Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Earth Day - April 22nd 2011

Earth Day is fast approaching us (Friday April 22) and I was curious to find out what other people in Ontario are doing to celebrate and if you celebrate or recognize this event at all.

 

I have been a huge fan of Earth Day since grade school, where we were all required to go outside for the afternoon and plant trees, help clean up garbage and learn how to tend gardens. It was so much fun and a great excuses to get dirty outside on school time. Now however I am not forced to by my teachers to go out and help the planet, and honestly I have missed it.

So I thought I would share of the ways I try and help the planet on a daily basis and maybe you can try them too! And what better way to get a kick start, then trying them out on Earth Day!!

 

ps: I'm hoping for great sunny weather tomorrow here, as I plan to plant a few trees and clean up some garbage around my town!
If your out taking pictures of your events tomorrow, I would love to see them!! I'll post mine and you should too :)

 

Mackenna's Favourite ways to Help the Planet!

1) Food Choices

- I try to buy local products that come from farmers in my area. The further my yummy summer corn has to travel the better it is for everyone!

 

2) Transportation

- I need a car. I live in the country and need to get to the city for school and work. So it is very unrealistic for me to tell you to not drive your car. But I do plan my trips carefully and try to go in to the city once to go to school, get my shopping done, go to the gym and what not. I also try and carpool with my family so we can have less of our cars on the road. It's a pretty easy way to help the environment and save on rising fuel prices.

 

3) Washing my Clothes

- I live on a farm so our barn clothes need to get washed a lot. Which uses valuable water and energy to run the washers and dryers. When possible I always try and hang my clothes to dry outside in the summer and in the basement in the winter. Not only do my clothes last longer, they have an amazing fresh summer scent that no dryer additive can create!

 

I look forward to your pictures, tips and thoughts on Earth Day from the people who take care and work off our Earth :)

 

Mackenna

Views: 75

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on April 22, 2011 at 2:47pm
We spent some time walking in the woods appreciating nature.
Thanks
Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on April 25, 2011 at 8:50am

Thanks Mackenna,

Good points.

I have always like planting trees and will do so this spring.

My father always made sure we planted hundreds each spring and a wide range of species as well...I love seeing them years later as new forests take hold.

Joe

 

 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Water Stewardship: A Ranching Family’s Approach to Conservation and Changing Landscapes

Nestled in the arid South Okanagan, Thomas Ranches is a multigenerational operation that balances ranching with conservation. In 2000, the Thomas family sold their land to The Nature Trust of British Columbia, preserving natural habitat while continuing cattle operations under a lease agreement. Today, Brian Thomas manages 200 head of cattle on 350 acres, with the remaining 1,650 acres dedicated to wildlife habitat. Effective water management is crucial to sustaining both livestock and the surrounding ecosystem in this dry region. Balancing Water Needs in a Shifting Landscape Thomas Ranches relies on a creek-fed storage dam and an extensive irrigation system. This helps them manage water shortages in a dry climate that gets less than a foot of annual rainfall. Frequent droughts have intensified competition for water resources, and the impacts of increasing population growth, tourism and conservation efforts place additional demands on an already limited supply. Wildfires also pose o

International Association for Food Protection Elects Maria Hoffmann to Executive Board

Members of the International Association for Food Protection elected Dr. Maria Hoffmann to the Executive Board as Secretary. Dr. Hoffmann will take office at the conclusion of IAFP 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and will fulfill a five-year commitment to the Association, serving as President beginning in July 2029. Dr. Hoffmann is a Genomics Research Scientist in the Human Foods Program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Washington, D.C., where she leads national- and internationally-recognized initiatives to advance the genomic epidemiology of foodborne pathogens. Over the past two decades, she has worked at the intersection of science, public health, and food safety policy, developing advanced genomic methods, building global networks, and strengthening outbreak detection through whole genome sequencing (WGS). She began her public health career at the Institute for Hygiene and Environment in Hamburg before joining the FDA in 2007. An active IAFP Member since 2014, D

Canadian government commits to national soil health strategy

The federal government will work with a national organization to support soil health across the country

Nebraska fires burn grazing lands, threaten plans to grow US cattle herd

Wildfires burn nearly 775,000 acres in Nebraska Land is a grazing resource for about 40,000 cows Producers look for alternative pasture lands, feed Massive wildfires have burned vast swaths of grazing lands in Nebraska, endangering cattle producers' plans for production increases that could help ease record-high U.S. ?beef prices. The loss of grasslands in the second-biggest cattle-producing state removes a feed source for herds and could delay ranchers ?from expanding as they struggle with widespread drought, state and industry officials said. Fueled by fierce winds, fires have burned nearly 775,000 acres since last week, covering an area about the size of Rhode Island, according to data from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. It added the causes of the fires are undetermined. The largest Morrill Fire was ?about 67% contained as of Thursday after being first reported on March 12, the agency said. That amount of land is a grazing ?resource for about 40,000 cows, said Sherry

Canada offers financial aid to farmers and companies affected by Iran war price spikes

Canada's federally backed farm lender is offering financial aid ?to farmers, agricultural businesses and food ?companies hit by the spike in fertilizer and energy prices, it said on Friday. Borrowers from the ?Farm Credit Canada program will be ?able to receive a new or additional ?credit line of up to C$500,000 ($364,670.70), ?to modify terms and to defer principal ?payments on existing loans. The money will come from an expansion of the Trade Disruption Customer Support Program, ?which was introduced in March 2025 to ?help agriculture and food borrowers hit by U.S. tariffs. It will ?now ?also provide support to help producers and agribusinesses "manage financial pressures caused by unexpected market shocks," Friday's statement said. Fertilizer prices have soared ?since the Iran ?war began ?at the end of February and led to the closure ?of the Strait of Hormuz to ?most ?shipping, disrupting urea and sulphur supplies from the Gulf. As a result, farmers around the world are ?strugg

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service