SPRING 2018 | VOLUME 10 ISSUE 01

MEET NEW YOUNG FARMER ASHLEY

ARMSTRONG ON PAGE 4

THINKING ABOUT ON-FARM

LIVESTOCK PROCESSING? SEE PAGE 8

WHAT ARE TARDIGRADES AND WHY

SHOULD YOU CARE? SEE PAGE 10

READ ABOUT GETTING YOUR

PRODUCT TO RETAIL ON PAGE 11
Spring 2018 Volume 10 Issue 01

Mission: To represent and support Executive Director's Report

Alberta's entire organic industry.
Vision: A strong, sustainable and united • March 15th our lobbyist, on behalf of the
organic community in Alberta. board, met with Councillor Paquette.
• March 14th Abbie Stein Maclean
Editor/Submissions & Advertising (Member-At-Large) met with Service
Editor: Debbie Miller Alberta Minster McLean.
587-521-2400 • March 7th Dawn Boileau (VP/Central
debbie.miller@organicalberta.org Region Rep) and Charles Newell
Copy Editor (President/Organic Federation of Canada
Brenda Frick rep) met with Agriculture Minister
306-260-0663
Carlier.
organic@usask.ca
• Feb 22nd Arnold Van Os (Central Region
Graphic Designer 
Rep) and Tracy Smith (Member-At-Large)
Cari Hartt
Becky Lipton, Executive Director met with MLA Cortes-Vargas.
587-521-2400
cari.hartt@organicalberta.org
• Feb 21st Frank Maddock (Consumer Rep)
Your board, advocating for you! and Abbie Stein Maclean (Member-At-
Executive Director Large) met with Premier’s office
Over the past few months, the Organic
Becky Lipton: Stakeholder Relations Managers.
Alberta board of directors have been
587-521-2400 
very busy advocating on your behalf. I
becky.lipton@organicalberta.org In addition to meeting with MLAs directly,
have been very impressed by their
Board Members
dedication, so I thought I would share it our President Charles Newell also wrote a
Representatives elected by region:
with you. letter to the editor on the Local Food Act
(N) North (S) South (C) Central and the organic regulations which was
(M) Member at Large published on March 6th in the Brook’s
They met with 7 elected officials and/or
• President: Charles Newell (AB federal
their staff on the importance of having Bulletin and we worked with MLA
level):
an organic regulation in Alberta, Schreiner to draft a letter of support for
780-809-2247
including:  the Local Food Act/organic regulations
newellsfarm@gmail.com
which she sent to Cabinet.
• Vice President: Dawn Boileau (C):
• April 5th, Charles Newell
780-218-2430
(President/Organic Federation of Canada Apart from all the amazing advocacy work
dawnboileau@gmail.com
rep), Dawn Boileau (VP/Central Region related to the organic regulation, Trevor
• Treasurer: Heather Kerschbaumer (N):
Rep) and Abbie Stein Maclean (Member-
780-835--4508 Aleman (Secretary/Southern Alberta rep)
At-Large) were introduced in the
gaseeds@kerbagroup.com also attended the Federal Minster of
legislature during the introduction of
• Secretary: Trevor Aleman (S): International Trade Francois-Philippe
Bill 7 “Supporting Alberta's Local Food
403-308-4003 Champagne’s Roundtable on February
Sector Act” by Agriculture Minister
trevor@busybeasmarketgarden.com
Carlier. They also attended an 20th.
• James Thiessen (N):
embargoed press conference prior to the
603-480-1158 Thank you so much to our amazing Board
introductions as 'Validators'. A quote
jkthie@telusplanet.net of Directors and all the hard work they
from Mr. Newell was incorporated into
• Arnold Van Os (C):
the Ministries official press release on have been doing to advance organics in
780-312-1052
Bill 7. Alberta!
vanosdairy@xplornet.com
• Abbie Stein-MacLean (M):
780-984-3068
asteinmaclean@gmail.com
Board of Director Changes
• Bernie Ehnes (S): At the Annual Meeting in Red Deer we said farewell to Tim Hoven, outgoing President.
403-666-2157 Tim’s leadership and dedication to Organic Alberta have been very much appreciated.
behnes@gmail.com James Thiessen (northern rep), Dawn Boileau (central rep), Bernie Ehnes (southern rep)
• Frank Maddock (M): and Abbie Stein-MacLean (member at large) were re-elected to the board. We are also
780-727-2333 very happy to welcome new board member Tracy Smith. Tracy served on our board in
jaspersprings@live.com 2004-2005 when we were called the Going Organic Network of Alberta. Her experience
• Tracy Smith (M): and commitment became immediately obvious as she jumped right into regulatory
northerncookinglake@gmail.com meetings and workshops within weeks of being elected! We’d also like to congratulate
Charles Newell, who was elected President. He joins Vice-President Dawn Boileau,
Summer 2018 deadline is Friday, June Treasurer Heather Kerschbaumer and Secretary Trevor Aleman on your executive
8th. Please send comments, suggestions, committee. Add in remaining Board members Arnold Van Os and Frank Maddock and it
ads, and/or articles to is an impressive group! Organic Alberta is fortunate to have such a strong, diverse group
editor@organicalberta.org  of leaders at the helm! Thank you for giving so generously of your time and energy. 

