APRIL 2026 FLU/VACCINES IN THE NEWS P5 | GARDEN VOLUNTEERS P7 NL NEW FOODWAYS FORWARD P10 | WASTE NOT X3! P13 GETTING EDUCATED IN FETA FROM SWEETWOOD FARM & CURD GIRL, MAHONE BAY, NS
If you operate a farm, are an entrepreneur in ag and food, a student, or working in agri-business, join us at AWC! AWC EAST 2026 November 22, 23 & 24, 2026 at the Sheraton Fallsview, Niagara Falls, ON AWC WEST 2027 March 14, 15 & 16, 2027 at the Hyatt Regency, Calgary, AB Hear expert speakers that will motivate and inspire, and network with women passionate about ag. Learn new skills to help you excel Manage your well-being and build resiliency Nurture and grow your passions Meet, network and support other women Stay informed. Be inspired. Get growing. Listen, learn, network and grow! Call Iris Meck for details: (403) 686-8407 • AdvancingWomenConference.ca/2026east REGISTER TODAY!
IS SUSTAINABILITY PRODUCTIVE? I have been thinking a lot about productivity. Although sustainability has really been the attention-grabber lately, where does that leave productivity? As it goes, productivity is a big part of being sustainable, especially economically. Economics is a foundational element of sustainability that also includes environmental and social sustainability. To be truly sustainable is to find a good balance between all three. Typical metrics in agriculture in Canada are really designed to measure monoculture. Some feel that conventional food production systems must broaden their objectives to remain sustainable. Bushels per acre is a familiar productivity reflection that has no bearing on the environmental or social impacts made by farms. But it will take a paradigm shift in thinking about food sovereignty to shift resources from trade centric production focused farm and food policies. A real and discernable shift to ‘onboarding’ food production at every scale in every region in Canada is required. It is an exciting time to embrace food production, preservation and processing at every scale. To sustain it we must find ways to add value both conventionally and unconventionally from the balcony to the back-forty. Each person has a role to play. Our cover-shot contributor made a shift from a micro-dairy to advocacy and education. It was hard to find cheesemaking help in the micro-dairy at Sweetwood Farm, so teaching others to be cheese- makers seemed a good solution—multiple cheesemakers equal productivity multiplication! More on making cheese in the May/June issue of Small Farm Canada magazine. 250 & UNDER Cover photo Heather Squires, Sweetwood Farm, Mahone Bay, NS EDITOR Julie Harlow | 1-866-260-7985 ext 272 Julie.Harlow@SmallFarmCanada.ca ADVERTISING SALES 1-866-260-7985 Sales@SmallFarmCanada.ca DESIGN | Andrea Williams CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Ashleigh Benedict | 1-866-260-7985 x252 Subscriptions@SmallFarmCanada.ca MARKETING & OPERATIONS Denise Faguy | Denise.Faguy@Farms.com PUBLISHER | Farms.com Canada Inc. PRINT: The print magazine for Small Farm Canada is published six times each year by Farms.com Canada Inc. Subscription rate for one year: $25.95 (+tax). Single copy price is $5.95. SUBSCRIBE NOW! DIGITAL: Small Farm Canada Lite is published 6 times each year, tandeming the Small Farm Canada magazine print issues. Contact INFO@ SMALLFARMCANADA.CA for your free subscription. Your privacy is important to us. Occasionally we may send you information from reputable companies whose products or services we believe may be of interest to you. If you would prefer to have your name removed from the list, contact us at Info@SmallFarmCanada.ca. Contents copyrighted by Farms.com Canada Inc. and may be reprinted only with permission. Copyright © 2026 Farms.com Canada Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 1710 4955 Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Small Farm Canada, or Farms.com Canada Inc. endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca PROUD TO BE CANADIAN OWNED! We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Get social with Small Farm Canada IN THE NEXT PRINT ISSUE: MAY/JUNE 2026: SOIL ISSUE Booking deadline: Friday, April 10, 2026 Ad material due: Thursday, April 16, 2026 Soil health by adding livestock is our focus in the May/June issue. We cover rotational grazing systems and other soil health promoting measures of having livestock on the land. Ayers, Carter, Jones and Kerr report on research, profile farmers and identify trends towards living a productive sustainable lifestyle that builds soil, foodways and communities. Want the print issue? Subscribe here! IN THIS ISSUE April 2026 | Vol. 2 Issue 2 5 NEWS & NOTES BY JULIE HARLOW Leakier forests, influenza D, fibremaxxing, horse vaccine PSA, UK turkey test 7 GARDEN VOLUNTEERS BY JEFF CARTER Gardening that happens without intervention. 10 GROWING IN LABRADOR II BY DAN RUBIN SFC’s second installment on Tom Angiers and growing in Labrador. 13 WASTE NOT BY AMY HOGUE AND FINN HOGUE Pine tea, cardboard useful and seed savings. CLOCKWISE (R-L) HEATHER SQUIRES - SWEETWOOD FARM | TOM ANGIERS - SPRUCE MEADOWS FARMS | MINTRA - ADOBE STOCK Spruce Meadows Farms, NL
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5 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca TOP: ANNE - ADOBE STOCK | BOTTOM: OOSTENDORP-PEOPLEIMAGES.COM - ADOBE STOCK NEWS & NOTES INFLUENZA D – A GROWING ONE‑HEALTH CONCERN Influenza D virus (IDV), first identified in pigs in 2011, is now recognized as a multi‑species respiratory pathogen affecting cattle, pigs, and a wide range of wildlife. According to reports circulated through ProMED, IDV is now considered a significant contributor to bovine respiratory disease complex, one of the costliest health challenges in North American cattle herds. Recent laboratory research suggests that influenza D can replicate efficiently in human airway tissue, raising concerns about potential zoonotic spillover. While infectious virus has not been isolated from humans, multiple studies show very high antibody levels among cattle and dairy workers, indicating frequent exposure. In some studies, over 97 per cent of cattle workers carried antibodies, and environmental sampling has detected genetic material in