Biodiesel a Small But Growing Canola Sector Player

Phil Franz-Warkentin - Manitoba Co-Operator - 9/23/2009

(Resource News International) -- Biodiesel, long touted as a potential market for Canadian canola, remains only a small factor in the canola industry...
Photo by l.p.
Editor's note - One by one, the justifications for these kinds of "agri-fuels" are stripped away. This story shows one of the reasons often qoted by proponents - that farmers will benefit financially - is more like a fleeting illusion.

Is Eating a Plant-Based Diet a Cure for Cancer?

By Kathy Freston, AlterNet. Posted September 25, 2009.

Experts are saying a plant-based diet is not only good for our health, but it's also curative of the very serious diseases we face.

Can Condoms Save Us from Climate Change?

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet. Posted September 19, 2009.

The greenest technology available to us may not be solar panels, but instead contraception, according to a new report...

Editor's note; We in North America needn't be smug about world overpopulation. While our birth rates are lower than many developing countries, every North Ameriican child consumes exponentially more than his/her counterpart in those countries! Besides, new figures show birth rates, even in Canada, are heading upward! l.p.

Please also read this Winnipeg Free Press article, "Manitoba's population takes another jump."

(Then click on the "labels" link below, for related stories.)

Logging Would Harm Caribou Herd: Environmentalists

Winnipeg Free Press - By: Staff Writer - 23/09/2009

WINNIPEG - Two environmental groups say logging could destroy a newly-discovered caribou habitat up north......

U.S. Court Rejects Genetically Modified Sugar Beets - so What About Canada?

Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer - Se. 23, '09

The (US) government illegally approved a genetically modified, herbicide-resistant strain of sugar beets without adequately considering the chance it will contaminate...

Sugar beet at harvest time
(Flickr photo by grabe)

Editor's Note: GM sugar beets are now being grown in Alberta. Is this the same Frankenfood that the American court has now ruled on? Let's boycott Roger's Sugar 'til this is cleared up! l.p.

Canada’s Sickest Lake

by Nancy Macdonald Summer, 2009 _Macleans Magazine

Living, toxic goo is killing lakes the world over. It may be too late for Lake Winnipeg.

Please also read; "Phosphorus Levels Spike...."
& "Lake of the Prairies, the New Lake Winnipeg?

Another Succesful Harvest Moon Festival - but is Bigger Always Better?

Reminding Manitobans of the Value of the Land -
by Larry Powell

This year, more people than ever descended on Clearwater, not far from the US border, transforming the tiny community into a teeming centre of live entertainment and education.

It was the 8th annual event of its kind, during the weekend of Sept. 18th.

While attendance figures aren't available, an organizer, Robert Guildford, (r.) told me, the first day was the biggest Friday ever for the festival.

The yearly event is organized by the Harvest Moon Society, a non-profit organization. Its mission is to build awareness of the contributions of farmers and farmlands to the development of vibrant rural and urban cultures.
A father enjoys the
music with his child.
An important component is education.
The Society conducts classes and workshops out of the old Clearwater School on topics such as eco-agriculture. It also hopes to develop an action plan for long-term rural sustainability, both environmental and economic. Part of the plan includes value-added processing & direct marketing to generate income for all participating community members.

The outdoor market.
(All photos by l.p.)

This would be done through ventures such as a flax and hemp seed plant, a flour mill and a local producer co-op to grow switch grass for alternative energy.

But is Bigger Always Better?

Our overall experience at the Festival was decidedly positive. However, the age-old question still needs to be asked again.
Is bigger always better?
If an attendance of, say 500 is good, is one thousand twice as good?
Let's all hope that the event (organized ironically by folks who embrace small farms as opposed to "industrial agri-biz,") does not become a victim of its own success!
I am reproducing, below, an email exchange between myself and a festival official soon after it ended. l.p.

========

-------Original Message-------

From: lpowell

Date: 20/09/2009 5:17:23 PM

To: celiaguilford

Subject: FestivalSecurity

Hi Celia.

We attended the festival Sat. afternoon & thoroughly enjoyed it. As organic producers, we appreciate the message and idea behind the event. You have come a long way and deserve a lot of credit.

However, our experience in the quiet campground that night was somewhat different. About 4 in the morning, a group of loud partiers set up shop near the entrance.

At one point, a vehicle screeched at high speed past our tent. After some time of loud partying & amplified music, with no sign of a letup, we packed up our tent & left. We went back to the main entrance on our way out but there was no sign of any security.

While it is good to see your event grow in popularity to the point it has, it would seem your security may also need to be stepped up accordingly. (Perhaps the inclusion of a 'phone number for security on your program would be helpful.)

Thanks and and continued success in the future.

Sincerely,

Larry & Rowena Powell
=====

Hello Larry and Rowena, I am so sorry this happened to you. I want to thank you for letting us know, and we will factor this into next years festival planning for sure. Thanks for coming to the festival, and I hope this does not prevent you from joining us again. Sincerely, Celia