This week “In the Field” touches on composting and nutrient management.

Organizer Brock Shepherd, who has owned several restaurants, says needless food waste used to drive him nuts.

Chefs will be using fat, bones, organs, fish cheeks, and plantain skins, as well as leftover toasted bread in beer, and whey from a local dairy in vodka.

The United Nations says one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1-point-3 billion tonnes per year.

What came first – the vegetable or the egg?

A revolutionary new approach to combine vegetable and egg production is being set up in the Northwest Territories….and there is a Lethbridge connection.

Treena Hein of Farm Credit Canada reports that a Hay River facility may be the first of its kind in the world to employ “Poultryponics”.

Polar Egg and Agri-Arctic have combined efforts with staff at Lethbridge College to bring the idea to life this May.

The circular concept will see plant waste fed to laying hens, and chicken waste used to fertilize plants. High-pressure sodium lamps will also be used to give light and heat to both the plants and birds.

The low down on nutrients and soil Health

Lethbridge College is offering a one-day workshop that will answer everything you want to know about nutrient management and didn’t know where to get the answers.

Producers are bombarded with information about fertilizers, macro-nutrients, or various soil improvement products, which are some for the most costly inputs in modern farming, so it is important to know that you’re getting the most out of those nutrients.

This one day workshop takes a hands-on and practical approach to a wide variety of nutrient management topics instructed by experts in the industry. Topics will include

— Soil Health
— Sampling for Soil Nutrients
— and Manure and Compost …just to mention a few.

The day will conclude by seeing nutrient cycling in action with a tour of the Aquaponics Center of Excellence at the College.

Registration is at 8:30 with the workshop beginning at 9:00 with the keynote introduction from Dwayne Rogness – Rural Extension Specialist for Lethbridge County.

Other speakers include Dr. Jeff Shano from the University of Saskatchewan. Ross McKenzie, Barry Olson and Len Kryzanowski

More information is available on the Lethbridge College website

Canada-EU Trade

Canada’s meat packing and processing industry has welcomed Wednesday’s (Feb 15) approval by the European Parliament of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Canadian Meat Council Chair Troy Warren asks that the Canadian and E-U governments commit to resolving the technical barriers that prevent the agreement from being implemented as envisaged by the negotiators.

The meat processing industry says the agreement offers the potential of significant exports of Canadian meat to the European Union, provided the remaining technical constraints are addressed successfully.

Warren says while the industry recognizes certain barriers may require additional work, others should be able to be resolved quickly.

by Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

This week “In the Field” touches on composting and nutrient management.

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