"When contemplating agricultural practices in Canada today, it’s hard not to notice that permaculture, once the black sheep of alternative farming methods, has begun making inroads on small farms in this country after decades of barely registering on farmers’ radars."

"With widespread reports that climate change is influencing everything from bird migration routes to wildfire severity, it’s not surprising that Canadian researchers have started taking a hard look at how changing weather patterns will impact our ability to produce viable food crops."

"While media reports tend to focus almost exclusively on human cases of Lyme disease, it’s important for farmers to understand that the illness can also impact more than 300 species of animals, including some that are commonly found on small farms. This includes: cattle, chickens, dogs, goats, horses, pigs and sheep."

"When Canadians think of bees, it’s typically the much-loved honeybee that springs to mind. And while there’s no question that honeybees play an important role in our culture, they are just one of more than 800 species of bees found in this country, a figure that often takes people by surprise."

"In recent years, these fabulous fungi have been enjoying an explosion of interest unlike anything that has been seen before. There's no mystery as to why."

"Haying is in full swing and yet the first thing I notice when I pull into the long dirt lane leading up to Stewart Fawdrey's modest farmhouse is just how peaceful it is."

"It's hard to live on a rural property in Western Canada these days and not be aware of the mountain pine beetle epidemic that's decimating pine populations throughout British Columbia and parts of Alberta."

"Over the centuries, herbs have been used for everything from perking up food and subduing common ailments to dyeing fabrics, supplying fragrance to potpourris, and, thankfully, freshening breath."