www.organicalberta.org 2
Spring 2018
A good breakfast cookie contains all
the ingredients a good breakfast
does – eggs, fruit, protein, fibre, and
good fats. These cookies meet those
criteria.
Thank you to Community Natural
Foods for providing this recipe. Check
out more at
communitynaturalfoods.com/recipes
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (you can make
your own by grinding 1 ½ cups of
oats in your Vitamix or blender until
coarsely ground)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp coconut oil, melted and
cooled
• 5 tbsp honey   Bake until golden brown around
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a
rimmed baking sheet with
unbleached parchment paper and
set aside.
In a large bowl, add dry
ingredients and mix  to combine.
Create a well in the center of the
dry ingredients, and add the oil,
honey, applesauce, and eggs. Mix
to combine. Add the raisins, and
mix until evenly distributed
throughout the dough. Place the
bowl in the refrigerator and chill
for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 10 equal
portions  on the prepared baking
sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Push down on dough to create
discs.
edges and set in center, about 18
 minutes). Cool on the baking sheet
until firm.
www.organicalberta.org
Volume 10 Issue 01
Organic Alberta Heroes
A big thank you to everyone who makes it
possible for us to do what we do.  This issue
we’d like to recognize: Vital Green Farms,
Soames Smith, Steve Snider, Dean Hjelte, Logber
Ranch, Larry Van Slyke, Mans Organics, Keith
Jones, Terry Sheehan, Fairwinds Farm, Art &
Kathy Baker, Ty & Janice Shelton, Denise
O’Reilly, Stan & Marion Peacock, Roselyn Elford,
David & Karen Doerksen, John Hofer, Jim
Schoepp, Liz Chrapko, George & Mary Janzen,
Golden Acres Seeds, Michael Scott, James
Thiessen, Frank & Brenda Maddock, Pierre
Fillion, James & Jodi Bozarth, Greg Wedman,
Chickadee Farm Herbs, Teun Van Den Broek,
Paul & Lorna Martens, Marie Thiesen, Ruzicka
Sunrise Farm, Paul Schneider, Blue Mountain
Biodynamic Farm, William Gaugler, Herbe
Torkelson, Trevor Aleman, Norbert Kratchmer,
Solomon Wurtz, James Oudshoorn, Gayle
Lawon, Abbie Stein-Maclean, Virgil Goossen,
Leslie Thorson, Nolan & Keely Wohlgemuth,
Wayne & Peggy Robinson, Kerry & Lisa Wilson,
Teresa & Tymen Van Den Hazel, Angela Greter,
Terry Prockiw, Dale Doram, Stuart Wheeler,
Rick Kohut, Ernest & Rebecca Peters, Annamarie
& Jack Feenstra, Mary Lou Planer, Colin &
Nicole Copea, Harmonic Herbs, Sergius
Mankow, Winter’s Turkeys, Lory Betchuk, Dale
Neudorf, Lyle Statham, Stuart Meston, Hemp
Production Services, Peter Peters, Quinn Boulet,
Anna Neudorf, Performance Seed, Taurus Ag
Marketing, Fresh Hemp Foods, Alberta Ag &
Rural Development, Fresh Direct Produce,
Lackawanna Products Corp, AOPA, Associated
Grocers, New Century Produce, Nutrasun Foods,
Hemp Genetics, Nature’s Path, EcoCert Canada,
Wetaskiwin Co-op, Terralink Horticulture, OCIA
International-Canada, Homegrown Foods, Blush
Lane Organics, Progressive Foods, Montana
Specialty Mills, Great Northern Grain Terminal,
Sunnyside Natural Market, Richardson Milling,
Peavey Industries, Willsie Equipment, Sunrise
Foods, Pro-Cert Organic Systems, Shafer
Commodities, Grower’s International, CSI, Olds
College, PHS Organics, Community Natural
Foods, XPT Grain, Penergetic, Sani Marc, and,
last but not least – Grain Millers!! You are all
heroes to Organic Alberta!
3
 Spring 2018
Organic Alberta Member Profile: Ashley Armstrong
An interview conducted by Andrea
Wiebe, Community Service Learning
