The Organic Crop Improvement Association has named Marc
Loiselle of Vonda, Sask., its outstanding organic farmer for 2007.
The association is one of the world’s foremost organic groups, with offices in Canada, the United States, Latin America, Asia and Europe.
Its research and education board developed the award to honour producers who excel in cropping and livestock practice, are good stewards of the natural environment and are committed to the organic community.
It was awarded for the first time in 2006 to Dwayne Woolhouse of Assiniboia, Sask. Having two Saskatchewan producers named in the first two years of this award indicates the level of excellence and leadership that the province achieves in the organic community.
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Farmers were nominated for the award by their local chapters; only six of the 38 chapters that are eligible to nominate candidates are in Saskatchewan.
Loiselle Organic Family Farm has been certified organic since 1985. Loiselle and his family grow heritage wheat, barley, oats, peas, flax, fall rye, alfalfa, yellow mustard, sweet clover and red clover. They also raise goats, roasting chickens and laying hens.
Loiselle manages the land with an eye to maintaining and enhancing the natural environment. He retains wetlands and bush and has planted 19 kilometres of shelterbelts, which provide habitat for birds and in turn helps the farm when the birds prey on grasshoppers and other pests.
Livestock have restricted access to the pond on the farm to reduce water contamination. Perennial grasses are established along water runs to prevent erosion. Poorer quality land is maintained in hay rather than cultivating it. Honeybees forage in the alfalfa and clover.
Loiselle makes extensive use of green manures to build soil. He rotates crops over a four or five year cycle, selecting crops with lots of biomass to increase soil organic matter and tilth.
He carefully manages composted manure, placing it on saline areas, hilltops where soil is thin and in areas where soil fertility is low.
Weeds are managed with timely cultivation and frequent green manuring, which provides good control of perennial weeds such as quack grass and Canada thistle.
Cultivation, post emergent harrowing, hay cutting and crop harvesting are timed as much as possible using the biodynamic method of lunar scheduling. Loiselle finds that this optimizes his cultivation and reduces the amount of tillage needed.
He said he believes that timely cultivation helps control grasshoppers and sawflies, as well as weeds. Beneficial spurge beetles help manage leafy spurge. Loiselle encouraged his rural municipal council to introduce these biocontrol agents.
He has been an outstanding advocate for organic farming and has spread the word in a number of documentaries, including The Future of Food and The Fight for True Farming.
He is involved in a class action lawsuit against Monsanto and Bayer Crop Science for releasing genetically modified canola, and has served as communications and research director for the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund.
Loiselle was involved in committees working on the Canadian organic standards and has represented organics on the wheat-rye-triticale recommending committee for the variety registration system in Western Canada.
He has also been active at the local level, serving as president, secretary, treasurer, crop improvement chair and on the certification review committee for OCIA SK#2, the association chapter centred in the North Battleford area.
He is the fifth generation of the Loiselle family to farm their land. This year the farm celebrates its 100th anniversary under Loiselle family management.
The Loiselles recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They have four children proud to be raised on an organic farm.
They are mentors for other
farmers transitioning into organic farming. They truly embody their motto: holistic stewardship for abundant life.
Frick is the prairie co-ordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada located at the University of Saskatchewan. She can be reached at 306-966-4975, at brenda.frick@usask.ca, or www.organicagcentre.ca.
