Locavore news – Ontario by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: March 11, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized
Perspectives on good food and farming
March 10, 2010
T.O. game changers
The food picture just keeps getting bigger and bigger. First we fretted about organics and then local and sustainable, and now it’s all about the food system and the way it connects to every facet of city life. So check out the Board of Health’s Toronto Food Strategy Update, released February 1, which aims to coordinate the city’s many functions through the lens of food security. Think of it this way: City Hall regulates zoning, controls vending licences, runs parks, maintains roads, pays social assistance, serves food, disposes of food wastes and so much more. What if every decision in every department reflected the goal of a sustainable food system, targeting hunger and unhealthy eating? Putting food on the permanent agenda means, for example, examining Transit City for its ability to serve food shopping needs, or developing strategies to stop food waste, thus easing pressure on the green box. Now Magazine story
Foodland Ontario Pushing Its Logo Use
If you are in the business of direct to consumer sales — Foodland Ontario says you may want to consider using their logo. Denise Zaborowski is with Foodland – and says producers can get access to logos, banners and signs if they are selling Ontario product. She says whether it be fruits, vegetables, meats, jams, or any other food product — as long as it’s Ontario — the logo should be on it. Zaborowski says a lot of the logos, signs and banners are free for anyone pushing Ontario product. And with over 95 percent of the public recognizing the Foodland symbol — Zaborowski says producers may be able to boost their own sales using it. Full details and how to get the logo on your product — are available at the Foodland website. CKNX Radio AM920 Wingham story.
Building farmers from the ground up
Farming is in Sri Sethuratnam’s blood. He owned about 28 hectares in India before emigrating to Canada. At the University of Guelph, he pursued his Masters in Rural Studies, but when he started searching for farm experience in 2006, there was nothing available. Our farms are mostly family-run, he points out, with very little help from outside the family. With no land and no connections, he was shut out. He took an internship in Singapore instead. Returning to Guelph in the summer of 2008, he landed a position with FarmStart. The organization has two farms that gives new farmers, or farmers new to Canada, a chance to learn about organic agriculture, and build a small farm business, with minimal initial investment. FarmStart provides a small plot of land—up to about one hectare—shared access to tools, tractors and expertise. The program is designed for people who are serious about pursuing organic agriculture as a commercial enterprise. Guelph Mercury story.
Promoting locally grown food
The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is launching a campaign in March to promote locally grown food. “The promotion is connected to Nutrition Month in March with its theme, ‘Celebrate food… from field to table,’ ” health unit dietitian Coraine Wray said in a media release. “We’ll be setting up displays at local libraries to promote the variety of foods grown right here in Haldimand and Norfolk counties.” Simcoe Reformer story.
Farmers and foodies to connect online
Are you a lonely local foodie hungry for love? A friendly farmer seeking a lucrative new relationship? The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is about to launch a new agricultural matchmaking website just for you. The foundation is test-driving a new online “fresh-food finder” that is meant to hook up consumer and bulk food buyers to farmers throughout the provincial greenbelt, including those in Niagara. St. Catharines Standard story.
Women say goodbye lawns … hello crops
It’s March, but I’m already thinking about asparagus and strawberries. They are what lured me to Hillcrest Drive this week. It’s a broad, zigzagging residential street near Christie and St. Clair that offers many reasons for envy – barn-sized houses on big lots with driveways, a gorgeous little park and a view of the downtown towers that rivals Riverdale Park’s.
Come June, new reasons will start to push up from the ground. Strawberries, arugula, basil.
Three women living along Hillcrest plan to dig up the grass and periwinkle in their front yards to make way for food. Perhaps they will rename it Carrot Crescent. Catherine Porter writing in the Toronto Star.
Plans for research station scaled back
Planners have dramatically pruned back a $42-million vision to expand and rebuild the former Vineland Research Station. The new $25-million proposed facelift, however, is “more focused” and “results-oriented,” said Donald Ziraldo, the chairman of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. “Right now, I think this is the better plan,” Ziraldo said after helping present a project update to a stakeholders committee meeting held at Brock University Thursday. St. Catharines Standard story.
Beef Farmers Alliance Gets Strong Consumer Response
An innovative partnership is helping a group of Lambton County farmers sell more beef to local consumers. Murray Shaw, Ralph Eyre and Chad Anderson previously sold freezer beef as independent businesses. Two years ago their families formed an alliance called Bluewater Beef. Shaw says they saw an opportunity to increase sales by pooling their resources and spreading out their costs. The group developed a marketing plan that includes selling boxed beef from their farms, the internet and at a local famers’ market. And consumer reaction has been surprising. Eyre says people are showing great interest in where their food comes from. CKNX Radio AM920 Wingham story.
Support for abattoir proposal
A report for Monday’s municipal council planning meeting recommends approval of an on-farm abattoir on Duart Road in Orford. The facility — which could create up to 20 full time jobs — would be used by Scot and Cheryl Ryckman to slaughter and clean quail for market.
The report by Storey Samways Planning Ltd. indicates that the Ryckmans are currently shipping their birds to a processing facility in northern Ontario at a cost of $200,000 a year. The facility in northern Ontario is for sale due to the owner’s pending retirement. If it closes, the producers would lose their bird market. Chatham Daily News story.
Change apple, tender fruit and grape marketing strategy: report
A recent report by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre indicates the Ontario’s tender fruit, apple and grape industries must change their marketing strategy to regain former profitability. Although the document is “another tool in our arsenal,†Len Troup, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers Marketing Board, warns it contains “no miracles.†A draft of the report was presented to the producers’ marketing board March 1. Better Farming story.
AND if You Have Time
Logorama Wins Oscar for Best Animated Short Film
Logorama, an animated film that takes place in a Los Angeles composed entirely of corporate logos, was the big winner in the Best Animated Short Film category atthe Academy Awards. Featuring a Quentin Tarantino-esque criminal plot, the film includes many food brands, including a Pringles man truck driver and an evil Ronald McDonald. I could have done without all the swearing. Video.