Student at the University of Alberta, as
part of the Status of Women project at
Organic Alberta.
Andrea: Tell me a little bit about what
you do.
Ashley: So, we’re new farmers. My
husband came from a subdivision with
just a cat. I came from 6 acres with 2
horses. We lived in Calgary for a few
years. He worked in the oilfield, was gone
all the time and I was home by myself.
Finally, I was like, “Either you need to
find a job where you’re home all the time,
or I’m going to move somewhere that I
enjoy, and you can visit me on your days
off.”
We had no idea what we were looking
for, we just didn’t want to be in town.
Especially when we had kids. Because I
grew up on 6 acres, I wanted to turn ‘em
loose and let ‘em run!
We finally found our property. It was a
quarter section with no outbuildings, no
water, nothing. We took a Holistic
Management farming course and one of
the quotes from the course was that “we
don’t own the land, we are borrowing it
from our grandchildren and our great
grandchildren". That really resonated
with us. Nothing had been done on our  grown?
land, at all. They had cut hay on it for 20
years and they didn’t put any soil
improvements into it.  We started
rotationally grazing our cows. By moving
them every day, we noticed huge
improvements in our land. We still had
green grass at the start of October.
Andrea: How did you get into organic
livestock?
Ashley: My husband went down to his
friend’s place and they processed cows.
He was hooked. We bought our first set of
cows in July of 2012. The first year was 7
head, the next year was 11, and then we
went to 14 the year after. Last year we
went to 60, and this year we’re at 80, so
bigger jumps.
In the summer of 2014, we met an organic
farmer. He’s close to us so we started
going over to his house to check out his
animals. He has pigs, cows, chickens, and
he’s been organic for something like 28
years. He asked us if we would consider
certifying our land. We worked with him
to certify all our land and then we cut
all the hay on it and sold organic hay to
him. Our land has been certified organic
for two years now.  money, too. How can I help you make
Andrea: Through programs that you’ve
been a part of through Organic Alberta,
do you feel that your network has
www.organicalberta.org
Volume 10 Issue 01
Ashley: Definitely. Even yesterday at the
Success for Women in AgriFood
program, I went home with four
business cards, and not all of them are
farmers. One woman does solar, another
woman builds mineral programs for
animals, another one is a veggie farmer.
It’s been so neat. It’s networking and
getting to talk to different people who
care about farming or care about good
food.
There are so many other young
producers like myself and my husband
near each other in our area. So now
we’re thinking about how we can work
together to do a food box or something.
Because it’s not, “My farm versus your
farm.” We’re not in competition.
Everybody needs to eat. Why don’t we
work together and feed as many people
as we can?
I’ve noticed more so with the organic
producers that I’ve met through these
Organic Alberta and Young Agrarian
events, that they want to help. They’re
so passionate about food and they want
to help you succeed. And, you know,
we’ve never been a part of something
like that. People are more like, “I want
to make money, but I want you to make
money? And how can I help you be a
successful farmer, so you want to stay
being a farmer? And so that you get
your kids into being farmers.” It’s really
such a neat community. 
4
Spring 2018 Volume 10 Issue 01

