Betwixt land & sea
By Jeffrey Carter To farm in Acadia you must be heroically adaptable.

There’s gold in them hills!
By Kim Langen Small Farm Canada’s own variety trial reveal the best spuds!

Battle of the bugs benefits plants
By Keith Norbury BC firm supplies biological pest controls to farmers seeking alternatives to sprays.

Departments:

Letters Chicken factoids + weed-eating cattle.

News & Notes Hair extensions pluck feathers from chickens, flyfishers; can Atlantic Canada’s wool waste warm houses?; Ontario’s crackdown on barn parties; here comes Peak Phosphorus (and what you can do about it).

Q&A Seeking biodegradable mulch, field peas as possible chicken feed.

At Pasture Why people are part of Manitoba’s serious grass advantage.

Practical Shipping containers make useful farm shelters.

Harper government ushers in national long pig registry
By Al Pope Feds ignore this basic truth: pigs don’t kill people, people kill people!

2012 seed buying guide, Get ready for next year’s crops and garden now!

Seeds: selecting the right varieties and quantities By Shirley Byers

Seeds: are variety trials for you? By Shirley Byers

Seeds: what’s hot and what’s not in 2012 By Shirley Byers

Dealing with wireworms By Rhona McAdam

Departments:

News & Notes Honing the fine art of selling food, what’s up with Monsanto’s falling GM corn?, conquering the codling moth, GST & small farm producers.

Q&A Your five top chicken questions answered!

At Pasture Teach livestock to eat weeds.

Practical: DIY grain storage bin Easy afternoon project keeps rats out of feed.

When is food not food? By Martha McMahon Here’s an example of why farmers need to help write new regulations for food and farming.

Head to Tail By Mark Hall
Butchering to get the most from your beef

BC’s mobile bottler By Brennan Clarke
Unique plant helps keep costs down for small vineyards

Swarm! By Amy Hogue
How to catch a swarm of honey bees

What the pig knows By Shirley Byers
Jeff Wickstrom has picked up the tradition of spleen reading from his celebrated uncle

Night feeding for day calving By Shirley Byers
Help prevent early-hours birthing by feeding the herd later

Good news for small farmers! By Stan Potratz
Boomer driven trends will increasingly favour local, healthy products.

Departments
Editor
Letters Volunteer farm labour an indication of unsustainability; hey, SFC, get off the fence!
News & Notes Here comes in vitro meat, dandelions = rubber tires, nasty energy juggernaut rolling over Canadian farmland, less waste could equal more food
Q&A The truth about worm fractions, how to prevent tools from rusting
At Pasture Save $ in fertilizer by calibrating your manure spreader
Practical: Installing a tractor tool box and safety sign Easy afternoon project pays off in convenience

The skinny on naked grains By Kim Langen

SPECIAL FEATURE | EDUCATION & TRAINING SPECIAL
A compendium of the best and most interesting courses, seminars and resources for small farmers

Departments
Letters More farmland would reduce forest fire destruction, some types of animal care are irresponsible
News & Notes Newsletter service for overworked farmers, what farm market customers really want, Nova Scotia investors encouraged to support agriculture, Magic Mix helps deter migratory birds.
Q&A Clubroot precautions, implements of husbandry
At Pasture What’s not to like about polycropping?
Practical: A guide to storing fruits and vegetables
Technology & small farms By Bill Gates

Big blue
By Daina Lawrence Selling the great taste & benefits of blueberries

SPECIAL FEATURE | COMPLETE PRIMER ON VOLUNTEER FARM LABOUR

To WWOOF or not to WWOOF
By Colleen Nyman Four farms with experience in volunteer labour speak about the pros & cons of taking in help

Is it legal?
By Shirley Byers A province-by-province survey of regulations covering volunteer farm workers

The volunteer’s perspective
By Maurizio Corradin One foreign visitor’s thoughts on his Canadian farm experience

Accidental farmers
By Shirley Byers What happens if a volunteer has an accident on your farm?

Help!
By Fiona Hamersley Chambers How to get the most out of your volunteer farm workers (and make sure they have a good time too!)

Instant orchards
By Steve Vassallo He’s developed a technique to move fully mature trees

DEPARTMENTS

Letters Suggested mastitis treatment “laughable,” livestock sales to farm newbies a concern

News & Notes International report touts potential of small farms, controversy over proximity of sheep & bison, essay: on bullshit and the Canadian Food and Drugs Act, feds watching for illegal farm workers, dandelions—the new cash crop?

