November 2009
7 posts
Pumpkin judging – let’s get this over with →
The pumpkin competition judging is complete. It’s a very tense time here at The Old Estate Yard. Seriously, I’m being harassed for the result.
(So, just to drop in a bit more of a delay, I’m making…
And the winner is… →
Champion pumpkin by Katie Owens
Judges comments:
An instant winner when the photo landed in the judges’ inbox, the top pumpkin drew admiring oohs and ahhs from other FW journalists…
Reading list: 4 November 09 →
Here are some of today’s more interesting and useful news and opinion pieces we’ve been looking at:
Saudia Arabia is in the process of setting up an organic farming structure and, judging by…
Pumpkin judging – let’s get this over with →
The pumpkin competition judging is complete. It’s a very tense time here at The Old Estate Yard. Seriously, I’m being harassed for the result.
(So, just to drop in a bit more of a delay, I’m making…
And the winner is… →
Champion pumpkin by Katie Owens
Judges comments:
An instant winner when the photo landed in the judges’ inbox, the top pumpkin drew admiring oohs and ahhs from other FW journalists…
Pumpkin entrants revealed! →
The photos of our pumpkin carving competition entries are now with the judges at Farmers Weekly, who have kindly agreed to adjudicate on this important matter!
So, before they come up with a final…
Pumpkin entrants revealed! →
The photos of our pumpkin carving competition entries are now with the judges at Farmers Weekly, who have kindly agreed to adjudicate on this important matter!
So, before they come up with a final…
October 2009
18 posts
Halloween madness ensues →
With our own staff madly slicing away for an in-house competition, we’ve been treated to some fine examples of the dark art of pumpkin carving from some of our friends too.
We’ll be revealing the…
Reading list: 29 October 09 →
Time again to share some of the interesting/amusing/ridiculous things we’ve been reading today.
First off, and of most significance, is the Farmers Weekly exclusive on yet another Rural…
Now for the pumpkin challenge →
Always game for a laugh, a bunch of OF&G staffers have now accepted the challenge to create the best pumpkin carving as a way to bring fulfilment to their lives following the end of the sunflower…
Pumpkins to be judged by ‘experts’ →
It’s with great pleasure that we can reveal the OF&G Pumpkin Caper has been elevated to new levels with the involvement of expert independent judges.
Well, I say ‘expert’, by which I mean Caroline…
Halloween madness ensues →
With our own staff madly slicing away for an in-house competition, we’ve been treated to some fine examples of the dark art of pumpkin carving from some of our friends too.
We’ll be revealing the…
Pumpkins to be judged by ‘experts’ →
It’s with great pleasure that we can reveal the OF&G Pumpkin Caper has been elevated to new levels with the involvement of expert independent judges.
Well, I say ‘expert’, by which I mean Caroline…
Reading list: 29 October 09 →
Time again to share some of the interesting/amusing/ridiculous things we’ve been reading today.
First off, and of most significance, is the Farmers Weekly exclusive on yet another Rural…
Now for the pumpkin challenge →
Always game for a laugh, a bunch of OF&G staffers have now accepted the challenge to create the best pumpkin carving as a way to bring fulfilment to their lives following the end of the sunflower…
More organic pasties to enjoy! →
Some very uplifting news comes to us today from licensee, Jones Organic, makers of organic pasties and pies.
Jones Organic - Organic Steak & Vegetable Pastie
Business is good and…
ORC Producer Conference – get your details here →
Planning is under way for the annual producer conference run by the Organic Research Centre – Elm Farm.
It’s one of the main get-togethers of the year for organic producers, so it’s worth adding…
More organic pasties to enjoy! →
Some very uplifting news comes to us today from licensee, Jones Organic, makers of organic pasties and pies.
Jones Organic - Organic Steak & Vegetable Pastie
Business is good and…
ORC Producer Conference – get your details here →
Planning is under way for the annual producer conference run by the Organic Research Centre – Elm Farm.
It’s one of the main get-togethers of the year for organic producers, so it’s worth adding…
Consumer expectations ‘too high’ →
Interestingly, following on from the last post, a new Defra-backed report has emerged which suggests that shoppers have a perception of organic food and farming that is beyond the practical…
We have wool! →
Another key step on the (long, slow and somewhat tortuous) route to our Certification Manager, Steve, getting his Farmers Weekly tractor jumper has been achieved.
The wool has arrived, courtesy…
OrganicUK initiative appoints agency →
This morning brings the news that an advertising agency has been selected by the OrganicUK steering group.
OrganicUK is a project backed by businesses from across the organic sector with the…
Consumer expectations ‘too high’ →
Interestingly, following on from the last post, a new Defra-backed report has emerged which suggests that shoppers have a perception of organic food and farming that is beyond the practical…
OrganicUK initiative appoints agency →
This morning brings the news that an advertising agency has been selected by the OrganicUK steering group.
OrganicUK is a project backed by businesses from across the organic sector with the…
We have wool! →
Another key step on the (long, slow and somewhat tortuous) route to our Certification Manager, Steve, getting his Farmers Weekly tractor jumper has been achieved.