Market Prices
OrganicBiz gathers and posts monthly price
information at organicbiz.ca/category/markets/. The
following prices are from late March.

CROP SPOT PRICE PREM.

Bushel (Tonne)

Western Canada 2017 Crop

Wheat - Feed $9.50-$10.50 ($349-$386) 177%

299%
Wheat - Hard Red $17.50-$21.00 ($643-$772)

303%
Wheat - Soft White $15.00-$16.00 ($551-$588)

Barley - Feed $7.00-$7.50 ($322-$344) 148%

Oats - Milling $5.75 ($373) 202%

Flax - Brown $36.00 ($1,575) 313%

Peas - Yellow $17.50-$18.00 ($643-$661) 280%

Western Canada 2018 Crop

Wheat - Hard Red $17.50 ($643) 269%

Wheat - Soft White $16.00 ($588) 256%

Oats - Milling $6.25 ($405) 240%

Flax - Brown $34.00 ($1,339) 288%

Peas - Yellow $16.00 ($588) 237%

Organic Market Opportunities

Classified Ads
For Sale: 97 round bales alfalfa/grass hay; 24 round bales wheat straw; 250 bushels Red Fife wheat; all certified organic by EcoCert.
Call Don at 780-385-2474 or email ruzickadon@hotmail.com.
Growers’s International is buying all varieties of wheat, durum, barley, oats, flax, spelt, peas, mustard and lentils.  Call one of our
buyers today! Mark Gimby: 306-652-4529, Braden Neuls: 306-227-8872.
Are you looking for a consistent supply of organic soybean meal? Shafer Commodities can assist you with all of your organic     
needs, we are also buying HRS, durum, flax, barley & peas 403-328-5066.

www.organicalberta.org 5
Spring 2018 Volume 10 Issue 01

www.organicalberta.org 6
Spring 2018 Volume 10 Issue 01

www.organicalberta.org 7
 Spring 2018
Owning More of the Livestock Value Chain
and On Farm Processing
By Dana Penrice, Young Agrarians
Coordinator
As producers look for new avenues to
market their livestock, the option of
owning more of the value chain often
comes up, including building on-farm
processing. At the 2018 Organic
Alberta conference, Kathy Bosse, New
Venture Specialist with Alberta
Agriculture and Forestry, presented
some important questions for those
considering this avenue.
Are you ready to expand your
operation?     support it. An on-farm cut and wrap
Having a solid understanding of your
business and the business you will be
getting into is crucial. Understanding
the market and knowing your
competition will also help you assess if
expansion is right for you. Who else is
out there? Who would be your
primary and secondary competition?
Most importantly, what makes sense
for your business?   In small business, owners often wear all
Using an Abbatoir
Pros:
Knowledge and expertise
No set up costs
Cons:
Travelling
Product quality
What are the costs?
It will be important to figure all of the
costs of an on-farm processing facility.
Kathy emphasized making sure you
include all of the costs. She suggested
that cost is the biggest barrier to setting
up on farm slaughter and estimated that
to build an on farm slaughter facility is
approximately $350/square foot. In her
experience, it was likely that a slaughter
facility would need approximately 70
beef going through per week. A facility
that includes slaughter and cut and
wrap may not be feasible without a
group of farmers coming together to
facility might be more feasible.   Do you know the regulations?
What is your management structure?
Owning more of the value chain means
that your business is likely to get more
complicated, so it’s important to know
your business structure. Who will be
the producer? Who will be the
marketer? Who will be the accountant?
Building On Farm
Pros:
No travel
Cons:
Set up costs
Inspection
Ongoing costs
Increased paperwork
Meat cutting skills required
www.organicalberta.org
Volume 10 Issue 01
of these hats but this might not be
feasible as you expand. Who is your
team?  
What is the plan?
If an expansion is in the cards, you will
definitely need a business plan. Alberta
Agriculture has developed a template
called Elements of a Business Plan,
accessible on their website to help you
get started. With her experience as a
New Venture Specialist, Kathy
recommends creating a plan that allows
you to start small and grow slowly.
Making sure that your plan is in line
with the appropriate regulations will set
you up for success. Remember that all
meat for sale must be inspected. Will
you be following provincial or federal
regulations?  If you are planning for a
cut and wrap facility you will need to be
inspected by Alberta Health Services.
They will also inspect transportation of
meat from one facility to another. For
labelling, you will also need to follow
the CFIA requirements.
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s New
Venture Coaches are available to help
you work through these questions and
to see if owning more of the value chain
is the right fit for you. They have a
wealth of experience and research to
draw from including work on feasibility
studies. You can call them at 310-FARM. 
8
Spring 2018 Volume 10 Issue 01