airports and hospital emergency departments, suggesting wider circulation than previously understood. Canadian producers should note that symptoms in cattle may include fever, coughing, nasal discharge, and breathing difficulty, like other respiratory pathogens. Scientists highlight that although human health impacts remain unclear, IDV’s expanding host range and its potential for genetic change warrant continued surveillance and strong biosecurity, especially in cattle operations. The overarching message is clear: influenza D is primarily an animal‑health issue today, but its characteristics make it a virus to watch closely within a One‑Health framework that connects livestock, wildlife, and human health. Source: thesun.co.uk FOREST LOSS IS MAKING WATERSHEDS “LEAKIER” A new global study featuring researchers from UBC Okanagan shows that losing forest cover doesn’t just reduce the number of trees—it changes how entire watersheds store and release water. Drawing on data from 657 watersheds across six continents, the research found that both forest loss and changes in how forests are arranged on the landscape cause watersheds to release more “young water,” the rain and snowmelt that moves through the system within just a few months. This means less moisture is retained in soils and groundwater, leaving less available during dry periods. The study highlights that in landscapes with low forest cover (below 40–50 per cent), the pattern of remaining forest—especially the amount of forest edge—has a big influence on water movement. More edges mean more sun, lower humidity and greater evapotranspiration, which ultimately reduce a watershed’s ability to hold water. In contrast, when forest cover is high and contiguous, these edge effects diminish. For regions where forestry and agriculture intersect, the message is clear: how forests are arranged matters just as much as how much is cut. Landscape planning— such as maintaining connected forest blocks—can help reduce the hydrological impacts of harvesting. As climate extremes place increasing pressure on water supplies, understanding the role of forest layout in keeping water on the land will be essential for producers, rural communities and ecosystems alike. Source: UBC VACCINATION PROTECTS MORE THAN ONE HORSE Vaccination is both an individual and a community decision. While vaccines help protect your horse from serious disease, they also reduce the spread of infectious agents within barns, lessons programs, boarding facilities, and show grounds. One under‑vaccinated horse can unknowingly raise risk for many others—especially youngsters, seniors, or immune‑compromised horses. Vaccinating isn’t just about compliance; it’s about collective responsibility within the equine community. Vaccinations can let owners rest easy that their horses are safe while providing social interaction with other horses. Discover how informed vaccination choices can support herd health using Equine Guelph’s Vaccination Equi-planner. Source: Equine Guelph Newsletter
6 April 2026 WHAT IS THE FIBREMAXXING CHALLENGE? The fibremaxxing challenge gained popularity on TikTok, where influencers began adding fibre-rich foods to meals to “maximize” fibre intake. While some have taken it to the extreme of trying to reach daily fibre goals in one meal, overall the conversation it has sparked is helpful. Why? Because most people aren’t eating enough fibre, and it’s so important for our health. IS FIBRE MAXXING SAFE? It depends, people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis) may require individualized fibre recommendations. Often these will be much lower than ‘average’ recommendations. If constipation is an issue, increasing fibre intake too quickly can initially worsen symptoms. Gradually increasing fibre intake (along with adequate fluid intake) is key. HOW TO INCREASE FIBRE INTAKE (WITHOUT THE BLOAT) • Increase fibre slowly. • Drink more fluids to help the fibre move through your body. • Focus on increasing fibre one meal at a time. Source: CanadianFoodFocus.org UK VACCINE TRIALS IN TURKEYS The United Kingdom has launched a 24‑week field trial to test highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccines in turkeys, marking a significant shift. The project will evaluate both vaccine effectiveness and surveillance systems designed to maintain export market confidence. Turkeys were chosen because they are highly susceptible to HPAI and often experience high mortality during outbreaks. Vaccination remains controversial due to concerns that vaccines could mask active virus circulation and complicate trade. Still, pressure from continued global outbreaks is shifting attitudes: France began vaccinating ducks nationwide in 2023, and others are conducting their own vaccine trials. Canada is also examining whether vaccination could play a role in domestic HPAI control. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has created a national task force and is planning a confined field trial to assess how avian influenza vaccines might be deployed and monitored on Canadian poultry farms. For farmers it signals a potential turning point: while vaccination isn’t yet part of routine HPAI control, more countries are now testing whether it could become a tool in protecting flocks to create more stability in the sector. Source: Canadian Poultry magazine FERTILIZERS THAT CAPTURE ATTENTION ARTICLE BY JEFFREY CARTER The origins of the Green Lightning Nitrogen Ma- chine (GLNM) go back to engineer and inventor Joe Lewis, who discovered that a byproduct of the separate project he was working on was creating nitrogen within water. A farmer soon explained to him how valuable that process would be to agri- cultural efforts and the rest is history. The pro- duct has been brought to Canada by Green Light- ning’s Canadian distributor, Nytro. “It’s the combination of making a salt-free water-based fertilizer,” says Nytro President Chris Nykolaishen when asked what makes the GLNM stand out. “It’s NL3 that we’re making, so it’s nitrate, which is the plant-available form of nitrogen. And it doesn’t take a lot of power consumption to do what we’re doing.” The GLNM is roughly the size of a standard fertilizer tote. Nykolaishen observes that the sixhead iteration of the GLNM, the smallest version they offer, produces more nitrogen than a 200acre or smaller farm would need in any given year. However, he is aware of some smaller acre farmers in Ontario who have jointly purchased a GLNM to share with their neighbour. While the company currently does not have specific plans to produce a smaller model, they would be open to pursuing that if there’s enough interest from their potential customers. LEFT: WWW.GREENLIGHTNING.AG | TOP: RIKON - ADOBE STOCK
