By Angela Brown

More support announced for organic farming industry

Mar 23, 2022 | 4:13 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — Organic farms in the province, including ones in the Battlefords and Meadow Lake area, continue to see interest with more people choosing to purchase local organic produce.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AFC) recently announced it will invest up to $103,400 for the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) to enable a new collaboration to promote sustainability and growth for Canada’s organics industry, further helping the sector.

Sask Organics president Garry Johnson said he was thrilled to hear about the federal funding announcement to help the organic industry.

The funding is earmarked for the collaboration of the three main national organizations — the Organic Federation of Canada, the Canadian Organic Growers, and the Canada Organic Trade Association — to set up a better plan to help strengthen and facilitate the growth of the industry, which would include traditional producers that want to transition into organic production.

“We’re very pleased with the step the federal government has taken in announcing [that funding],” Johnson said.

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He said the organic agriculture industry is continuing to see growth in the prairies.

“Overall in the industry I must say the growth is steadily close to 10 per cent a year,” Johnson said, adding that organic production is also growing internationally as well. “The organic sectors are growing worldwide exponentially.”

He added that the domestic market is growing as well, which is good to see.

“There is always demand for organic food within Saskatchewan. It’s nice to support those sectors,” Johnson said.

Based on the Organic Agriculture in the prairies 2019 data from the Canada Organic Trade Association, published by Sask Organics, while the organic acreage declined in the prairies from 1.8 million acres in 2018 to 1.7 million acres in 2019, the number of organic processors/handlers increased by 25, reaching 293 in 2019.

According to the report, the prairies represent a large portion of Canada’s organic production with 80 per cent of all organic field crops, 95 per cent of all organic pulses, 92 per cent of all organic cereal grains and 85 per cent of Canada’s organic hemp crop.

Johnny Burns, a partner with Largo Farm, says his family started their organic operation near Cochin more than 40 years ago. The Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) project receives support from people who invest in the business in return for part of the harvest.

Burns said last year’s harvest was less than optimal due to the drought in the province, but he is optimistic this year’s production will be better.

The mixed use farm includes about four acres devoted to garden vegetable production, and about 20 acres for grain.

Burns said many growers try organics but not everyone stays with it. He would like to see more people commit to it in the industry since the work is gratifying.

“[We] get a lot of pleasure from it,” he said. “You don’t make a huge amount of money doing this kind of farming, so you have to really enjoy doing the work and getting a lot out of that.”

Burns said the benefits of organic farming outweigh the challenges. He also appreciates the self sufficiency aspect of the business.

“We don’t buy many inputs. We use manure from our own animals,” he said. “Other than for that, the inputs are sun and water, and those come free. We don’t have a huge amount of cost which is really nice.”

Burns added knowing the produce is made naturally and free of chemicals is a reward in itself.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow