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Food News 2008

posted on March 31, 2008

Boom times down on the organic farm

By: NORVAL SCOTT
Published: March 29, 2008
Source: The Globe And Mail

As one of the pioneers of organic farming in Canada , Gert Lund has long struggled to compete with big farmers who do things the conventional way, producing their crops with herbicides or pesticides.

However, things couldn't be going better for Mr. Lund. The explosion in demand for organic produce - vegetables grown without pesticides or fertilizers, or animals reared without antibiotics or genetic modifications - means that Lund 's Organic Farm, which has produced organic vegetables near Innisfail, in central Alberta since 1988, is performing rather better than its conventional neighbours.

"We've gone past the conventional guys and we've been doing better than them for the last two or three years," said Mr. Lund. "The market is so hot right now - we're doing alright, that's for sure."

Mr. Lund isn't the only farmer to appreciate the benefits of going organic. According to figures released yesterday by Statistics Canada, the number of organic farms in Canada increased by almost 60 per cent between 2001 to 2006, with 3,555 farms offering certified organic products.

Organic food still represents a very small part of the domestic market, accounting for less than 1 per cent of the $46.5-billion that Canadians spent in grocery stores in 2006. However, that portion is of considerable value; Mr. Lund sells his carrots at Calgary 's Farmers Market at prices of up to 60 per cent more than non-organic alternatives. He says customers include Calgary 's professional elite, but also mothers concerned about getting the best for their children.

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