Hello beloved eaters!

There’s a really important proposal before the agricultural committee that’s being voted on Thursday March the 10th.  The proposal has been put forth by the liberal party and it calls for a moratorium on GM Alfalfa so that we can conduct further study on the issue – something which is lacking and has been lacking since GM was first released world-wide.  Please check out this video that Nathan made to help  raise awareness of the issue.  Following that is his letter to our MP.  Take chunks and use it or just use it for inspiration!

Go to www.cban.ca/alfalfa for quick form letters to send off and show your concern!

Nathan’s letter:
“Right Honorable Mr. Miller,
Mr.  Miller I’d like to sincerely thank-you for the opportunity to have a dialogue with you about bill C-474 a few weeks ago.  While we were not able to agree on everything and while I was disappointed with your (and the Conservatives unanimous) vote against the bill I appreciated speaking with you one on one.
I’m writing again about the issue of genetically modified organisms because, as I’m sure you’re well aware, the issue has continued to move forward with the introduction of the proposed moratorium on GE Alfalfa as put forward by Liberal MP Wayne Easter.  I hope that you will vote in favor of this proposal as well as attend the round-table scheduled for Thursday the 10th in Guelph at the Italian Canadian Center from 7-9 pm.
I’m a first generation farmer.  I’m among the most rapidly expanding parts of agriculture in Canada.  As the age of the average farmer continues to climb, as farms continue to disappear under consolidation, as complex industrial-scale operations continue to get the full support of government while at the same time garnering vehement consumer backlash, myself and my colleagues represent change, growth and renewal.  Myself, my growing number of colleagues and the wave of consumers that support us come at agriculture from a new perspective: we see soil-biology, diverse rotations, natural-systems and resiliency as the technology that will drive Canada forward not privately-owned, proprietary, litigious, expensive and secretive technology like genetic modification.

One of that statements that you made when we spoke  - which I really appreciated doing! – still rings in my ear – “Organic cannot feed the world.”  This is provably false and in some ways misses the point.  The promises of GM have been myriad and sweeping – “GM will feed the world, GM will alleviate poverty, GM will solve hunger and malnutrition.”  But not a single one of these promises have come to pass.  In fact the exact opposite is true in most cases.  Please review this recent report, one of the few that have been created by non-industry funded scientists: http://www.gmwatch.eu/images/pdf/gm_full_eng_v15.pdf

I wasn’t all that surprised by your statement though.  When there is scant science from the other side how can you form a proper opinion?  The few studies that have come in are showing a disturbing trend – most of the claims of the bio-tech giants are found false (at worst) and shaky (at best).  From the safety and promised reduced-rate of use of glyphosate to the promise of larger yields, to the effects of genetic-pollution in weeds.  These studies may be preliminary and they may have flaws but the over-all trend is clear:  the assumptions we’ve made about GM must be questioned.

I feel this moratorium is critically important because GM technology has been pushed through governments in a dearth of information.  We have lived with GM crops for 15 years and we still have very little idea what effects it is having on our bodies or that of our environment.  The studies that do exists are sponsored by the same companies that provide the products – how can this level of transparent bias stand?  We need a moratorium.  We NEED independent, strong, non-industry funded studies that the moratorium brings with it.

We’ve allowed Canola, Sugar Beets, Soy, Corn, Papaya and some squash to be released as GM products and GMOs are in almost everything we eat.  Let’s take a step back before we release ANOTHER source of potential harm and take a proper look at what the effects are.  I’m not anti-technology BUT I am against this technology in it’s current form – a form control by monopolistic companies pushing a profit driven agenda.  GM crops as we know them today have had their chance, it’s time to stop putting more fuel on the fire, and to instead take a step-back and see what effects this fire is having on farmers, on natural systems and on consumers.

The Canadian agricultural sector is putting all it’s eggs in one basket – the basket of complex, industrialized agriculture.  I don’t know anyone from stock-brokers, to farmers, to educators that would advise anyone to focus on one strategy at the expensive of all others.  This is not a prudent strategy for any part of society or for life in general.  It leaves you brittle and unable to react to the increasingly complex and fast moving shocks that are hitting our economy.  In fact Canadian agricultural policy has put Canadian’s food system and food sovereignty in extreme jeopardy with it’s singular focus.  GM Alfalfa would undermine some of the few alternative systems we have left.

This moratorium is needed for the above reasons and many more.  I look forward to seeing this proposal pass and seeing the results of what come from it.  Thank-you again for taking the time to correspond with me.  I will continue making sure people know that while we may not share the same views, that you are certainly willing to have an open conversation.”

We are committed to doing our best to grow greens to the best of our abilities during the winter- without added heat.  So far we have been able to give our CSA members to arugula and spinach, with more treats to come.