www.organicalberta.org 9
 Spring 2018
Tardigrades: Soil's
Toughest Organism
By Samantha Flasha, Organic Grain
Program Coordinator, Organic Alberta
Get to know your soil organisms! We all
know biodiversity is an important factor
to ecological resiliency, but we often
forget about the organisms below
ground. Here’s one soil organism that
you may not have heard of before, our
first specimen in our series on soil
organisms. They can be found in almost  species, from three months to as many  plant roots.
any region or climate and are one of
the most basic indicators of life in your
soil.
Tardigrades, or as they’re more
commonly known, Water Bears or Moss
Piglets have a reputation of being some 
of the toughest organisms on Earth.
Microfossils of tardigrades have been
found from as far back as 520 million
years ago. They can withstand some of
the most extreme temperatures and
weather conditions, and their
impressive resilience means that they
can be found in every corner of the
earth, in nearly every condition.  Their inhabitation attracts other
They have a unique, some may even say
cute appearance, with a long, chubby
body, and a scrunched-up face. They
have eight legs with tiny claws on the
end that look like hands. They move
slowly, in a motion that resembles a
bear’s amble – indicative of their
“Water Bear” nickname. They range in
size from 0.5mm to 1.5mm long and can
only be viewed through a microscope.
Their lifespan varies greatly among
www.organicalberta.org
Volume 10 Issue 01
as two years. They also have the
unique ability to survive in a
dehydrated state and can remain
dormant for many years and come
back to life. 
Despite their ability to live in
extreme conditions they tend to
favor wet conditions, and are often
found in mosses, trees and other
relatively unremarkable areas. A
common way to find them is to soak
some moss with water and squeeze
them out. Their resiliency also means
that they are usually among the first
species to habitat new ecosystems.
invertebrates and eventually attracts
larger species, such as predators.
They feed on microbes that, in turn,
allow them to accumulate the
necessary elements for other life
forms, such as nitrogen, carbon and
phosphorus. While most species feed
on plant cells, algae and juice from
mosses, some species are
carnivorous and feed on small
invertebrates. Tardigrades have also
been shown to suppress populations
of harmful nematodes that attack
10
 Spring 2018
Getting Your Product to Retail: What You Need to Know
Deciding to sell your products into retail
can be an important move for your farm
and business. However, there are many
considerations in deciding to take that
step. When you knock on a retailer’s
door, you need to be prepared and
aware of all the basic logistical
information to finish and follow through
on the deal. 
In order to find out what those key
pieces of information are, we
approached Frank Sarro of Community
Natural Foods. He came up with the
following categories and emphasized the
importance of being up to speed on how
to prepare yourself, and what questions
you will want to ask when you approach
a retailer.
Produce Specific:
Food Safety Requirements: Be sure to
know what the retailer or distributor
wants in regards to food safety
protocols, audits and certifications.
Most retailers require vegetable
producers to be working toward or
already have a Canadian Food
Inspection Agency approved on-farm
food safety system, such as Canada
GAP or Good Agricultural Collection
Processes (GACPs).
Grading: Know if there are any
Canadian guidelines and regulations
for your products (produce). These
can include sizing, colour or quality.
Many retailers will return the product
if it does not meet the pre-set Quality   field to retailer will be key. Some
Assurance standards, so ensure you
know before you ship.  ensure there have been no
Pack Size: There is industry standard
packaging for most produce items. The
retailer is trained to order by cases in
specific sizes and weights. Packing
outside of these standards can cause
confusion and could also affect basic
things like shipping and packing
pallets. You may also be required to
ship the produce in cases and master
cases with specific dimensions and
particular materials.  Who consigns the trucking and is
Labeling Requirements: Does the
product require specific labels as
outlined by authorities like the CFIA? If
the produce has been “processed” in
some way, eg. cut microgreens,