Q&A Diagnosing tuckered out electric fencing units, the mysteries of eggs

At Pasture Farming as if songbirds matter

Practical: Build your own turf roller By Dan Kerr Project transforms scrap into a useful implement

Are we what we eat? By Shirley Byers Understanding the connection between livestock feed and meat

DIY veterinary care
By Diana Daunheimer With the right supplies, knowledge of the affliction at hand–and sometimes guts of steels—you can treat an infirm animal on-farm

The truth about moon-assisted planting
By Kim Langen Our intrepid researcher tests claims about the benefits of planting by the moon’s cycles

Making the most of your soil block maker
By Brock McLeod Tips for using this amazing tool

Prime pollinators
By Rhona McAdam There are more than just honeybees in the fields

All about hugelbeets!
By Mark Hall Unique raised bed mimics natural processes

Go for it!
By Becky Mason Charge what you really believe your produce to be worth

Departments

News & Notes How to do a food recall right!, trans-provincial quilting project, Google tracks farm word usage, 10 potential new ventures for your farm, Will Allen’s powerful urban ag message.

Practical By Susan Coleman Tying safe & secure loads
Small farm economics revisited By Stan Potratz
So-called inefficiencies in small farms may actually be good for community and country

Meet marketing savvy Mark & Cindy Gerber
By Helen Lammers-Helps While other direct-marketers have struggled, Oakridge Acres Meat Store has found a way to thrive

Model Laval?
By Suzanne Deutsch Surrounded by development, the island of Laval retains its agricultural heart

Scaling up
By Treena Hein Avoid pitfalls and maximize profit as you expand your herd or flock

Diversify with mother nature
By Shirley Byers Would wildcrafting fit in with your small farm?

Green chickens
By Ruth McCuaig Use poultry to improve soil quality

Departments

Editor
Letters Finding merit in genetic modification, clarifying definitions of ethnicity, troubles with farm market pricing
News & Notes Update: backyard chicken battleground Welwyn, SK!, promising new variety of apple, are Prairie crop problems an indicator of future climate-related challenges?, CFIA response needs upgrading
At Pasture Getting over the fear of grazing alfalfa
Practical DIY boot & sock dryer!
Using social media to build your farm business
By Heather Walker A quick guide to “Tweeting” from the fields!

Animal welfare approved!
By Jordan Marr Quebec farm becomes the first to qualify for U.S.-based certification

Good things come in small packages—take a closer look at quail
By Amy Hogue Anyone who enjoys raising chickens needs to consider this fascinating breed of game bird—the diminutive quail

2011 seed buying guide
Get ready for next year’s crops and gardens

Understanding the seed business
By Emily McGiffin More farms are getting into seed production. Is it a venture for you?

Understanding the new vegetable traceability rules
By Treena Hein Producers need to know how new rules will affect their farms

Letters Ag-washing, and other strong thoughts on the proper relationship between farm produce and crafts at farm markets

News & Notes Ontario ups price paid for solar-generated power, the legacy of the Pigeon King, revisiting risk management subsidies

At Pasture Pollinators, including bees, bumble bees and leaf-cutter bees, aren’t merely part of the scenery; they are a key link in food production

Equipment When it comes to preparing machinery for winter storage, oil, grease and an old can might be your best friends

Practical Four great farm ideas gleaned from a continent-wide farm tour!

A different kind of co-op
By Lana Rodlie Norwegian farmers partnered to give each other time off. Here’s how they did it

Ask a vet. . . or two or three!
By Madeline Baerg How to get the most from your veterinarian

Thinking about the cost of saving energy
By Steven Biggs Close tracking of production lead David Cohlmeyer to abandon an innovative energy-wise project

Building a solar powered chicken coop
By Becky Mason A super cool project but. . . the technical considerations are significant

Is it time to consider commercial meat goat production?
By Walter Coombs Sound advice from an experienced breeder

Frontier honey
By Helena Katz Talk about rarefied company: Daniel Allaire is the Northwest Territories’ only beekeeper!

Letters Doubting the benefits of machines, beware get-big ag attitude

News & Notes Good guys win dump battle, get on board new market for ethnic veggies, high horsepower mobile farm market, Ont. backtracks on solar power
pricing

At Pasture Drug resistant parasites are an emerging challenge in Canada, and a major threat to livestock on grass

Practical Free plans for firewood cross hatch

Pick-your-own makes a comeback Direct farm marketing expert Brent Warner explains why PYOs are thriving

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