Being on pasture gives them the opportunity to forage- in fact about 40% of what a pastured turkey eats is grass!  And that’s why it doesn’t taste anything like the dry, pasty meat that needs a good smothering of gravy to be palatable.  Once you try our turkey, you will wonder why you only ever eat it about twice a year!  We barbecue turkeys all year long.  Nathan and I like to portion up the birds while they’re fresh, and freeze the breasts and thighs separately, so we can have it for sandwich meat, or an easy dinner whenever we want.  So consider getting a few!

Head to our pastured poultry page for ordering information. 

If you find chicken to be a little boring, a little dry, generally in need of sauce or seasoning, you will be blown away when you taste a ‘real’ chicken.  You will find that just a little salt and pepper is all you need to have the best chicken you have ever tasted.

Chicken is only available by pre-order, and costs $4.50/lb.  Send an email to greenbeingfarm@gmail.com  telling us how many you’d like.  There is a minimum 5 chicken order.  Chicken will be delivered to downtown locations in:

Guelph:  August 4th from 5-7

Toronto:  August 22 from 11:00-1:00.

At the farm any time after July 28th.

Exact details will be given when you order.

Have a closer look:

Ungrazed land

Result of rotational, multi-species grazing

The greening up of the fields is not only due to the manuring, it’s due to the fact that the action of animals on the soil can have the effect of increasing soil organic matter and sward diversity (said simply: the number of different types of grasses, legumes etc found in the pasture). On the ungrazed pasture, there is only the odd orchard grass plant, on the grazed field there are 2-3 different grasses, and clover as well. Both sections of the field were seeded and hayed in exactly the same way. This is an illustration of what ‘regenerative’ agriculture is all about…returning the soil to it’s natural, healthy state through smart and conscientious agricultural practices.  For more on regenerative agriculture, click here to read an article from the Rodale Institute.

On another note entirely, I have to share what I had for dinner last night.  Well, not share…it’s all gone.  But it was so good I took a picture:

Carrots, parsnip, celeriac, onion and turkey, all Green Being Grown....

...simmered in thyme and home-made turkey gravy and snuggled in under a cheddar-biscuit crust! Turkey Pot Pie anyone?

Of course, the reason I share this with you is to entice you to join our Winter CSA! This too could be yours by signing up…the best winter vegetables you can conceive of, all grown locally using organic methods. We have added a second, smaller share size…click here for more info!

While there’s not much outdoor farming going on over the winter, we kept busy educating ourselves and others.  Tarrah recently spoke at the Guelph Organic Conference, and the first ever Bring Food Home conference in Kitchener.

Our animals fared nicely over the winter as well. We winterized our hen house by applying an earthen plaster to the interior walls, making it draft proof, but also quite attractive!  Whether it was the warmth or the interior décor, they rewarded us by laying nicely all winter long. We keep a diversity of heritage breeds of hens that are adapted to our winter climates, and lay gorgeous eggs of different hues of brown, pale blue, grey-green.

Our sheep amazed us with their love of winter. Although we always offered the option of eating hay in the barn or out, they much preferred the great outdoors. We would find them outside after nightfall with an inch of snow on their backs not at all interested in coming inside. They grew thick, wooly coats, which they are now shedding. Yes, shedding! We raise Katahdins, a fairly rare, “hair breed” of sheep that actually shed their wool rather than require shearing. I will tell you more about them when we get closer to lambing season in May.

More photos of our heritage hens, and our sheep can be found on the winter edition of our Flickr page. And if you want to stay automatically updated on Green Being goings on, sign up to our RSS news feed.

What to do when your organic farm comes with a chlorine drinking, time sucking, energy hog of a swimming pool?

Fill it with carrots, of course!

This was the predicament  we faced when we moved to our farm about 2 years ago. To us, a swimming pool is a luxury we, and the environment, cannot really afford in this era.  But, with every problem,  an opportunity presents itself.  A swimming pool, when empty, is also a concrete foundation embedded in the earth.  What better place to store our vegetables?!

After consulting with Chris Vanderhout of Evolve Builders Group, our particular pool was deemed an ideal starting point for a root cellar, providing an insulated space for storage crops in the winter and reducing energy requirements drastically for cold storage of summer crops.  We could convert our pool into a root cellar at a fraction of the cost of a conventional cold storage unit, and run it using practically no energy.

With support from the Carrot Cache, a foundation that lends a hand to local organic farmers,we embarked on what we believe is the first ever swimming pool root cellar conversion!  The building uses rot resistant hemlock to cover the pool and give it lateral strength to resist caving in.  Additional insulation was sprayed inside and a door cut into the side of the pool, which is accessed by means of a ramp taking you below ground level. To increase the insulative value of the cellar, it will be under a living roof, looking like little more than a grassy hill when completed in the spring of 2010.

Best of all, we still have a place to cool off, and so do our carrots!