At Nova Scotia's 2011 organic conference and trade show, David Greenberg presented a workshop on season extension strategies that do not involve the infrastructure of a greenhouse.  (62 mins)

Farmers' Amy Lounder and Tarrah Young introduce the concepts of root cellaring at the 2011 ACORN organic conference and trade show in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (56 mins)

This guide (produced by the Organic Value Chain Roundtable) paints a picture of strong demand filled largely by imported products from the US and Mexico. Less than 25% of the domestic demand for organic vegetables at retail is filled by Canadian producers. In fact, for vegetables such as organic cauliflower, beets and spinach, 100% of the domestic retail demand is met by imports. The guide shows the demand for the main organic vegetable types and retail price trends relative to conventional. (Disponible en français)

Selon le guide, la réponse à la forte demande se fait principalement en important des produits des États‑Unis et du Mexique. Les producteurs canadiens répondent à moins de 25 % de la demande nationale pour les légumes biologiques. En fait, 100 de la demande nationale de légumes biologiques comme les choux‑fleurs, les betteraves et les épinards provient des importations. Le guide met l’accent sur la demande des principales catégories de légumes biologiques et souligne les tendances de prix au détail par rapport aux légumes traditionnels. 

Chris Blanchard (Flying Rutabaga Works) presents at the 2014 ACORN Conference. 

David Greenberg (Abundant Acres) presents at the 2014 ACORN Conference.

View David Greenberg's slideshow presentation here.

Lenny Levine presents at the 2014 ACORN Conference.

The 2014-15 production year found the Atlantic Organic Sector meeting steady demands for growth, or in some cases, confronting more than demand for growth than can be met with existing production. Learn more about the state of the Atlantic Organic Sector in this report, including current and planned production, education and training needs, and market information.   

Dr. Christine Norohna, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada presenting at the 2015 ACORN Conference

View the slideshow here

Dr. Derek Lynch, P.Ag (Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture) at the 2015 ACORN Conference PEI

The Newfoundland Organic Opportunities Conference took place January 13-14, 2016 in St. John's Newfoundland. The event was jointly hosted by ACORN and the Newfoundland Federation of Agriculture, and attended by over 50 people, including stakeholders in government, academia, and the non profit centre. Conference participant Dan Rubin, of Pouch Cove, kindly took notes and shared them with ACORN for distribution. 

During the 2016 growing season ACORN and NBDAAF partnered to plant grafted tomato plants and coloured pepper varieties at multiple farm sites throughout New Brunswick.  The results of the monitoring are outlined in this report written by Claude Berthélémé - NB Organic and Vegetable Specialist.

At the 2013 ACORN Conference in Moncton, Dan Kitteridge explained how to improve nutrient content in the food farmers produce, and to simultaneously improve the health of the plants and the soil on the farm by regulating pests and diseases before the onset of problems. In this third segment of his three-part talk, Dan focused primarily on practical tools that can be used on the farm to monitor soil and plant health, and how to use them.

In this presentation from the 2013 ACORN conference in Moncton, Dan Kitteridge discusses nutrients and their importance for human health and how these nutrients must be considered when building healthy soil. He approaches farming from an approach that works from producing the healthiest crops back to how he prepares his soil.

Notes from consulations with organic greenhouse vegetable producers (Rainbow Harvest Acres, Walker Produce Farm, Ferme Pouce Vert, Jemseg River Farm, Codiac Organic Ltd., Strawberry Hill Farm, Nature’s Route, and Diddley Squash Farm) throughout New Brunswick in 2016, with detailed information on best practices for producing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in greenhouses. Special focus on heating, pollination, pruning. varietial choices and disease issues.

Authored in 2016 by Research Assistant Kathleen Glasgow, paper looks at different types of seed collections, their form, function, and membership. Also explores integration between seed collections and future intentions and aspirations of leaders of community seed collections.

At the 2016 Homesteading Symposium in Moncton, Alyson Chisholm of Windy Hill Farm explained what options there are for extending your garden’s season and maintaining a continuous harvest.

This report was completed by Research Assistant Shelby Jamieson in 2016. A joint project of ACORN and Carleton University, this report provides a scan of current seed security work, an overview of some potential partnership opportunities, and seed challenges and issues in Newfoundland. This report will be the basis of further consultation in the region, and helps lay the foundation for a program that will help address some identified issues.

This case study - prepared by Norma Jean Worden-Rogers in 2015 - explores the relationships that are necessary to create a vibrant seed saving community in the Atlantic Canadian provinces. Due to the small population size of the region, relationships are in crucial for the knowledge transfer, support, and resources required to increase food security.  This work was made possible through generous funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Thank you to the participants for taking part in the study, and for continuing the talks of food security in the Atlantic Canadian region. Thanks go to Su Morin and Irena Knezevic for their continuous support, as well as to all of the seed savers who are making our region a more resilient place. You’re brightening the future of the food system. 

This newsletter was developed in March 2016 after a conference call attended by seed library organizers and other interested people. It shares their progress, insights, challenges, and solutions that seed collections right across the region can benefit from, as well as helpful resources.

Part 2 of 2, this newsletter presents additional resources for seed library and seed collection organizers, as well as tips on sourcing seed and fundraising.  

Seed producers, organic growers and groups like The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security who are committed to advancing organic and ecological seed production in Canada face a severe lack of information on the market for this seed. In 2013, The Bauta Family Initiative embarked on a project in partnership with the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) to assess the market for organic vegetable and field crop seed in Canada. This groundbreaking study was completed in 2014. It highlights current and potential markets, provides crop- and region-specific information for stakeholders interested in expanding the market, takes a detailed look at derogation requests for organic seed, and makes recommendations to grow and track the market on an ongoing basis.

This manual was published by the PEI COPC with funding support from the PEI Adapt Council and the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP).

The OACC offers research srticles on soils, horticulture, field crops, livestock and other.  Also, web-based courses on Composting, Organic Field Crop Production, Organic Livestock Production, Principles of Organic Horticulture and the Transition to Organic Agriculture.

Canada’s Organic Science Cluster (OSC) ran from 2009-2013, and was a collaborative effort led jointly by the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC) at Dalhousie University's Agricultural Campus and the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC). The Organic Science Cluster is part of theCanadian Agri-Science Clusters Initiative of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Growing ForwardPolicy Framework and is supported by contributions from industry partners.

The goals of the Organic Science Cluster are to facilitate a national strategic approach to organic science in Canada, link scientists across the country and disseminate the knowledge generated to organic stakeholders.

The Organic Science Cluster identified 10 sub-projects, including 30 research activities that were conducted by over 50 researchers plus 30 collaborators in approximately 45 research institutions. Activities of the Organic Science Cluster included work in fruit horticulture, agronomy, cereal crop breeding, soil fertility management, vegetable production, greenhouse production, dairy production systems, parasite control in ruminants, environmental sustainability, and food processing.

This research came at a time when there was renewed emphasis on innovation, efficiency (energy, labour, economics), and capturing value-added markets. Most of this research directed toward organic agriculture can also be applied to conventional production systems, drawing interest to this cluster from producers across Canada.

Kirsten & Tim Livingstone of Strawberry Hill Farm present at the 2015 ACORN Conference.

Whether attempting seed saving for the first time, starting a seed collection in the hopes of supporting other seed savers, or simply continuing down a path of lifelong learning about seed production, this bibliography has something for everyone.