” of…

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October 1, 2019

DORIAN LEAVES ITS MARK ACROSS THE ISLAND

Early September storm has effect on many Islanders, from homes to farms to businesses As post-tropical storm Dorian swept across the Maritimes on September 7, many homes, businesses, farms, and fishers were affected by its path. Despite its category as a post-tropical storm, it packed winds that were in the hurricane range and came with heavy rainfall. Nearly a month…

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February 1, 2019

EATING WITH ALL YOUR SENSES

Elegant lavender-infused foods from Picnic Girl treat the eyes and tastebuds Hélène Bouchard has a taste for the exquisite. She was on-site for the entire construction of her charming lavender-coloured home in Stanley Bridge, inspecting building details with keen precision. Before moving to PEI in 2014, she and her husband ran a successful, holistic training studio in Montreal; her focus…

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December 1, 2018

RECORD BREAKING RAINFALL MEANS POTATO CROPS ROT

Dismal weather conditions cause havoc leaving thousands of acres unharvested PEI potato production will be way down this year as a result of a bad growing season with not enough rain and then even worse harvest conditions, where too much rain turned fields into mud bogs. There are 84,000 planted acres of potatoes on PEI and each acre is worth…

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July 1, 2018

RESEARCHING FOR CANADA’S AGRICULTURAL FUTURE

Agriculture Canada’s research farm in Harrington opens its doors to the public this month We can often think of government institutions as giant cogs in a wheel with no real relevance to our day-to-day lives, but for the scientists who work at the Agriculture Canada Research Farm in Harrington, PEI, every bit of data they collect and every piece of…

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June 1, 2018

Island Farmers Using the Alternative Land Use Service

Government program focuses on environment Charles Murphy is no stranger to agriculture. For 50 years he has been growing seed potatoes, wheat, and non-GMO soybeans in China Point, east of Stratford. Since the arrival of the first Murphy family ancestors from Ireland in the early 1800s, six generations have farmed this land. Charles and his wife, Wilhelmena, purchased the family…

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May 1, 2018

FILLING THE FARM LABOUR GAP

A glimpse at agricultural labour shortages in PEI After meeting with Laurie Loane, executive director of the PEI Agriculture Sector Council, the take-home message was this: labour shortage in agriculture is a complex topic. Family farms without successors, increasing use of automated systems, erratic employment for labourers, and barriers for minority groups to enter the sector are a few of…

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