THANKFUL FOR OUR BOUNTY
Five reasons to appreciate Sask. farmers
Thanksgiving coincides with arguably the best time of year in Saskatchewan.
It’s a time to celebrate the harvest season and be thankful for the province’s plentiful food bounty.
Farmers are getting the last of the year’s crops in the bin, while fruit and vegetable producers are stockpiling the harvest. The air is crisp, the light warm and a tinge of dust hangs in the air from combines working in the fields.
In Saskatchewan, agriculture is huge. We’re the country’s largest producer of 14 different crop varieties and home to Canada’s second largest population of beef cattle, after Alberta.
Through the act of eating, we all have a connection to agriculture. I’m here to help you further connect to the source of our food in Saskatchewan.
I spent the summer visiting food artisans, from farmers and market gardeners to beekeepers and chefs, all over the province. In documenting their stories, I gained a new appreciation for agriculture and discovered plenty of reasons to be thankful. Here are the top five.
Ahh, the bees — what would we do without them?
Bees — honey bees in particular — are wondrous, intelligent creatures that communicate mainly through bottom-wiggling dances.
It’s estimated one third of the global food supply is pollinated by honey bees. Sadly, the world’s population of honey bees is in steady decline due to pesticides, habitat loss and disease.
But there’s hope. Saskatchewan has a prolific number of apiaries and beekeepers intent on helping bee populations flourish.
Take the time to look and you’ll see locally produced honey for sale everywhere.
From clover honey to alfalfa and wildflower, the ways to expand your honey palate are endless.
Near Viscount, a one-woman operation broke the provincial record for honey flow in 2017. The astonishing part about Rachel Lemke and her honey bees’ record-breaking production is that she keeps only 100 hives — definitely on the small side for commercial production. She says 100 is the perfect amount for her at Barefoot Earth Farm.
“(That way) I can focus on the health of every hive.”
At Lac Vert, Kitako Lake Honey is distributing some of the province’s finest (and most affordable) raw honey.
Owner Steve Hawrishok followed in his dad’s bee-keeping footsteps. He says the moments of quietness attract him to the work.
“When you’re looking at your bees, it can be very peaceful, very present, very relaxing. And then it ceases to become (work) and that can be a beautiful thing.”
Saskatchewan is world-renowned for our mushrooms, but did you know we also grow some of the world’s most sought-after wild rice? And the fish from our northern lakes is as clean and fresh as it gets. Take your pick from freshwater walleye, jack, whitefish, perch or trout — there are no worries about ocean contaminants in Saskatchewan.
The province’s northern bounty is a unique feature that makes Saskatchewan terroir outstanding. It’s also one of our best hidden secrets. As humble as we are, it’s time to boast about producing some of the world’s best mushrooms, wild rice and fish from our treasured northern lands.
3. A RETURN TO SMALL-SCALE FARMS
Saskatchewan’s agricultural economy began with small-scale family farms. Over the years, farm sizes grew to keep pace with globalization; more acres are now needed to turn a profit on the commodities market.
For many, farming is no longer a way of life. As more people move to cities, the farming is left to fewer people.
However, there’s a resurgence in small-scale farms in Saskatch- ewan. (According to Statistics Canada, the proportion of farm operators under the age of 35 is also on the rise.)
Some are choosing to leave the city for a small-scale farm. They’re raising animals, growing food and making valueadded products they sell via CSA models (community-supported agriculture), local markets and online stores.
Lisa and Ben Martens Bartel moved from a decidedly urban existence in Winnipeg to farm with Ben’s parents near Lanigan in 2011. Grovenland Farm is well-known for its holistic, organic animal management and vegetable growing methods.
They use rotational grazing methods to ensure the soil microbiology is as healthy as possible.
Others, like Billy Bryan, focus on raising rare heritage breeds that are difficult if not impossible to find elsewhere in Saskatchewan. Bryan moved from Vancouver Island to Heyer Forest Gardens, located near Neville. He named it after a Norwegian who emigrated to southwest Saskatchewan in 1905 and planted a 25-acre fairy tale-evoking forest.
There, Bryan raises Narragansett turkeys. The breed originated when black Spanish turkeys ( brought to the eastern seaboard from Europe) bred with the wild North American varieties.
Narragansett are nothing like domesticated turkeys; they spend winters hibernating in the farm’s treetops. In the warmer months, they run, forage and fly up into the trees to pluck berries off the leaves.
4. FLYING DUST FIRST NATION’S MARKET GARDEN
Albert Derocher had a vision for his First Nation, located just outside Meadow Lake. Flying Dust’s economic development officer knew growing their own produce was the best way to secure food sovereignty and independence, while providing employment for the community.
Flying Dust’s garden began on a two-acre plot. It quickly expanded. Just 10 years later, the certified organic garden covers 175 acres. Along the way, the band paid for state-of-the-art storage and processing facilities.
The garden’s produce feeds the 700 reserve members yearround and supplies enough food for Flying Dust to donate thousands of kilograms to every food bank in Saskatchewan. Their organic root vegetables are sold in grocery stores across the province.
Derocher views the garden’s value as something far beyond monetary gains.
“If we break even, we’re happy. But if we have to put a little bit of money in, we’re OK with that, too,” he says.
The garden employs five fulltime horticulturalists who help educate others in the community. During seeding and planting, the garden employs up to 40 more people.
Gladys Cardinal has worked in the garden since it began.
“They say gardening is therapeutic. It is for me. I like the outdoors, the fresh air and the hands-on work. It’s rewarding,” she said.
5. HISTORIC BARNS AND ELEVATORS
This province is dotted with barns — some in disrepair and others in full use. All are a reminder of how vital agriculture was for Saskatchewan in earlier times. Barn-raising days were once a common gathering, when all the neighbours pitched in to help build a farm’s lifeblood. So important were barns that they were often built before the main residence on a farm.
While the old grain elevators are quickly disappearing in favour of large, inland terminals, there are still towns where one of these iconic structures proudly stands next to the rail line.
No matter how urbanized we become, these handsome agricultural relics serve as reminders of where we came from. In Saskatchewan, our agricultural roots run deep. Read about these stories and much more in Flat Out Food, a new column connecting people to their food sources, launching Oct. 11 in The StarPhoenix.
Jenn Sharp is a freelance writer based in Saskatoon. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @flatoutfoodsk.