Two researchers from the University of Guelph have reached the semifinalist stage of a $2-million competition striving for a more environmentally conscious future of food. The proposal, submitted by a professor and a PhD student from University of Guelph’s School of the Environmental Sciences, calls for “truly integrative agricultural practices” throughout southwestern Ontario by 2050, […] Read more
Tag Archives Environment — page 19
University proposal among food system prize semifinalists
Researchers hope vision for 2020 will be worthy of $200,000
How green products are spreading around the world
From protecting pollinating insects to cutting the hoofprint of cashmere-producing goats, companies are aiming greener
Thomson Reuters Foundation – From helping Mongolia’s goat herders produce cashmere more efficiently to counting insects on “biodiversity plots” planted on farms, some of the world’s biggest brands are blazing a trail with innovative efforts to nurture nature. Sustainability researchers say businesses have shown a surge of interest in limiting the harm their operations do […] Read more
McCain builds farms to showcase sustainable practices
The company has committed to reducing the impact of its potato operations
Glacier Farmmedia – McCain Foods says it is building the farm of the future. The New Brunswick company announced in mid-July that it wants potato production to be more sustainable. To that end, McCain’s is establishing three Farms of the Future to learn how regenerative agriculture and innovation can work at scale in potato farming. […] Read more
Researchers say free trade can help climate change hunger
Science Notes: Climate change will impact regions in different ways
Researchers from KU Leuven, the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and RTI International investigated the effects of trade on hunger in the world as a result of climate change. They found that international trade can compensate for regional food shortages and reduce hunger, particularly when protectionist measures and other barriers to trade are […] Read more
Letters: Greater information needed on nuclear storage effects
Dear Editor, The fuller truth must be known about the risks and environmental dangers of the Deep Geological Repository (DGR), proposed on prime farmland in the Municipality of South Bruce. The reason is nothing is more imperative than the protection of food security today, and for future generations. Secondly, the proposed DGR is an experiment, […] Read more
Crunching numbers on meat sustainability
Improvements in agriculture industry have lowered animal environmental footprint
Consumers have increased interest in sustainable diets. Conflicting information from various resources has these consumers viewing sustainable diets as eating less meat. Dr. Kim Ominski with the University of Manitoba presented during the virtual Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada about improvements in animal environmental impact. Why it matters: The future livelihood of livestock farmers hinges […] Read more
Hog manure treatment could limit need for manure pits
Canadian technology separates manure into water, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
Solugen, a Quebec-based company, is testing a manure separation technology on a hog farm. Widespread implementation of the technology could limit the need for manure pits. The technology was invented to assist in the treatment of liquid residual materials to help simplify wastewater management while enhancing the value of contaminants. It didn’t take long for […] Read more
Eastern Canada gets poor grades on soil
A report card compares soil management and health between Eastern and Western Canada
The Soil Conservation Council of Canada has released its first national soil health report card. The soil grades are based on farmer changes made over the past five to 10 years, soil conditions, and whether organic matter levels have improved. “It wasn’t in terms of hard data, but just from my experience and research, extensions […] Read more
EU plans to halve pesticide use, expand organic farming
Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said on Wednesday it planned to increase organic farming and cut agricultural chemical use to protect the environment, proposals welcomed by green groups but which farmers said would make them less flexible. Agriculture is a contributor to climate change – producing around 10 per cent of EU greenhouse […] Read more
Cargill-led fund to pay U.S. farmers for carbon capture
Reuters – Global commodities trader Cargill Inc. starting this spring plans to pay American farmers for capturing carbon in their field soils and reducing fertilizer runoff, an executive said. The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, a partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association and third-party verification company Quantified Ventures, will then sell the environmental credits created […] Read more
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