chopped lettuce, etc. there may be
some specific label requirements for
the package. Check into CFIA
resources, such as "Labelling
Requirements for Fresh Fruits and
Vegetables". Some buyers might have
specific needs that others might not.
Product stickering is not mandatory
but many buyers require stickers or
bands with descriptions like grade
information and universal produce
codes. Cases should be labeled with
product identification and contents.
Temperature Control and Product
Integrity: Produce has a life span
where it lives, breathes and perishes.
Understanding the specifics of the
produce is essential to delivering good
products to market with a decent
shelf life. Ensuring that the cold-chain
or temperature requirements for
produce has been maintained from
www.organicalberta.org
Volume 10 Issue 01
retailers track this for each case to
compromises in transit. 
All Products:
Transportation: What are the
specific product requirements for
shipping? Temperature? How
many cases on a pallet to meet the
trucking companies and receiving
requirements. Type of pallet?
therefore responsible for trucking
claims should product be
damaged or lost on route? This is
a very important decision.
Pack Size: Although pack sizes are
very important for produce, in
some cases non-produce items
may also have packing size
requirements. 
Labeling Requirements: CFIA also
have very clear guidelines for
labeling of all products. 
Customer Requirements: Be sure to
understand the specifics of your
customer’s needs. There could be
advanced requirements like
trackable bar codes that
identify the shipment and track
the products every movement to
enclosed temperature receivers
that monitor the products
temperature from point to point.
Other Basics: Bring the right
documentation for your products
such as your organic certificate,
food safety certificate and proof
of liability insurance. This could
also include such things as safe
handling requirements or other
professional designations. 
11
 Spring 2018
Organic Alberta Members Recognized as
2018 OCIA International Farmer of the Year
Terry and Roseanna Sheehan of
Sunnie Valley Farms at Westlock,
Alberta were honoured at the 2018
OCIA International Annual
Membership Meeting in Kansas City
with the award for 2018
Outstanding Organic Farmer of the
Year.
The award is presented by OCIA
Research and Education and
recognizes producers who have
been certified organic for at least
five years. These farmers excel in
thoughtful cropping and livestock
practices that build soil and reduce
pests and weeds. They maintain
and enhance the environment.
They are innovative in farm
practice.  Outstanding organic
farmers are involved in the organic
community, promoting and
supporting organic agriculture.
They are often also involved
members of their local
communities.
It is easy to see why Terry and
Roseanna were chosen this year.
They easily fulfill all the above
criteria. When Terry was just 20
years old they took over a family
mixed farm. Since then both their
farm and their family have grown.
They now have four children, who
are all interested in farming.   Association – Canada and serves as
Volume 10 Issue 01
Certified since 1997, the Sheehan’s president.  He has been an Alberta
farm consists mostly of hay land representative for the Organic
and pasture with some oats and Federation of Canada, as well as the
barley grown for feed as well as director and OFC representative of
human consumption.  The hay is a Organic Alberta.
mixture of Alfalfa and grasses
grown to feed and graze their beef Congratulations Terry and
herd.     Roseanna!  
Portable feed bunks and wind break
panels are used to move the cattle
around and avoid keeping them in
the same place every year.  Areas of
trees have also been planted for
shelter.  All the fat animals are sold
as organic beef, either directly to
consumers, or to a local buyer.
 Along with planting trees, the
Sheehan’s put up bird houses and
have two bee hive colonies on their
farm to enhance the natural
environment.  The Sheehan’s
improve their soil by having a
rotation that includes perennial
forages, grasses and grazing.  
Terry is very active promoting
organic agriculture, having served
as past president and director of the
Alberta Organic Producers
Association.  He is currently serving
on the OCIA International Board of
Directors, and has previously served
as treasurer.  He is also very active
in the OCIA Chapter Members
 