TOP (L-R): JEFF CARTER | JULIE HARLOW | BOTTOM: ALINE - ADOBE STOCK INTENSIVE GARDEN THE VOLUNTEERS: SEVEN CROPS THAT SEED THEMSELVES ARTICLE BY JEFFREY CARTER When I think of volunteers in our food garden, I first think of springtime visits to the local nursery and Marie insisting on picking up a couple dill seedlings, they are a favourite of hers. I grumble at this point–in what I hope is a good- natured manner–and offer the suggestion that once we return home and take a good look, there will be a host of little volunteer dills already sprouted. The trick to avoid this pitfall is to look in the garden for volunteers before you leave for the garden centre. A volunteer plant is a plant that grows on its own without being intentionally planted. They usually grow from seeds left in the soil from the previous year’s crop, or they are dropped by birds and animals. Knowing how to distinguish volunteers like dill from among the other emerging plants is also a key to taking advantage of volunteers. The first part of the plant to emerge on the stem are the cotyledons. In the example of dill, the cotyledons are soon followed by feathery true leaves. This is called the four-leaf stage and before this stage it is harder to distinguish between other early emerging plants. The most likely place to look for dill is where it was located the previous year. A dill plant, allowed to mature, produces an abundance of seeds to germinate where they fall or volunteer the following spring. Once seedlings are identified, you may have a choice. Either let the volunteers grow where they are or dig them up and move them to a more desirable location. Dill volunteers transplant quite easily. Parsnip also generates a great deal of seed, though as a biennial species, the seed is only produced in the second year of growth. When I harvest parsnips in the fall, there is a good chance I’ll miss a few. The root left in the ground will regrow the following spring and if left will continue to grow prodigiously, often to a height of four or five feet. The flowers on these ‘parsnip trees’ are attractive to insect volunteers, and the seed can be collected, saved, and resown. Parsnips sprouting ‘voluntarily’ from seed, can be provided with space and allowed to grow in the same manner as you would a dill volunteer, but only in the location where they have sprouted. If moved, the delicate root system will likely be compromised. 7 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca Birds (such as the finch) forage among grasses, helping disperse seeds that can hitch a ride on their feathers or pass through their digestive systems to sprout elsewhere. Common examples of garden plants that volunteer next season include tomatoes, squash, melons, sunflowers, various herbs and some flowers like alyssum often appear as volunteers.
8 April 2026 35 Howard Ave, Elmira 519-669-5500 NOLT’S COMPACT MULCH LAYER CROP CARE PICK ASSIST TAR RIVER ROTO TILLERS 41”-81” width In-stock 1. 3 & 5 row. Also a good selection of Seed Rollers and Replacement Parts. JANG PUSH SEEDERS We’re helping you grow with these great brands: Weeding, planting & harvesting with ease! GOOD FOR A TIGHT BUDGET SOLAR CHARGED CROP CARE SPRAYERS From 25-750 gallons. Also Specialty Sprayers. CALL US FOR A FREE VEGETABLE AND FLOWER GROWING SUPPLY CATALOGUE AZS BRUSHER Call with your fruit and vegetable washing needs. AQUACULTURE SUPPLIES LAKE & POND SUPPLIES Est. 1989 Your Pond & Lake Professionals Since 1989 For a complete line of solutions anytime Visit our Updated Website: FishFarmSupply.ca How Does Pond Dye Work? Aquatic plants, just like plants on land, need light to grow. In ponds we address light penetration into the water by adding pond dye. Pond dye essentially creates a higher re ective surface on your pond so that less light reaches the bottom, where plants start to grow every spring. It works best at depths greater than six feet and will not be as e ective in the shallow areas around the edges of your pond. Pond dyes work on the premise that plants grow poorly without light so blocking it will reduce your growth in the main body of the pond. Pond dyes are available in blue, which you commonly see at golf courses, and black, which give a more natural Muskoka water look. Pond dyes are most e ective if added early in the spring as soon as the ice is o the pond and before growth starts. They are non-toxic and are safe for humans, pets and wildlife alike. To decrease plant growth in ponds you could also explore nutrient management straties by using probiotics and manual removal. We discuss these topics and more in our FREE Pond Resource Guide. It is lled with years of experience helping our customers and will help you understand the problems you are experiencing and why they happen. Please contact us if you would like one sent out or you can drop by our store to pick one up and discuss the challanges you are having. Your Pond & Lake Professionals Since 1989
