An organic labour of love
Nova Scotian farmers working hard to maintain certifications
Josh Oulton and Patricia Bishop, of Taproot Farms in Port Williams became certified to grow and produce organic products in 2009.
Over the years, they have made maintaining that certification a priority even though some producers have settled on terms like spray-free, natural or even ‘almost organic.'
“It's important to us because we want to farm in a better way. We want to lead by example,” Oulton said.
“We want to farm more in tune with nature. We wanted to move away from petroleum-based fertilizers and synthetic pesticides.”
The couple believes the best way to do that is by having a third party certify the farm to make sure they are following the rules.
The development of newer inputs — or the tools like natural fertilizers and pesticides the farmer can use that is permitted by organic standards — are even becoming popular with non-organic farms.
"I think organics are going to continue to grow, and there is going to be more acceptance by conventional or non-organic growers and a bit of morphing or coming together of organic and conventional farming practices," Oulton said.
Advocates for the adoption of organic farming practices in Canada say the organic agriculture sector has grown faster in recent years than its non-organic counterpart.
"Organic is the fastestgrowing category in agriculture in Canada and has consistent sales growth across all product categories. Canadians are demanding more and more variety in their organic purchases, which is driving the market to keep up with this next generations' desire for more organic," according to Tia Loftsgard, executive director of the Canada Organic Trade Association. The association says the sector has seen 8.7 per cent yearover-year growth steadily since 2017.
HOW TO BECOME CERTIFIED ORGANIC?
Another ardent advocate for the adoption of widespread organic farming is Allison Grant, of Brooklyn, N.S.
Grant has been an advocate for organic farm practices for more than a quarter-century. She managed a health food store and was a certified organic farmer herself, still growing organic for her consumption. She sits on the Organic Federation of Canada — Standards Interpretation Committee (SIC), is the chairperson for the Organic Value Chain Roundtable (OVCRT) — Public Trust for Organic working group, and was consulted on the development of the Nova Scotia Organic Regulations.
Grant also serves as an organic inspector for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and is an organic inspector and verification officer for three certification bodies.
Grant said the benchmark for certification is the Canadian Organic Standards. It's accompanied by the permitted substances list, which restricts the inputs used to grow and process organic products. It is the products that are certified, she says, not the farm.
The burden of proof of compliance is on the farmer through careful record-keeping and thorough inspections.
“If you truly want the assurance that you are producing a product that aligns with your values of protecting the earth ... the only way you can guarantee that is through certification,” Grant said.
COST OF ORGANIC
Budding organic farmers face many challenges, such as not being able to call yourself organic for at least a year after applying for certification. The land used for organic production must be free of prohibited substances for 36 months, and there needs to be a minimum buffer zone if there is a possibility of contamination from neighbouring land.
Annual fees for certification can range from $750 for a small market farm setup to thousands, depending on the size and complexity of the operation.
Organic farming practices generate higher labour costs, and regular crop rotation means lower overall yields when land is not in use.
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT ORGANIC FARMERS DURING A PANDEMIC?
Many small-scale organic farmers in Nova Scotia are struggling to pay the bills during the COVID-19 pandemic because they can't access regular customers after some farmers' markets closed due to restrictions on public gatherings.
Gilberte Doelle, with Wild Rose Farm in Gilberts Cove in Digby County, said customers could help by joining Wild Rose Farm's Community Shared Agriculture program (CSA), where clients commit financially to purchase a box of fresh produce every week, which can be picked up at four locations. Information on the CSA is available on Facebook or at www.wildrosefarm.ca
Food products from Taproot Farms are available at Noggins retail locations and information on the farms CSA and delivery service is available at taprootfarms.ca.