www.organicalberta.org 12
 Spring 2018
LETTERS TO AN ELDER FARMER
Takota Coen’s favourite thing about farming is watching the sun set after a long day’s work. The 25-
year-old works alongside his parents on their Ferintosh-area farm. Together they market beef, dairy,
pork, chicken, eggs, vegetables, grains, hay, fruits, and nuts. In addition to being a farmer, Takota is
a journeyman carpenter and farm educator.
Dear Elder Agrarian,
Ten years ago this spring, the neighbours
cleared some land. What was once a
vibrant forest of beautiful complexity
gave way to barren soil and smoking
piles. I played in these woods as a child
and was struck by the sudden change.
While some saw progress, I saw a terrible
loss. For reasons still unknown to me, the
owners walked away almost as soon as
the smoke cleared. For a decade I
watched a transformation I will never
forget.
First came the weeds. By the end of that
first summer, thistles and other noxious
plants had formed a raging green mass.
The other neighbours were furious.
“Someone has to do something or it will
spread,” they said. But no one did.
By the second fall, white and black
poplars had suckered back and met my
waist. Two years later, the weeds had
been almost entirely replaced by clovers
and grasses. The emerging poplar canopy
now stood 12 feet tall.
By the sixth year, the birds had returned,
and their woven nests dotted the
dogwood and wild rose like little baskets
filled with the promise of renewal. The
taste of saskatoons marked year eight,
and on the ninth year, I had to hold my
breath to squeeze between trunks while
harvesting poplar poles for some chicken
roosts. They were 25 feet long and
straight as an arrow.
From the thistles came a forest, I
thought on the 10th year. And as I stood
beneath the shaded understory of this
towering forest reborn, I was reminded
of you, and the transformation you and
so many other agrarians began decades
ago.
I imagine it began with a hunch. And
when you got sick from the chemicals,
when others couldn’t make the input
payments, or saw the land, grass, and
animals whither and fade, questions
accompanied that hunch. But, it was too
late. In the time leading up to your
decision to change, your forest had been
cleared and now there was nothing. So
you did what you could, and you kept
growing, but this time organically.
When neighbours had questions of their
own, how could you explain? All the
“science” was in their favour. All you
had was your experience, and a hunch.
So you grew, and soon found that
nobody likes a thistle. When your
friends and neighbours tried to cut you
down you were shocked and hurt. When
they failed and finally left you alone,
you kept growing. Now, years later,
some of the neighbours have different
questions, more out of a curiosity this
time rather than contempt. And the
science is catching up, too. Where once
there were only a few thorny pioneers
stands an ecosystem burgeoning with
life and potential.  A Young Agrarian
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Volume 10 Issue 01
Then I came along. Young, eager, full of
passion, but short on experience. I saw
what you and the others had done: how
you took an unspeakable wreckage and
began to rebuild. Now, from a weedy
mess a young forest is growing.
Sometimes, I feel like one of those
young trees. In the shadows –waiting,
listening closely, taking courses, joining
groups, reading incessantly, and making
many, many mistakes. And there I wait,
until the soil is ready and opportunity
floods into the sheltered understory you
have built for me. When that time
comes, I will know exactly what to do:
to keep growing; to reach for the sky; to
take my place amongst the others in our
ecosystem who are all doing their part
to rebuild the soil and culture for
generations to come. You and the others
have taught me so well.
But, if for some reason my leaves take a
different form, or my fruit a strange
colour, know that it is not out of
contempt that I differ. I understand
only from a thistle can a forest grow
and without your work I would not
have the soil to stand on – soil rich with
potential.
With love, respect and much gratitude,
Takota Coen
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