9 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca Parsley is another biennial and can be treated in a similar manner as parsnip when saving seed. To resituate volunteers, move them when they are small or just after they have developed cotyledons and the first set of true leaves. Use a spoon or small trowel to dig deep underneath the plant to avoid cutting or damaging the taproot. SOIL MANAGEMENT: Try to keep as much of the original soil around the roots as possible. Cilantro also voluntarily appears in our garden and produces abundant seed known as coriander. They can be saved for replanting or used as a spice. I don’t see many cilantro volunteers, so I intentionally include it in the garden rotation and sow two or three crops each growing season. Keep in mind that parsley, parsnip, and cilantro seedlings all resemble each other and are related, although cilantro is an annual species rather than a biennial. The cotyledons of cilantro are like those of dill but wider and the true leaves are roundish in shape, serrated and light green. Another more prolific volunteer in our garden are tomatillos. For those unfamiliar with the crop, they are harvested for their fruit which is like cherry tomatoes but green in colour with a papery husk. We use them, combined with garlic, finely diced onion, and a splash of lemon, to make fresh, tomatillo salsa. Tomatillos can also be canned. The tomatillo approach that works for me is to leave a few of the seedlings in strategic locations where they are less likely to interfere with other crops. CAUTION: Once you’ve grown tomatillos, there is a good chance they will be with you forever. I know of one market gardener near St. Marys, ON who views the species as a weed and rues the day she added tomatillos to her gardening mix. Counted among the garden volunteers are a great many weed species. However, not all of them are unwelcome. I tend to discourage dandelions in our lawn but when they emerge in the spring in our food garden, the leaves become part of salads or are cooked like spinach. I have also been known to collect the yellow flowers to make dandelion wine. Dandelion leaves are mild in flavour and high in nutrition, packed with vitamin K, calcium, vitamin E, iron, and vitamin C. There are a host of other garden volunteers besides plants. Birds come immediately to mind, including a pair of house wrens, prolific eaters of insects, who once inhabited a birdhouse in our backyard. There are also a multitude of insects that are beneficial volunteers, including pollinators among them, and one cannot forget the biological creatures of the soil microbiome. Some volunteers for future stories in the Intensive Garden. While most people consume the leafy part, the parsley root is also edible. Parsley root is slenderer than a parsnip, and a staple in many Central European dishes. To roast it, scrub (not peel) and roast at 400 F until tender. Raw, it can be grated into salads, coleslaw, or sliced for crudité. Parsley root can also be boiled, mashed and combined with potatoes (one part parsley root to three parts potato) for a distinctive result. LEFT: JIRI HERA - ADOBE STOCK | TOP: NEW AFRICA - ADOBE STOCK
10 April 2026 TOP: FRIZIO - ADOBE STOCK PROVINCIAL FOOD NETWORK CO-OP LAUNCHED A newly registered co-op of farmers, gardeners, foragers, hunters and fishers will be reaching out to food producers across Newfoundland and Labrador. This new Community Service Co-operative has grown out of a project led by Food Producers Forum that connected 14 community food production sites that were also educational centres. That project also connected Indigenous communities, community gardens, family farms and food education centres. When members of the project met in the farming community of Cormack on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland in October of 2024 for an intense three-day dialogue, they decided that they must continue working together, to rebuild food sovereignty in Canada’s easternmost province. Now, with the formal registration of the Co-op, that commitment has taken on something tangible with connections that people can see. The PFN Co-op will support knowledge exchange and mentorships, sharing of tools and resources, advocacy in support of local food as well as food education, all while restoring a more local food distribution system. The group’s founding AGM will be held soon. To find out more or join the Co-op, email pfncoop@gmail.com. NEW FOODWAYS FORWARD There is a strong focus on boosting food security in Newfoundland and Labrador. Supply chains of imports heavily impact food access and cost. Agriculture in the Province is growing quickly as a result with a 9.8 per cent increase in 2023 totaling $163.9 million. Top crops include potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, and pumpkins. High-value livestock like 10,800 dairy and beef cattle and 2,900 sheep are also produced. Despite limited farmland, there is a lot going on in the ag and food scene in our eastern-most Province. Thank you to contributor Dan Rubin for this story. Dan is a Newfoundland resident and high achiever when it comes to the local food scene. Volunteers at the Pouch Cove Pantry – from left to right Doris Moores, George Moores, Mary Palmer, Tony Palmer, Lori Newman. A LITE LOOK AT NEWFOUNDLAND ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY DAN RUBIN Earth Sheltered Greenhouse under construction. EARTH SHELTERED GREENHOUSES IN NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR Food Producers Forum has been designing and helping build unique passive solar greenhouses adapted for northern growing since its founding in 2019. Two more sites will be added to the four greenhouses already built in Newfoundland and Labrador. The new sites for greenhouses are the towns of Chapel Arm and Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook. After helping them apply for funding from the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, an engineering and design team has been assembled to advise and assist with greenhouse construction and training of town staff and volunteers. What makes the Earth Sheltered Greenhouse unique is the way the structure uses the soil behind and beneath for insulation and heat storage. Built into a south-facing hillside, the building has a heat storage system of pipes that pass hot, moist air from inside the building through a gravel bed beneath the floor where heat and moisture pass into the gravel, to be stored for later use. In winter the space can be kept at 7-10 degrees Celsius for a cost of just $5 per month in electricity for fans that move the air. Potential applications for this “greenhouse with its arse in the earth” are multiple. The building can overwinter perennials, support spring seed starting, summer production of warm weather crops and growing microgreens year-round. It can also accommodate classes of students while engaged in production.
