As someone who grew up on a conventional family farm that uses pesticides and someone who works in the crop protection business, it bothers me when people assume that farmers douse their crops with all kinds of chemicals just for the heck of it. This is simply not true. First of all, the term chemicals... Continue Reading →
26 Kilometres Up The Mountain
Winding 26 kilometres uphill from an elevation of 470 metres at the bottom to 1,500 metres at the top - this past weekend we navigated our way along the Meadows in the Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park in British Columbia. The narrow paved road takes you through dense areas of cedar and hemlock,... Continue Reading →
Walking Nature’s Boardwalk
This past weekend, while on a camping trip in the mountains of British Columbia, we stopped at a few roadside trails in Glacier National Park of Canada. These were short boardwalk trails called Hemlock Grove, Skunk Cabbage and Giant Cedars. We entered a rainforest at Hemlock Grove; toured through a marsh environment at Skunk Cabbage; and saw many... Continue Reading →
A Different Kind of Harvest
Last week I attended the annual Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) conference in my old stomping ground of Winnipeg. Friday was tour day. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. There was a chill in the air with a strong wind and periods of rain. But what can you expect? It's Manitoba! We bundled up and... Continue Reading →
11.5 kilometres and counting
I had my first official guest in my new condo this past long weekend. And it was a special visitor - my mom. It was a fun and busy weekend. We share a love of the outdoors and exercise so most of the weekend was spent exploring the nearby mountains and foothills. We travelled to... Continue Reading →
Livestock and the environment
People and animals have been tied together for thousands of years. There's an "ancient contract" between the two, according to Dr. Henry Janzen, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. But there are strains in that ancient contract. Do we need to rethink this ancient contract in order to minimize our footprint on the environment? asks... Continue Reading →
Rural Route Ramblings 