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: 104

▶ 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

Canadian Innovation Aims to Transform Nitrogen Fertilizers While Eliminating Microplastics

A British Columbia ag-tech company is developing a biodegradable fertilizer coating that could help farmers use less nitrogen, reduce input costs, and eliminate microplastics from controlled-release fertilizers

Ag at the Canada Investment Summit

Multiple provincial governments are pitching projects related to ag

All Wheat Output Seen Down Nearly 11%

Canada’s wheat production will fall from a year ago as both harvested area and average yields decline, according to Statistics Canada’s first production estimate for 2026. Statistics Canada on Wednesday estimated 2026 national all-wheat production at 36.122 million tonnes, down 10.9% from the upwardly revised 2025 crop of 40.562 million tonnes. Despite the year-over-year decline, the projected crop would remain historically large, exceeding production in every year since 2010 except 2013 and 2025. The estimate was close to Agriculture Canada's August supply-demand forecast of 36.271 million. For 2025, the all wheat production estimate was bumped up from the previous view of 39.955 million. The 2026 national average all wheat yield is forecast at 53.6 bu/acre, down 5.6% from the record 56.8 bu last year. The 2026 yield would nevertheless remain above the recent five-year average, reflecting generally favourable growing conditions through much of the growing season. Lower acreage

Sept. 22 training workshop targets mental health in Kansas

A Kansas State University official says an upcoming training session available to Kansans will help to address a concerning trend in mental health and resilience to stress in communities across the state. Tawnie Larson, a program manager for the Kansas Agriculture Safety and Health program at K-State, said 20 spots are open for an online train-the-trainer workshop called Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, or COMET. The session is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST) on Sept. 22. Registration is available online. It is being hosted by K-State Extension’s Stress and Resiliency Transdisciplinary team. “The training,” she said, “is aimed at expanding the number of trusted community members equipped to recognize mental health concerns and connect people with help.” The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that adult mental illness affects about 1 in 5 Kansans. The need is disproportionate in rural areas, where an estimated 27% of adults experience mental illness

Rotating crops this fall can set garden up for success next spring

This is the gardener’s mantra: Success requires planning. “To give your plants a healthy start next year,” says Kansas State University horticulture expert Matt McKernan, “the best practice is to rotate crops within the same family to a different location than where they’re growing this year.” Crop rotation offers several benefits, according to McKernan. “Plants in the same family are typically susceptible to similar pests,” he said. “Some pests overwinter in the soil; some are able to survive on plant debris. If the same host is available when the pests emerge in the spring, they will be able to continue feeding, and multiply the problem. Crop rotation breaks the cycle of these pests.” McKernan added that plants in the same family also have similar nutrient requirements, so rotating crops prevents the soil from becoming depleted of those nutrients. “And, the varied root system depths from one plant family to the next contributes to the health of the soil,” he said. “Now is the pe

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service