11 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca Welcome to a place where turkeys, goats and pigs all want to be scratched behind the ears. In addition to humane animal production, fourth-year farmer Andrew Warren planted 130,000 vegetable starts last year. He reports that he only has 40,000 pounds in storage from the half million pounds of food he grew in 2025. Andrew admits he did not grow up on a farm. As a gardener, the lure of food production drew him onward toward larger scale. With more than one hundred animals and tens of thousands of bedding plants going into his fields, he has mainly been on his own. In his first three years of operation, he was unable to access provincial support, even while he obtained a Crown land lease. In Newfoundland and Labrador, unlike other provinces, farmers who lease government land can never look forward to owning the land and cannot build a home on the land for at least three years. Without land tenure, it is much harder to obtain bank financing. Andrew rose to this challenge, building barns for his chickens, turkeys, ducks, goats, pigs, cattle and horses using recycled roofing materials and discarded telephone poles. After he had demonstrated solid intention to farm, the province stepped in with farming support programs that have allowed him to purchase farm equipment, clear additional land and assist him with labour. Farming near the tip of an isolated peninsula, he is providing local, healthy food to a remote part of our province. Food hubs are an innovative way of connecting food producers with customers, using a direct digital pathway. Essentially, a food hub is an online ordering mechanism that allows the individual, group or business to identify and order food and other products from suppliers and producers more directly by using the internet. This means that with aggregation of products from multiple sources, the customer has wider choice at a single online ‘store’ while producers are more visible and can be paid more directly through the online hub. Ordering is simple with a growing number of local producers offering vegetables, fruit, food products, health supplies, baked goods and crafts. On a weekly schedule, at either of our province’s food hubs, you can assemble your order, make direct payment and, claim your order at a convenient pickup point. This mode of food distribution can make a real difference in how local food reaches customers. It is being tested and evaluated and may be extended right across the island and into Labrador, if it proves effective. While operating costs do require subsidy, if food is essential and a human right, there is every reason for governments to support food hubs, as a core way to achieve regional food security. For information, visit https://www. nlfoodhub.ca/ In a small building in a town just north of St. John’s, volunteers are collecting and distributing stale-dated food and supplies to residents for free. Last year the volunteers provided more than 94,000 meals to people in Pouch Cove. The registered charity Second Harvest collects ‘food waste’ and distributes it to those in need. They estimate that Canadians throw away up to 47 per cent of the food we produce and import. Some of this waste happens at the warehouse, where food distributors must keep surplus stock to fill just in time orders. Some occurs when stale-dated foods are past their ‘best before’ date and are discarded, even though they are still safe and edible. About 17 per cent of wasted food occurs in the home. A tiny portion of this organic waste is composted or fed to animals, but the rest ends up as pollution in landfill, generating methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) and costing municipalities many thousands of dollars in tipping fees. Led by Tony and Mary Palmer, the crew of volunteers meets twice a week to distribute vegetables, canned food, bakery products and more, to a growing number of local residents. Without funding support and residing in a free building provided by the town, there is still the cost of fuel to pick up the food. Fuel is purchased with donations from the box at the Pantry. Volunteer programs like this are one way we can re- duce food waste, and turn food that would otherwise be discarded into a valuable shared community re- source. For more information about Second Harvest initiatives please see https://www.secondharvest.ca. POUCH COVE PANTRY FEEDS THE COMMUNITY WELCOME TO WARREN’S FARM: WHERE THE ANIMALS ARE YOUR FRIENDS AVALON FOOD HUB OFFERS ONLINE FOOD DISTRIBUTION
12 April 2026 Call Kintyre Metalcraft at 519-363-0444 to ask for a catalog. Or contact one of these participating dealers. Greenhouse on the move. Cackellac shelters are truly multi-purpose. shelters are truly multi-purpose. TM pastured poultry solutions™ Brent Cadeau Dorian, ON 807-889-1441 Carl Brubacher Conn, ON 519-501-2604 Melvin Weber Foxboro, ON 613-849-7883 Good Nature Eco Farm Thamesford, ON 519-993-6606 goodnatureecofarm.ca Thornloe Farm Supply Thornloe, ON 705-563-2555 info@thornloefarmsupply.ca Clare Wagler Belleisle Creek, NB 506-485-5670 Marvin Weber Berwick, NS 902-538-4318 bountywoodsfarm.ca Canadian Homestead Supply 519-794-0142 canadianhomesteadsupply.com Warren Martin Holstein, ON 519-334-3292 Manufactured by: Kintyre Metalcraft 23 Sideroad 15 North Dobbinton, ON N0H 1L0 Turn your Cackellac poultry shelter TM into a productive greenhouse. Just add our clear woven cover and End-Closure kit. Can be used to start plants Move it to your garden to protect tender plants Easily convert back for chickens
TOP: AMY & FINN HOGUE | BOTTOM: NT_STUDIO - ADOBE STOCK 13 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca WASTE NOT WINTER OPPORTUNITIES TO REDUCE, REUSE & REIMAGINE ARTICLE BY AMY HOGUE & FINN HOGUE The winter months are typically quiet and contemplative; the days are shorter, the perfect time to start planning for the growing season. As we flip through seed catalogues, plan out garden beds and ensure livestock are as warm and well-bedded, there are plenty of opportunities to limit our waste right now. In our last story we explored how to use every part of the harvest to reduce waste, now let’s turn towards typically discarded items leftover from the season. From winter greenery to gift boxes to seed planning, we can find many ways to give these items more life. PINE NEEDLE TEA Consider a few ways to reduce waste while honouring longstanding traditions. Today, pine boughs and branches are often used to decorate doorways, mantles and outdoor planters during the winter season, but historically they were used for everything from tea to mulch, and with good reason. Pine needle tea has deep roots in North America. Many Indigenous peoples used this nutrient-rich tea as a source of vitamins and medicine. Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, pine needle tea has long been valued for supporting immunity, aiding circulation, and reducing inflammation. In some areas, pine needle tea also held ceremonial significance, symbolizing purification and resilience. During the 16th and 17th centuries, early European explorers and settlers adopted pine needle tea after learning it could restore health, especially for crew members suffering from scurvy. The tradition also extends far beyond North America: around the world: wherever evergreen forests are abundant and winters long, communities have used conifer needles to create nutrient-rich syrups, teas, and infusions to support respiratory health and immunity throughout the cold months. Add this tea to your morning ritual to boost your Vita- min C and immunity during the long winter months. WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • 2 cups of water • 1/3 cup fresh Eastern white pine or red pine needles • Optional: honey and/or lemon to taste HOW TO MAKE IT: Remove brown ends of pine needles. Chop needles into half-inch pieces (chopping releases the beneficial properties). • Bring water to boil. • Add chopped needles to a large tea pot and pour in 2 cups of boiling water. • Cover and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes. You will see a change in colour and the needles will sink to the bottom. • Strain the needles. • Optional: add a teaspoon or of two lemon and/or honey. Other ways to use your festive greenery and decor: MULCH FOR GARDEN BEDS: Dry needles break down slowly and are excellent for pathways, berries, and acid-loving plants. LIVESTOCK BEDDING: Dried evergreen branches can be layered under straw to add fragrance and extra insulation. VEGETABLE PROP SUPPORTS: Trimmed twigs make perfect lightweight props for peas, young tomatoes, or seedling hardening. GIFT BOXES OR CARDBOARD GOLD Corrugated cardboard boxes typically tend to find their way into the garbage or recycling after the holidays, but what if they could be used for something more? Cardboard is a surprisingly valuable resource for gardeners, and there are many ways you can give these discarded boxes a second life that can also support your garden, your compost and even wildlife. • SHEET MULCHING (LASAGNA GARDENING) Any good gardener knows mulching is key to supporting plant health throughout the growing season, ensuring our crops not only thrive but provide us with nutrient rich fruits or vegetables. Cardboard is the perfect addition to our mulching plan. Simply lay flattened cardboard under compost or mulch to suppress weeds, retain moisture and build soil health. Ensure you remove tape and any glossy paper first. • PATHWAY BARRIERS There is nothing more frustrating than having to weed a garden’s walkways in addition to garden
14 April 2026 beds. Use leftover cardboard boxes along paths or between rows to create temporary weed-free paths - especially useful for raised garden beds. • COMPOST CARBON LAYER Our compost piles are slowly becoming nutrient rich over the winter, breaking down the food scraps and manure as we get closer to the growing season. This year, try tearing or shredding your cardboard boxes into pieces and mix it into your compost pile as a “brown” carbon source, which helps balance nitrogen-rich food scraps and manure. • ANIMAL BEDDING OR NESTING MATERIAL Our livestock deserves warm bedding as much as we do, and cardboard boxes are a good way to in- sulate animal bedding. Try shredding plain cardboard to mix with straw in nesting boxes or for small-animal bedding. Avoid coated or coloured boxes and remember to remove all adhesive tape and plastic labels as animals enjoy nibbling on bedding material. SEED PLANNING: WASTE LESS BEFORE YOU PLANT Winter may be the season of seed dreaming but there is no time like the present to review seeds you al- ready have and reduce potential redundant purchases. Thoughtful planning saves money and prevents unnecessary packaging, duplicate varieties, and forgotten packets from ending up in landfill. Ordering one too many seed packets, buying duplicates of varieties we already own, or rediscovering a stash of seeds years later and assuming they’re expired are all common for gardeners, no matter how organized they may be. Often, seeds are tossed because we’re unsure of their viability and don’t want to risk the entire crop with seeds that won’t germinate. This year, try a few simple ways to avoid that waste. • PLAN FOR SEED SAVING A sustainable way to lower gardening costs and minimize waste is to save your own seeds, but successful seed saving begins well before harvest time and involves thoughtful garden planning. Many vegetables cross-pollinate with related varieties, leading to unpredictable results the following season. To ensure your saved seeds will produce true to parent the following year, carefully plan out spacing distances for seed crops, or choose to grow only one variety of that species at the same time. Seed-saving also means allowing selected plants to remain in the garden longer than usual so they can reach full maturity, which can impact planning. When done thoughtfully, seed saving not only means less money spent unnecessarily, but also decreases packaging waste and preserves suc- cessful varieties for your specific growing environ- ment. • TEST OLD SEEDS INSTEAD OF TOSSING Before assuming last year’s packets are past their prime, do a quick germination test: • Place seeds on a damp paper towel • Fold it over and slip into loosely sealed bag or container • Place it somewhere warm. If most seeds sprout within a week, they’re still viable. Even if germination is low, you can simply sow more densely instead of throwing the seeds away. This will help save years’ worth of forgotten packets. • HOST OR JOIN A SEED SWAP Seed swaps help gardeners reduce excess seed waste while gaining new varieties (and making some new friends). Whether organized through a local garden club, library, Seedy Saturday, or group of neighbours, seed swaps can prevent multiple people from buying the same seeds, help distribute rare or regionally adapted varieties, reduce seed waste as half packets or saved seeds are welcome in most swaps, and these swaps can also help build community and share knowledge. • INVENTORY WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE One of the easiest ways to avoid waste is simply keeping track of your stash. Sort seeds by type, by planting month, or by age. A quick inventory list helps prevent accidents like buying your fourth packet of basil because you forgot about the other three. PINE NEEDLE TEA FEEDBACK We recently received reader feedback regarding our mention of pine needle tea in the Waste Not article (January/February 2026). Pine needle tea should only be made from Eastern White Pine or Red Pine; many similar-looking species are unsafe, so proper identification is essential. Due to ongoing debate around safe dosage, it’s recommended to avoid other pine species altogether. Pine needle tea is also not recommended for pregnant or nursing women. We regret the lack of clarity and thank our readers for helping us ensure accurate, safety-focused information.
