Playing by the new rules
By Treena Hein Tighter, tougher rules mean farmers need a better
understanding of food handling & inspection

Education Special
Assembled by Connie Duivenvoorden A comprehensive listing of the very best
information sources, distance & in-class courses for small farmers!

The 7th generation farmer
By Suzanne Deutsch Sheep offer the greatest hope to keep this family farm
viable

Making Snyders Family Farm
By Helen Lammers-Helps Getting the word out using Twitter and other social
media, then delivering on the promise of a great experience, is the formula at
this successful Ont. farm

Keeping the art of food preservation alive
By Helen Lammers-Helps The Kitchener museum is a resource of old skills

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

Letters Thoughts on cooperative farming

News & Notes The legal appeals of raw milk, prize-winning small farms; efficiency, aquaponically speaking; wooly coffins; fibre research; fighting GM crops; new biopesticides

At Pasture Smart farmers are using brains instead of brawn to
get water to livestock

Equipment Small repair jobs can save $

Opinion This small farmer rejects the “get big or get out”
argument

Raising quality meat chickens
By Madeline Baerg Tips and advice from experts on raising superior quality chickens

A powerful proposition
Amy Hogue Ontario introduces a new alternative energy program

10 super natural ways to stay healthy on the farm
By Diana Daunheimer Chemical-free methods to clean garden produce, fight bacteria and much more!

The big little orchard
By Keith Norbury Passion + 500 trees = six tonnes of apples. All on 3/8s of an acre!

Introduction to participatory breeding
By Emily McGiffin Unique program helps cure the Green Revolution blues

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

Letters Two takes on want-to-be farmers
News & Notes 10 tips to avoid market fatigue; Ontario tavern sponsors innovative coyote kill; ouch!—researchers say local food not best for environment; Monsanto muscles up seed packaging; hand-weeders give way to machines.
At Pasture Consider forage turnips as a high-value livestock feed
Equipment Beware battery boosters
New Products: foot-powered thresher, electric chicken door
Practical The easy way to remove old fences
Happy pigs, cheap pork! One man’s successful experiment with hogs

Raising hackles
By Shirley Byers The strange & secretive world of producing feathers for the fly fishing market.

Talking shiitakes
By Julie Stauffer Three takes—and a lot of tips—on raising lucrative specialty mushrooms

Getting onto the land
By Treena Hein Don’t have a fortune to buy farmland? Don’t let that hold back your dreams. There are ways (and organizations) that can help anyone get started.

Lavender ladies
By Helen Lammers-Helps It isn’t Avon calling, it’s an innovative way to sell farm-produced products!

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

Editor
Letters Animal transport issues, gas tractors overrated, up with backyard flocks, heirloom definition clarified.
News & Notes Local, supermarket prices closer than thought, new thyme-based disinfectant, Chantecler registry, fruit liquors’ potential, farm safety=cash in the pocket!
At Pasture Allan Nation’s limitless passion for grass farming
Equipment Tips on buying used diesel tractors
Practical: Easy-to-build raised beds By Helen Lammers-Helps
Crossword Test your knowledge of farm-related words

Rambles with goats
By Kim Langen A Manitoba family combines tourism with goats
to create a unique farm experience.

Opportunity knocks!
By Treena Hein 11 great on-farm business ideas!

Raising rabbits for meat
By Amy Hogue Pound for pound, rabbit meat provides more
protein than beef, pork or lamb, all at a cost comparable with beef.
And there’s a good market for it!

Livestock protection methods
By Eugene Fytche Options range from guardian dogs to electric
fencing to . . . a loaded rifle!

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

Letters Defending local food,
questioning bio-fuel, understanding
predator control.

News & Notes Are hospitals the
next market for local food?; livestock
transportation regulations up for review;
small farmers do get respect; fertilizers,
pests linked in UK crop research;
Ontario aims for smoke-free tractors;
hardy Sea buckthorn may be a viable
niche crop; one British farmer’s notion
to make mega-bucks in unique nonfarming
operation!

At Pasture Where’s your next great
idea coming from?

Equipment The pros & cons of gas
tractors.

Practical: A poultry palace
By Kristeva Dowling This purpose-built
barn is a model of practicality (and it
looks good too!)

An Affinity for Seed
By Emily McGiffin Though still in his teens, the founder of Annapolis Valley Heritage Seeds is already a recognized producer.

Understanding Heirloom Veggie Varieties
By Helen Lammers-Helps Good for biological diversity, great to eat—so let’s grow more heirloom vegetables!

SPECIAL FEATURE
2010 Seed Buyers Guide
A comprehensive listing of sources for seed.

Thinking about opportunity costs
By Becky Mason A measure of sustainable development for a farm’s
finances.

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

News & Notes The great Manitoba
spud controversy; pluots: the next fruit
sensation?; industrial agriculture linked
to greenhouse gases; new science puts
organic egg claims to test; open letter
from Jim Romahn to local farmers; high
hopes for new Nova Scotia slaughterhouse.

Equipment With the right tools you
can have your own tire shop in your
backyard.

At Pasture The ABCs of pasturing pigs.

