Columns

I've been following the greenhouse vegetable industry for years, from the time most space under glass and poly was located in and around Leamington. There were around 500 acres of grow space back then, compared to roughly 4,000 today

"I can hardly wait to get home so I can get the equipment ready for seeding," said Dave Winston the other morning at Mabel's Grill,
"You've been saying that for weeks!" offered Cliff Murray as he sat down and opened the menu.

Everyone had their coffee plus a treat from the breakfast table and was nicely seated around the tables at Bingemans Park conference centre for a day of learning.
It was all very comfortable and casual with jeans and hoodies predominating the fashion...

Just before Christmas, I was working with some people who volunteer locally. We got chatting about our local food bank, North Huron Community Food Share. I have been aware of the vital role that the local food bank plays -- but the increase in need...

In last month's column, I talked about growing interest in small to medium-sized abattoirs and meat-processing facilities.
There has been modest growth in this area in recent months. In addition, Ontario's feedlot capacity has grown by ...

George Mackenzie and Dave Winston were preparing to order at Mabel's Grill, the other morning, when Dave set his menu aside and started: "You know I hate to complain ..."
"Oh, oh, here comes the big but," chuckled Molly Whiteside as she...

Entrepreneurship is an interesting thing. It's described as the process of setting up a business and entrepreneurs are described as innovators and a source of new ideas. In Huron County, good ideas can earn you $5,000 if you take part in ...

There's growing interest in small to medium-sized abattoirs and meat-processing facilities, according to the executive director of Ontario Meat & Poultry. Franco Naccarato said the industry gained a bit of momentum ....

The first full summer we were in our new garden, I saw a couple of fireflies. I was stunned. With all the streetlights, and new brilliant lighting systems on so many houses, it was a miracle...

It's not often that I get to review a book about living in this part of Ontario but, thankfully, Dorothy Brown Henderson periodically provides an opportunity to do so. Her most recent example is her novel, Dreaming in Grey .
...

As the old saying goes, nothing is certain, except death and taxes. As a new year rolls around again, many people take stock of their health -- physical, mental, and financial -- in an attempt to stave off both death and taxes. ...

"I may take the snowblower off the tractor this afternoon," said Dave Winston as he sat down at Mabel's Grill, one warmer-than-normal morning recently.
"Well, if anything can change the weather, that's it," chuckled Cliff Murray, as he...

Well, we got through the long lockdown, but this year was still full of ups and downs, so when I heard that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture took the Farmer Wellness Initiative across the province to offer free counselling to farmers and ...

I was struck by how the Grey County Federation of Agriculture hit the nail on the head when, at their annual meeting, they feared for the future of the special farmland in their county.
Randy McLeod, a farmer from ...

Another year has rolled around and we find ourselves cleaning up equipment, planning for next year, tidying up paperwork before the year-end deadline, and getting ready for Christmas. 2022 has brought some things we may not have been expecting...

This was the time of the year, when I was a kid long ago, that we got to know our neighbours much better.
With most of the outside work done (we didn't grow nearly as much corn in those days), farmers turned to work in the barn. In our neighbourhood...

It may seem like a long time ago now, but we all just went through a municipal election in October. While municipal elections do not always garner the same flash and attention of their provincial and federal counterparts, people who volunteer ...

When growing up in rural Ontario, community was all around. There were many neigbours within easy walking distance. When anyone new ventured to settle there, I remember my mother ....

"I gotta admit, climate change would have certain advantages," said Cliff Murray the other morning as he took off his winter coat and gloves at Mabel's Grill and blew on his hands to warm them up.
"Yeah, I hate getting ...

The Bouchard family had no problem with a photo in front of their travel trailer ... as long as we took one first with a panoramic view of Greener Pastures' Eco Farm's rotational grazing field in the background.
"This is why we're here," explained ...

s the first snowflakes loom in November, a look back to October brings back memories of a Thanksgiving weekend blessed by perfect weather. Families everywhere were taking walks down the street, in the parks, or to the river as did we with ...

While the emphasis on November 11, Remembrance Day is quite naturally on the soldiers who gave their lives, or at least a big part of their youth, to fighting in two World Wars, the immense efforts of the farming community should ...

For most of my life, one of my favourite places has been, of all things, a county forest. The name "county forest" doesn't really conjure up images of something very exotic, or even very interesting. But the Stephenson Tract, located ...

I had conversation some time ago with an indigenous professor from Western Canada; a person with a distinguished academic career with books and many peer-reviewed articles to their name.
During the course of our discussion, the topic ...