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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Wal-Mart goes local, no premiums expected

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Wal-Mart pledged to make affordable organic food available to its shoppers, and the organic industry gulped. Now, according to the Des Moines Register, the largest food retailer in the United States plans to double the amount of locally grown food it sells and ensure that all the food going past its cash registers is "produced in sustainable ways" by setting standards for the energy and natural resources impacts of food production.

The retail giant is still working on those sustainability standards for domestically produced food. Improving soil quality and conserving water and fossil fuels are key. Prototype standards are being developed for orange juice, wheat breakfast cereal and strawberry yogurt.

Agribusiness giants Syngenta, Monsanto, Tyson Foods and Stonyfield Farm are members of a consortium working through the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University to develop standards for a range of consumer products, including food. Wal-Mart wants to give consumers a way to measure the environmental impact of products. That might be a score on the label or embedded in the product code.

It doesn't look like Wal-Mart is going to stray from its reputation as a driver in the ìrace to the bottomî to produce cheap food. Iowa farm leaders expect that meeting the standards will be a cost of doing business, not a reason to get a premium, and are concerned about the possible destruction of farm income. BF

Current Issue

March 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape

Thursday, March 13, 2025

As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online

Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs

Monday, March 10, 2025

Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online

International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online

Keep Yours Toes Warm in Every Season with the Agro 897

Friday, February 28, 2025

BY: Zahra Sadiq Say goodbye to leaky boots that don’t keep you warm, the Lemigo Agro 897 offers durable waterproof protection, insulation for all-day comfort, and a sturdy design perfect for tackling tough farm tasks in any weather. Lemigo is a family business, 26 years strong, that... Read this article online

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