Here's an important addition to the drive toward a locally grown diet — durum wheat. Until now, durum wheat, which is used for making pasta, could not be grown in Ontario. Conditions here were too wet and hot. Instead,...
Read MoreThere'll be no lingering childhood for the local food movement. Early indications are that it's going to be forced to grow up fast, and it will need a caring parent to get it through the tough teens. The movement —...
Read MoreCanada's farm sector is buzzing, thanks to a new action plan that could make a difference in the food we see on our plates, and the price we pay for it. The plan, called Growing Forward, is a blueprint for support for the...
Read MoreI often write about what farmers think. But sometimes farmers, as a group, don't share similar thoughts whatsoever. Their common ground is that they grow crops or raise livestock, and depend on sound environmental practices...
Read MoreIf you're a farmer in nearby Niagara and you grow grapes for wine, things are looking up. Domestic wines now account for half of Ontario's wine consumption. According to a survey by the Grape Growers of Ontario, more...
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Owen Roberts is a faculty member in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program at the University of Illinois. As an agricultural journalist, he is the past president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and a lifetime achievement award recipient from the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation. His programs and research papers have been recognized nationally and internationally through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence, and others.