Sustainability

The County of Hastings County includes Hastings County, the City of Belleville and the City of Quinte West and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, with its forests, farmland, lakes, rivers and small and large communities, is well situated to lead in the field of alternative energy development, conservation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and forestry and artisan food production.

Harvest Hastings is about living lightly on the land. Sustainability has four sections on land stewardship, tree planting, managing woods and wildlife at Caring for Land; discussion about Climate Change; finfd out about Green Communities, and read about what's happening in Local Agriculture. There are Audio, Videos, and a Photo Gallery. Look for "Know your farmer" video or audio interviews with local farmers and other producers. Web links has l links to local organizations as well as provincial ones. Check Coming Events to find workshops, agricultural events, community meals and much more. Above all get outand explore

Latest Articles

Brewers support Maritime growers

Grain growers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have an opportunity to take advantage of a growing market in their region -- malt barley.

Local Agriculture

Know your farmer: Jen and Jeff Ferguson- stress free pigs

April 5, 2011 by Louise Livingstone

Jeff and Jen Ferguson of Springbrook Farm, Stirling-Rawdon rear between 60 - 70 pigs a year. They rear them with minimum stress letting them outside in good weather.

Local Agriculture

No quick fixes for food system

Over the last decade, the sustainable food movement has brought much needed attention to U.S. agricultural policy and how it influences which foods Americans grow, buy, and consume. From chefs and policy wonks to teachers and bloggers, everyone interested in food has an opinion on subsidies and how to craft the 2012 Farm Bill.

Local Agriculture

Understainding beaver biology

Beavers are an integral part of American history and commerce. They are considered a “keystone species” in riparian (the interface between land and a river or stream) communities.

They are unique among mammals in that they alter their habitat to meet their needs, primarily by damming up small rivers and streams to form ponds, and their skills as builders in the animal kingdom are unparalleled. This is the first of a three-part series on the beaver.

Caring for Land

Living Green in Quinte

April 4, 2011 by Louise Livingstone

Saturday April 9, 2011 Living Green in Quinte Show & Expo at Loyalist College

Information Sessions, Workshops, & Trade Show at Loyalist College NEW THIS YEAR : Expanded Trade Show with a Demonstration Area, and Family and Musical Entertainment

Sunday April 10, 2011 Living Green Bus Tours

The Living Green in Quinte Show (formerly called the Sustainable Living Symposium) aims to highlight local experts through interactive participant sessions and over 50 local businesses, organizations and products in a Trade Show.

Event Date and Time:

April 9, 2011 - 09:00 - April 10, 2011 - 09:00

Green Communities

Beavers have been busy at Springhill Farm

April 3, 2011 by Louise Livingstone

Steve Tubb talks about the new beaver pond at Springhill Farm. The beavers have created a large pond, which provides habitat for birds such as green heron and mallard.

Caring for Land

Video: Dave McElhaney talk about grass-fed beef

The new hay crop coverage in Pennsylvania helps beef farmer Dave McElhaney. He talks about rotational grazing and direct marketing of his grass-fed beef.

Local Agriculture

Video: Glynwood: because farming, food, and community matter

Watch this video from Glynewood in New York State. Many of the issues discussed face us in Hastings County. Glynwood envisions a revival of farming and a revitalization of rural communities throughout the Northeast (U.S.). We foresee harmonious working farmscapes supporting energetic local economies and vibrant communities. We anticipate that consumers throughout the region will have ready access to fresh, healthful food produced by local farmers who practice good land stewardship and environmentally sustainable agriculture. We intend to continue exerting thoughtful and energetic leadership in helping communities to realize this vision.

Local Agriculture

Institutional Food with Taste

Hospital food: The very term conjures bland and unappetizing images. But that’s changing in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, population 65,000, where Sacred Heart, the smaller of the city’s two hospitals, is spending 10 percent of its food budget on local produce and meat. By industry standards, this does not amount to much—about $200,000 a year. But cracking the institutional market is one of the trickier challenges facing food system reformers, and this 344-bed hospital is showing the way.

Local Agriculture

Quinte West TrashBash 2011

March 30, 2011 by Louise Livingstone

The Quinte TrashBash is a litter cleanup throughout the municipalities of Quinte West and Belleville. Its a great way for individuals and groups in the Quinte area to help improve the water quality in the Bay of Quinte. Contaminants from garbage and litter pollution can be washed into the water from soils, pavement and ditches. The Quinte TrashBash effort helps to reduce our impact on the water quality of our own Bay of Quinte.

Event Date and Time:

April 16, 2011 - 08:00 - 12:00

Green Communities