The wool has arrived, courtesy…
September 2009
15 posts
Is it a cow? Is it a stone? No it’s Fridgehenge! →
A bit of fun has been had this week by organic milk cooperative, OMSCo, which has erected a tribute to Stonehenge - made out of refrigerators painted to look like cows.
It’s a nice stunt to raise…
The inevitable sunflower update →
The impartial observers among us are getting the distinct feeling that the great OF&G sunflower competition is all over bar the shouting.
Er, do you think we have a winner yet?
The…
FSA shrugs off French organic study →
Somewhat strangely, the Food Standards Agency has felt the need to publicly dismiss the findings of a French study that called into question its own recently published and controversial report.
The…
Kanye West interrupts our service →
Okay, a bit of fun to start the day. You surely can’t have failed to notice hip hop artist Kanye West being lambasted across the media for his incredibly arrogant and cringeworthy interruption of…
Organic milk positives crop up again… →
It has been a short number of years now since the first evidence appeared linking organic milk to measurable health benefits. Bits and pieces of studies have continued to trickle out since then, all…
OF&G & FWi →
Me and @organiman standing here with @carolinefw and @farmersweekly at FWi spontaneous farming tweetup
Posted via email from Organic Farmers & Growers Share:
Standing behind the pledge →
OrganicUK is an extremely important initiative to bring this country’s organic sector businesses together to properly communicate what organic stands for.
We’ve pledged - will…
OF&G & FWi
Me and @organiman standing here with @carolinefw and @farmersweekly at FWi spontaneous farming tweetup Posted via email from Organic Farmers & Growers | Comment »
French find what FSA missed? →
There’s an interesting study on organic food, including nutrition, that seems to run counter to the report published a few weeks ago on behalf of the Food Standards Agency.
The French Agency for…
OF&G reaches new heights – Everest, to be exact →
Okay, must clarify the headline. No-one from here has actually been to the top of Everest. Maybe one or two have conquered The Wrekin or the Long Mynd and our Certification Manager, Steve, spends…
New funding round for Welsh organics →
Just spotted this piece from Farmers Guardian flagging up a new round of funding from the Welsh Assembly Government for organic conversion.
That’s good to see, though there are a couple of…
You can’t beat a good explanation! →
As the fallout from the strange FSA report on nutrition in organic and non-organic food continues to rumble round the media’s opinion pages, it’s good to see a rational argument now and then.
…
Latest organic stats show growth →
Okay, at three per cent land area it’s not huge growth. But the latest figures from the statisticians at Defra show stability and small progress in organics, rather than stagnation or…
A fine addition to the organic inventory! →
This is the kind of news we like to see! As reported by the Food & Drink Innovation Network:
The first ever organic Islay single malt whisky has been released to coincide with the opening of a…
Sunflower fanaticism – an update →
Given that we’re getting more feedback about our sunflower competition and the knitting of a jumper than anything else posted on this blog, I thought you’d better have an update on the current state…
August 2009
8 posts
Guide flying off the virtual shelf →
Just a brief update to note that downloads of our Guide to Organic Certification: Food Processing stand at exactly 400 at the time of writing. That’s quite a neat milestone, don’t you think?
In…
Sunderland’s first organic farm →
OF&G licensee, Martin Orr, and his family are featured in the Sunderland Echo as Sunderland’s first organic farmers.
It must be said we were quite surprised at this apparent statistic, because…
Knitting challenge back on track →
Any regular readers will recall that we had some fun when our Certification Manager, Steve Clarkson, was the lucky winner of a Farmers Weekly knitting pattern. Oh did we laugh.
We promised then…
Organics retains loyal followers →
Reports are appearing today of statistics coming out of retail analysts, IGD, which apparently show that a sizeable chunk of shoppers are sticking by organics – credit crunch or not.
Talking…
Do a quick check of your food miles →
The distance our food travels is important to many people. Some of it does silly trips up and down the country going from farm, manufacturer or packer to depots spread around the country and often…
Let’s not make it personal →
The Independent today covers a very disappointing angle to the controversy surrounding the FSA organic report story.
I suppose we shouldn’t be overly surprised, but it seems that the report’s…
US scientists take a pop at FSA research →
We will get off this topic soon – probably. But having just come across this article from The Organic Centre, in the US, it seemed to be well worth sharing. It appears to be the most scientific…
A lot of noise, not a lot of sense →
The din around last week’s FSA report on nutrition and organic food is almost deafening. Someone from every media outlet seems to be having their say on it, whether or not they have the faintest…
July 2009
7 posts
FSA report bashes organics – again →
Once again the Food Standards Agency has managed to garner a boat load of silly season headlines for a report on organic food that tells us little but is likely to damage sales.
“No additional…
Positive noise from National Organic Cereals 09 →
Just found this great write-up on our National Organic Cereals 09 event from Jimi and Sarah at Launceston Farm.
They’ve had some great coverage themselves in the national press and it’s very…