15 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca RR3, 10 Nicholas Beaver Rd., Puslinch, ON, Canada N0B 2J0 www.easternfarmmachinery.com Phone: 519-763-2400 Fax: 519-763-3930 • ATV Logging Trailer Hydraulic power pack • 10’6” reach crane with full rotation grapple • 4wd trailer remote controlled winch ATV LOGGING TRAILER FORESTRY EQUIPMENT 480 TRACTOR MOUNTED PROCESSOR CUTS, SPLITS, CONVEYS GAS POWERED BUZZ SAW SHARK 700C CIRCULAR SAWMILL 19 FT FIREWOOD CONVEYOR WINCHES 3 – 8 TONS A woodlot is part of your farm’s strength and part of your legacy. Find your local chapter: www.ontariowoodlot.com /join | 613.713.1525 Follow us on social media @ontariowoodlot Scan with a smart phone or tablet: The Ontario Woodlot Association and its network of local chapters offer: • Practical management advice • Access to forestry expertise • Woodland walks, workshops, peer networks, and much more. Healthy forests support healthy farms: shade, habitat, trails, and long-term land value. The benefits ripple across the entire farm, improving long-term resilience and ecological stability, and opens the door to new income streams. Good stewardship strengthens farms, communities, and the land we depend on. www.ontariowoodlot.com/local-chapters | +1 (613) 713-1525
16 April 2026 FOODWAYS THE STORY OF TOM ANGIERS CHALLENGES OF A LABRADOR FARMER – PART TWO ARTICLE BY DAN RUBIN PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM ANGIERS Tom Angiers is a ninth-generation Canadian farmer who has been growing food in Central Labrador for almost thirty years. Last year at this time Small Farm Canada published our first story about Angiers, we discussed how he arrived in Goose Bay and explored some of the challenges he has faced since setting out to grow for local. He started out growing in Labrador on Crown Land directly across from 5 Wing, the Canadian Forces Base at Goose Bay. In the first season, on the first day of harvesting thousands of pounds of potatoes, Angiers learned from a CBC reporter that the land he was farming was contaminated by heavy metals. He and several other affected farmers in the area reached a settlement due to a class action suit that took more than five years to resolve. At a new location, Angiers is now farming two parcels under Crown lease. He has built accommodation for his family and farm workers and erected a warehouse and a 2800 -square-foot cold storage that also serves as a community market. A 20-by-40-foot greenhouse has also been added to the farm for additional summer production and to start seeds. Tom Angiers’ goal is to connect all the elements required for a vital foodway. Angiers also imports only high-quality vegetables and fruit through a buyer in Montreal. He combines high-quality imports with local crops and makes deliveries by truck on a weekly schedule to outlets along the Central and Southern Labrador coast. He has also created a ‘community market’ as mentioned at his farm to serve as an additional outlet for this produce. In Labrador, much of the food that arrives by truck is ‘stale dated’ and sold at high cost in local stores, many of which may sit with empty shelves at times. Truck transport can also be dicey. It is often interrupted by weather or ice on the Strait of Belle Isle. Although it is sometimes a challenge to juggle schedules and weather, Angiers’ high-quality food deliveries have become a lifeline for residents and a way to restore community health. Finding capital to fund transport for both locally grown and procured fresh food that Angiers is distributing resulted in a 25-tonne dual refrigeration truck. A crowning achievement of the Provincial Food Network, a project developed by the non-profit group, Food Producers Forum. It truly does take a community network to write funding applications, do PR, gain support from many levels of government and connect people to the project to get it done. Tom Angiers’ journey toward supplying good quality local food has been challenging. Over the past three decades he has faced, and still faces, a series of situations that would test anyone’s ability to supply good food to local communities and help address food insecurity. One challenge he encountered relates to the difference between a Crown lease in Newfoundland and Labrador and the rest of Canada. In NL, leases for up to 50 years are available, if approval granted. The process is not simple, quick or easy and can take as long as five or six years. In other provinces, a farmer can obtain granted title to Crown land once they fulfill requirements for farm development. It seems unfair that in Newfoundland and Labrador the farmer will never own the land into which he pours so much work, money and resources. For this reason, Angiers says, he knows of dozens of others who have found this so discouraging that, once they realize they will never own the land, they turn away from farming in Labrador.
