The summer calendar is filled with opportunities for growth in the organic community.
A number of organic groups host field days over the summer, which provide opportunities to tour fields, discuss issues and celebrate the organic community.
Steve, Robert and Rosemary Snider of Little Red Hen Mills near Edberg, Alta., hosted an event sponsored by the Going Organic Network. It is an umbrella group of organic producers, processors, sellers and consumers “who want to see organics bloom in Alberta,” and the Alberta Organic Producers Association, which is a group of producers and processors certified with the Organic Crop Improvement Association.
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The Sniders host research plots for the cereal breeding group working under the direction of Dean Spaner at the University of Alberta.
Alison Nelson is primarily interested in mycorrhizal fungi and how they may be associated with different management systems or crop combinations. Her plots include several wheat varieties and intercrops of wheat, barley, peas and canola.
She has found that plots with barley had fewer weeds, while barley grown with peas or canola also suppressed those crops.
Nelson will soon be washing roots from soil samples to look for mycorrhizae.
Klaus Strenzke is looking at the performance of 51 wheat varieties from Canada and from an international centre for wheat breeding. He is especially interested in their performance on low phosphorus soil. Several studies have shown that organic farms generally test low for available phosphorus, so identifying varieties that require less phosphorus could be important for organic producers.
Todd Reid is asking if it is worthwhile to breed specifically for organic production.
Traditionally, breeders have used a “one size fits all” approach, where the best varieties selected on conventional land are considered to be the best varieties for organic production.
Todd is selecting the best lines grown on organic land and the best lines grown on conventional land. So far, most of the lines judged best for organic production have been different from those judged best under conventional production.
Researchers from the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta also have plots at the Sniders’ farm.
Amy Kaut discussed a test of several fertility amendments, including kelp, fish emulsion and calcium. Cindy Nikolaisen of Soil Solutions Inc. also spoke about the use of these products.
One of Steve Snider’s specialties is fall rye. He showed us an area where last year he plowed down a green manure crop on one part of the field while he cropped the rest of the field.
This year both parts of the field are in fall rye and the difference is striking. The previously cropped land had a substantial Canada thistle problem, while the green manured land was virtually weed free.
In the afternoon, we divided into two groups for discussions on making the switch to organics.
Steve Snider recommended that people who switch to organic production start with plow down crops.
He advises alfalfa hay during the transition period, followed by oats, but if that isn’t possible, he suggested a legume plow down, followed by fall rye. He said green manures allow organic producers “to put weed problems in the back seat, not in the driver’s seat.”
Snider has a seed cleaning plant on his farm, which allows him to work with intercrops. He finds that barley and fababeans work particularly well together. They suppress weeds and are easier to handle and store. As well, the splits that cannot be separated make a good feed mixture.
Milling grain makes a less ideal intercropping candidate because millers are less accepting of splits or other crop seeds.
Ben Brandsema, an organic dairy farmer from British Columbia, talked with dairy producers considering organic production in Alberta.
His organic milk production is based on grass, with supplemental amounts of organic corn, barley and wheat.
Protein is harder to find. Brandsema uses organic flax, though not enough to produce an omega 3 rich product.
He said quality is vital.
“You’ve got to play by the rules, and not tinker with them. You need to do the very best job you can.”
The Alberta field day and round table provided a range of information for producers switching to organic production.
More importantly, it brought people together to share concerns, techniques and fellowship and to build networks that will allow them to continue to farm organically on the Prairies.
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.
