by Brenda Frick, written for Organic Alberta

“How many animals of each kind did Moses put on the ark?” When asked this question, most people simply answer “2”. They know that Noah was the ark-meister. They just don’t notice that Moses has been slipped into Noah’s place in the question. They are focusing on number of animals.

In psychology, this is referred to as the ‘Moses Illusion’. It is the most well known example of a general concept called the semantic illusion. People often don’t notice word substitutions if their focus is elsewhere, especially if the changed item is similar to the one for which it was substituted.

Saxby Foods, a local dessert manufacturer that opened in Edmonton in 1994, went out of business on Tuesday.

The receiver, PwC, changed the locks on Saxby's south-side manufacturing plant on short notice.

"They changed the locks and shut the business down, literally as we were making cakes," said founder and owner Jonathan Avis.

All 110 Saxby workers lost their jobs. Avis has fielded calls from other food plants about employing some of them, but he predicted that many former employees will be forced to take pay cuts.

Solar PV Equipment Pilot Program

This program is now open to receive applications. Funding is limited, and will be awarded on a first-approved first-served basis according to the program Terms & Conditions. Applicants should be aware that the project will require approvals from outside agencies that may affect whether an Applicant is able to submit their Application(s) to the Program in a timely manner.

Marketable yields of organic horticultural crops frequently fall below those of conventional crops; this and other factors restrict widespread adoption of organic production. Researchers recently studied the growth and yield responses of tomatoes grown in organic substrates amended with vermicompost and compared the results with plants grown in a popular growing medium. "More research in this area is needed to provide a base of information that will lead to the expansion of the organic sector, especially in the greenhouse industry, to meet consumer demands and preferences," they explained.

By Aaron Munzer

Organic growers could soon have another weapon in their arsenal, courtesy of the humble worm.

Cornell researchers have found that vermicompost -- the product if composting using various species of worms -- is not only an excellent fertilizer, but could also help prevent a pathogen that has been a scourge to greenhouse growers. By teaming up with a New York composting business, they believe they have found an organic way to raise healthier plants with less environmental impact.

Dec. 15th, 2011 by Brenda Frick

It’s been a rough couple years for organic producers on the Prairies. They’ve been hit hard by factors largely outside their control: weather and markets.

Problems with weather are not unique to organic producers nor to the last couple years, but the recent weather problems have been unusual.