TOP: VICTORIA ROBINSON | BOTTOM RIGHT: 37 NORTH FARMS | 2025 ALL CANADA SHEEP CLASSIC | BOTTOM LEFT: CCESTEP8- ADOBE STOCK 17 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca Angiers states that he was told that he could not build a home on his Crown lease until he had farmed there for seven years and demonstrated gross sales of at least $30,000 three years in a row. He believes this system is also meant to discourage people from farming. As an experienced farmer who has produced food in Ontario and Alberta, he finds this puzzling. The transfer funds Ottawa sends to the province to support agriculture are based in part on the need for food in Labrador. But somehow, only a small part of the Labrador share of those millions of federal dollars reaches farmers in the north. Angiers has also been told repeatedly there is no broiler chicken quota available for Labrador under the provincial supply management system. This has a major impact on farmers in Labrador as compared to the island of Newfoundland. No chickens not only mean no meat but also no manure. Manure would be a major asset and has potential to return affordable nitrogen and micronutrients to the soil. Prince Edward Island, with a population of 178,000, produced $814 million in farm cash receipts in 2023. Newfoundland and Labrador, with a population of 545,000 produced $171 million in cash receipts the same year, with the next year (2024) heading in the wrong direction and dropping to $168 million. But, little by little, Angiers and the Newfoundland and Labrador community are making progress. He was able to obtain funding to build a cold storage unit. The provincial government’s ‘bedding plant’ program also makes it possible for farmers to obtain reasonably priced plants without having to start their own seed. And the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program provided funds for green manure and soil restoration. And don’t forget about the refrigerated truck…these are all hopeful signs. As local stores in coastal communities come onboard as customers, Angiers is hoping to make his weekly drives down the coast a profitable as well as satisfying proposition. He partly covers his fuel at present but keeps on working and building. Angiers dream of a healthy food system in Labrador is an investment that he continues to deliver on! WHAT’S NEXT? • Open the Crown land ownership transfer regulations • Get some poultry quota in Labrador • Obtain more provincial funding for Labrador farm- ers Part III of Tom Angiers’ story by Dan Rubin will be published in the May-June 2026 issue of Small Farm Canada magazine. - Julie
18 April 2026 LARKSPUR SUPPER CLUB STANDING GUARD AGAINST ALL PERILS BY DAN NEEDLES | ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW NEEDLES At the last Supper Club meeting, the neighbours compared notes on the latest insurance increases turning up in the mailbox. We all shared spring renewal dates and the same puzzled frown because no one at the table has made a claim on property or vehicles in the past 30 years. But we all faced a 15 per cent increase give or take. Vehicle theft has not reached startling levels here, unlike the city. The last time a vehicle was stolen on this sideroad was 1997. Oscar had his farm truck taken for a joyride and it was abandoned up in the village. Everyone knew who had stolen Oscar’s truck except the police and they weren’t interested. Car theft is simply property theft which has ranked at the bottom of police concerns for a generation now. The insurance companies aren’t that interested either because they just raise the rates anytime their losses go up. The mock concern they show on the news has reached the level of performance art. Even Oscar saw no need to be vengeful about the incident because he recalled his own joyride one Hallowe’en night back in 1957. We made a rough calculation of the premiums paid by the eight people at the table over the last 25 years and it came to well over a million dollars. Clearly, we would be much better off to form a new, small-farm cooperative and self-insure. We are still exposed to risk though I have been plundered twice in the last 45 years. The first raid happened the year I bought the property and was renovating. I had one power tool, an anemic Black and Decker circular saw that whined if it was asked to cut anything thicker than quarter inch plywood. I left it on the veranda one Sunday night when I went back to the city and someone swiped it. I never had a chance to thank the burglar properly because I went out and bought a decent saw the next week and still have it today. The second raid happened when my wife and I had moved up here full time and had stocked the place with sheep and poultry. Late one night I saw lights at the barn and went out to investigate. A truck roared away leaving the dogs barking, the guinea hens and geese shrieking and me fearing the worst. I had a look around to see what was missing but needed daylight to do a proper inventory. The next morning, I looked carefully through both barns and found the thieves had taken…nothing. Not a thing. I should have been relieved but the experience rattled me. People I didn’t know had looked over my possessions and found them worthless. I felt violated. But this, of course, is the secret to living unmolested in the country or anywhere else. Don’t make it look like you have anything worth taking. Envy is the seed which should never be watered. Prevention is the key and we have placed our faith in a burglar alarm system that is completely solar- powered. We have guinea hens, geese, donkeys and a lot of dogs. They do turn in a lot of false alarms but when they all get going you couldn’t hear a fire truck pass. Noise is a reliable deterrent for burglars. They prefer to work in peaceful surroundings, and they don’t like heavy lifting. If you give them a choice between a Rolex watch and a 1935 vintage 500-pound root pulper, they generally go for the watch. And if they have to listen to a guinea hen, they won’t even take the watch. We also drive ancient vehicles; those that won’t make the list of top ten vehicles stolen in Canada. You can’t swipe a 15-year-old Ford and ship it to Montreal for export. They already have enough old trucks in Africa. But none of these measures give us any leverage with the insurance company. They just shrug and tell you to shop around. So, I raised the deductibles once again, removed the coverage on the oldest barn and got the bill back down to where it was last year. A hundred years ago, when I worked for an insurance company myself, we called this exercise ‘the lateral arabesque’. It is a term taken from ballet to describe an elaborate and complicated leap into the air, a maneuver which lands the performer in precisely the same place.
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