Poultry virus continues its spread through Niagara

broiler chickens

Since an outbreak of Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) at an unidentified Smithville poultry farm last December, the virus — which is only experienced by poultry, cannot be transferred to humans and does not affect food safety — has spread to an …

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Community supported agriculture got a boost from the pandemic, but will the surge last?

Sascha Ohme

Niagara’s community supported agriculture (CSA) programs were bolstered by a  dramatic increase in consumers turning toward locally grown food during  the pandemic.  The  convenience of grocery supermarkets fizzled under daunting line ups,  COVID-19 quizzes and occasionally empty shelves as  food …

Read MoreCommunity supported agriculture got a boost from the pandemic, but will the surge last?

Niagara flower growers blooming with optimism into 2021 growing season after pandemic wilt

Flower growers

Growing flowers may not seem like tough business, but as many aspiring pandemic green thumbs can now likely attest, there’s more involved than simply adding a little water and sunlight.  As the coronavirus began stifling businesses back in March last …

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Delayed arrival of migrant workers causing worry among some Niagara greenhouse growers

Migrant workers

New requirements of air travellers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a plane to Canada are proving to be a barrier for temporary foreign workers from Mexico. Announced Dec. 31, the Transport Canada regulations came …

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Niagara farmers building online presence throughout pandemic

online order

From small local farms to major flower distributors, Niagara’s farm gates are going digital during the pandemic. With the help of up to $5,000 in funding from the provincial-federal  Agri-Food Open for E-Business initiative, the pricey burden of tapping into …

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What happens to all those discarded Christmas trees?

Fresh Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees were in demand this year, as more of us played it safe and hunkered down at home for the holidays.  But after the ornaments are boxed away and another year has turned over,  have you ever wondered …

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Lower yields as challenging season comes to close for Niagara corn growers

Corn harvester

The end of the year makes for long days as farmers like Jeff Barlow slog away the hours in behemoth combines to get crops off the fields before night consumes day and Christmas arrives.  On  a recent Tuesday, Barlow’s crew, …

Read MoreLower yields as challenging season comes to close for Niagara corn growers