Practical: Easy-to-build implement dolly By Dan Kerr
Double bonus: store implements more efficiently and saves your back!

Scaling Up By Treena Hein
Consider all the factors before expanding your farm.

SPECIAL FEATURE
Is It Time to Join the Alternative Energy Revolution?
By Steven Biggs Straight talk about options to power the small farm.

12 Ways to Reduce Energy Costs By Helen Lammers-Helps
Simple steps to reduce energy consumption.

Bolivia’s Alpaca Valley By Alison Rustand
In this high, dry country, alpacas and llamas make a hard land inhabitable.

Columns and Departments

News & Notes – A future for growth carousels; Wendell Berry speaks out; plant patents help big ag handcuff researchers; how climate change is affecting evolution; Feds slam door on jail farms; Britney finds solace in growing.
Equipment – A flat tire in the frenzy of harvest season can be a catastrophe.
At Pasture – Trees and pasture—horrors! Silvopasture turns traditional notions of pasture management upside down.
Home Economics Grow your own sprouts.
Practical They can’t be defeated, but rodents can be controlled with a multifaceted trapping program.

In Praise of Trapping
A new look at an old way to control predators.

Airfreighting Livestock
Shipping livestock by air might be more affordable
than you thought.

Education Special
Our annual compendium of the best and most interesting courses for small farmers!

Understanding biocontrols
Canadians have a lot to learn from Cuban farmers about natural control of weeds.

Getting the Most from Portable Coops
Coop design and flock management are keys to
successful use of portable coops.

Commentary: Phony food security?
Where’s the beef (and pork and lamb) in our developing system of food security?

Choose the right guardian animal for your farm By Amy Hogue
Type of livestock, field size, are among the factors to consider before you buy a guardian animal.

Getting the most from manure By Helen Lammers-Helps
High fertilizer costs mean there’s big value in that pile.

Healthy chickens, great eggs
Understand poultry nutrition to ensure that your hens get what they need.

Wonderful Kerry cattle By Jeffrey Carter
Much more than a lawn ornament, this small breed may be ideal for small farms looking to serve niche markets.

A prairie forest legacy By Barb Parchman
Bill Bryan is keeping “the tree man’s” remarkable dream alive.

Sustainable Speerville By Emily McGiffin
Maritime community quietly leads the way in
providing healthy, local foods.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

News & Notes Vegans: drop your weapons; disease consequences of high-density cropping; backyard poultry movement meets its Waterloo; the painful truth about large eggs; new renewable energy co-op; Guelph organic program on life support; understanding the new national organic standards.
At Pasture How to troubleshoot electric fences.
Equipment An easy-to-follow guide to extending battery life.
Market Trends Why tough economic times are good for local food production.
Practical Make your own cheese, make your own cheese press!
Weather Map What to expect in the next two months.

How to hire & retain great employees By Robin Tunnicliffe
Your approach to stewarding labour on the farm can result in motivated and hardworking employees who keep coming back for more.

If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em By Shirley Byers
With a change in attitude (and a little knowledge) weeds can become a tasty green.

A co-operative solution By Emily McGiffin
Northwest BC producers pool resources and built a local abattoir.

Of cabbage, crocks & ‘kraut By Kim Langen
The results of Small Farm Canada’s variety trials, plus some great recipes.

Wendy’s mobile market By Anita Sharon Freeman
Sickened by industrial food, Wendy Banks created a business delivering great tasting, healthy local food.

More great hatches By Lara lee
Life Tips on getting better results from your incubator.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

News & Notes – The promise of geothermal; BC food collective looks to agri-tourism and schools; global corporate land-grabbing crisis; studying the best uses for fields; biofuel update: switchgrass;
Practical – Graft tomatoes, especially heirlooms, for disease resistance, greater yields.
Home Economics – Nettles and spinach – both early-out-of-the-ground crops in Spring – make for a great soup.

Beef Connections: small, savvy, successful By Steven Biggs
How a group of Ontario livestock producers have built a rural co-operative that uses internet direct-to-customer sales.

Big on buffers By Shirley Byers
Yes, buffer zones help the environment, but new research is showing that they may help the bottom line, too.

Getting into bees By Amy Hogue
Working with the world’s smallest livestock can be both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Protected cultivation: high tunnels By Treena Hein
Grow better quality produce and get it to market earlier with high tunnels.

Beware molds in livestock feed By Anita Heeg & H.V.L.N. Swamy
A rainy summer, such as much of Canada experienced in 2008, can lead to problems with molds in livestock feed.

Dealing with stumps By Susan McIver
Read this article before you rip the bumper off your pickup.

Bees for Babar By Conrad Berube
An innovative overseas plan to use bees to keep elephants out of crops.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

News & Notes – Pending California regulations benefit small farmers; grain/cow gas ratio revisited; unpleasant thoughts about food miles; why we can’t smell flowers; garden footwear; new books on antique tractors and on agritourism; flax: the new grain superhero.
Market Trends – Imported food, bad practices threaten hard-won integrity of farmers’ markets.
Equipment – A damaged thread is no reason to throw away an otherwise useful engine block.
Practical – Useful chicken crate, sheep handling equipment.
Home Economics – Versatile, easy-to-make salsa.