Anna Helmer The Biodynamic baseline regeneration mission: replace the vitality of the soil—successfully drawn into the plants and then removed along with the crop, for consumption. In Biodynamics, the way to do this is through composting—the creation of humus that supports soil to regain its power. The Biodynamic Compost Preparations are the fertility tools of… Keep Reading
Emma Holmes The Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes (SAL) Lab at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems is taking a collaborative approach to research that supports producers in making management decisions that are science-based and regionally grounded. I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Sean Smukler, DeLisa Lewis, Amy Norgaard, and Raelani Kesler from… Keep Reading
The Year the Butterflies Came Back: A Story of Transition at Tulaberry Farm Hailey Troock I picked up the phone one cold winter day in 2019 to a request from the owners and operators of Tulaberry Farm in the picturesque riverside community of Passmore, BC. Judi Morton and Alex Berland wanted to find some young… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer I exhibit a strong spring Biodynamic practice. I have all the time in the world for stirring BD 500, tending to compost piles, and dutifully attempting to follow the planting calendar. In the summer things will likely slide, and the fall is very Biodynamically weak for me. Winter comes and at that point… Keep Reading
Living in Harmony with Nature Marjorie Harris “Biodiversity is biosecurity.” – Paul Stamets “Living in harmony with Nature by 2050” is the world’s new collective relationship goal. This is an invitation to a new concept of relationship between all of humanity and all of Nature’s ecological biodiversity, both terrestrial and aquatic. This global vision, along… Keep Reading
The Lasser Legacy: Raising Healthy, Nutritious, Environmentally-Friendly Cattle Jolene Swain [Editor’s note: It is with hearts full of gratitude and sadness that we share this Organic Story, first published in our Summer 2020 issue and then republished in our Winter 2024 issue. Charlie Lasser passed away Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the age of 92… Keep Reading
New Organic Farmers on Leased Land Tessa Wetherill Spring on an organic produce farm looks like baby greens, tiny radishes, overflowing seedling greenhouses, and freshly turned soil. Everything feels precious and new and brimming with possibility. Touring around Loveland Acres in Salmon Arm with farmers Robin and Maylene, those feelings were especially palpable and poignant… Keep Reading
Anne Macey Originally published in The Canadian Organic Grower, Spring 2018, and updated by the author in May 2020, with thanks. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has established its Principles of Organic Agriculture. Within those, IFOAM includes a Principle of Fairness, which states “Organic agriculture should be built on relationships that ensure… Keep Reading
Rest is Key to Innovate (and Survive a Pandemic) Michelle Tsutsumi and Rebecca Kneen Starting this piece during the onset of COVID-19 in BC created a curious opening for Rebecca and I to delve deeply into what improvement means for organics (both of us speaking from a smaller scale perspective, with the need to hear… Keep Reading
S.K. Basu Pollinators have an important ecological role in securing the stability of all natural ecosystems, through ensuring cross pollination and reproduction across a wide diversity of higher plants. This unique pollinator-plant relationship is a key aspect of maintaining the dynamics of both our ecology as well as our economy. From an ecological perspective, pollination… Keep Reading
