SPRING 2019 | VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

ADVANCING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

IN ALBERTA... PAGE 3

MARKET PRICES AND TRENDS... PAGE 5

SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS... PAGE 10

CULTURAL PRACTICES: GIVING THE CROP

THE ADVANTAGE IN THE SPRING... PAGE 14

MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

ORGANIC FARMERS... PAGE 17
 SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

Mission: To represent and support EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Alberta's entire organic industry.
Vision: A strong, sustainable and united
been honoured to serve and support the
organic community in Alberta.
organic sector throughout the years. My
decision to move on from Organic Alberta
Editor/Submissions & Advertising
was a heart-wrenching one, and I will miss
Dana Penrice
587-521-2400
working each day with our extraordinary
dana.penrice@organicalberta.org and deeply committed staff. I will also
Copy Editor miss the board of directors, who I find
Becky Lipton truly inspiring, very capable and
587-521-2400 professional. I will also miss all of my
becky.lipton@organicalberta.org interactions with members, industry
Graphic Designer  partners, and all of the passionate people
Cari Hartt across the sector. It is my hope that as I
587-521-2400 return to consulting, I will stay connected
cari.hartt@organicalberta.org to the industry and future opportunities
By Becky Lipton, Executive Director continue to bring us together.
Executive Director
Becky Lipton
11 years ago, in June of 2008, I was hired With change comes opportunity, and I am
587-521-2400 
excited to see what new ideas and energy
becky.lipton@organicalberta.org by Going Organic on a contract to see
the future Executive Director will bring to
Board Members how it could further develop and support
Representatives elected by region:
the organization and sector. In the mean-
growth of the organic sector in Alberta.
(N) North (S) South (C) Central time, I will remain as Executive Director
Shortly thereafter the organization was
(M) Member at Large until mid-May, and will stay on contract
rebranded as Organic Alberta and until the summer. I invite each of you to
• President: Charles Newell (AB federal
level): underwent board and organizational reach out during that time if there is
780-809-2247 restructuring. From that point onward I anything I can help with.
newellsfarm@gmail.com was hooked. I fell in love with organics
• Vice President: Dawn Boileau (C): and the amazing people that make up A huge thank you to each and every one of
780-218-2430 the community in Alberta. Over a decade you for giving me the opportunity to be a
dawnboileau@gmail.com
later, here I am. I have truly enjoyed my part of Organic Alberta, as well as the
• Treasurer: Heather Kerschbaumer (N):
position as Executive Director and have organic movement. I am truly grateful.
780-835--4508
gaseeds@kerbagroup.com
• Secretary: Andrew Mans (S):
403-360-5663
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATES
mail@mansorganics.ca
• James Thiessen (N): The Annual General Meeting during our 2019 Conference in Fort Saskatchewan saw
603-480-1158
some changes to our Board of Directors. After six years, Trevor Aleman has timed
jkthie@telusplanet.net
out as a Board Member. Thank you, Trevor, for your continued dedication to
• Arnold Van Os (C):
helping Organic Alberta grow through the years. We would like to welcome Andrew
780-312-1052
Mans as our new Southern Region Representative. Thank you all for your hard
vanosdairy@xplornet.com
• Abbie Stein-MacLean (M):
work!
780-984-3068
asteinmaclean@gmail.com Andrew Mans
• Bernie Ehnes (S): Secretary & Director
403-666-2157 Southern Region Representative
behnes@gmail.com
• Frank Maddock (M): Andrew Mans is an organic farmer growing
780-727-2333 field and greenhouse vegetables, cover crops
jaspersprings@live.com
and cereals near Coaldale, Alberta.  His passion
• Tracy Smith (M):
lies in regenerative agriculture with the intent
northerncookinglake@gmail.com
of having the farm produce healthy food while
improving the soil and the farms ecosystem as
Summer 2019 deadline is Friday, June
a whole.  He feels that the regenerative
7th. Please send comments, suggestions,
ads, and/or articles to
approach to farming is sustainable, profitable
dana.penrice@organicalberta.org  and enjoyable.

2 WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
 SPRING 2019
ADVANCING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN ALBERTA
By Tierra Stokes, Organic Alberta
Having read an article about soil as a
living organism and believing in the
importance of a healthy relationship with
Mother Nature, Irene and Peter Mihailuk
had chosen to farm organically. Irene
describes her husband Peter as having
been “a dedicated farmer who was fussy
about his land.” Every week he would
check on their fields, driving over 470
acres of arable farm land.
In 1988, CBC announced that there were
no organic farmers in Canada. Irene and
Peter knew that their land was organic
but did not know how to prove it. With
the help of a neighbour and a copy of an
American organic gardening handbook,
the Mihailuks found themselves handing
out business cards at the Canadian
Health Foods Convention in Vancouver
that same year. One card found its way
into the hands of the Vice President of
OCIA International, sparking their
certification with the organization. Irene
soon founded OCIA Alberta Chapter One.
For the next fifteen years, the Mihailuk’s
phone line and kitchen table were busy.
To keep up, they had to get an additional
phone line: one for Peter and his farm
orders and the other for Irene and her
work with the chapter. Visitors often
spent considerable time at their table
with questions about organic paperwork,
rotations, and much more. One such
guest was a farmer from Fort Assiniboine.
Having spent hours at the Mihailuks, the
farmer’s wife called asking what
happened to him. “I’m drawing a picture
of my farm! I’ve been working all day on
this” was his reply.
The Mihailuks were also active in federal
conversations about organic regulations.
In 1990, they attended the Canada
Organic Unity Conference in Montreal.
Due to pressure from Europe, the federal
government gave participants a short
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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
window to develop an organic standard.
Luckily, Irene was prepared and
brought OCIA International’s
regulations to the table, helping found
the organic standards we see to this
day.
With their passion for a healthy
relationship with Mother Nature and
dedication to organic regulations, the
Mihailuks laid the foundation for today’s
600+ organic producers in Alberta.
On January 25, 2019, Irene and Peter
were awarded Organic Alberta’s first
Advancing Organic Agriculture Award
for their integral role in the organic
movement. Sadly, Peter passed away
suddenly this year. Having worked on
the farm together, Irene is disappointed
that he was not there to receive the
award with her. 
With two phone lines still operating,
Irene continues to be an educator and
champion for organics.
3
 SPRING 2019
MACKENZIE COUNTY UPDATE
By Julie Bernier, Agronomist Consultant,
Organic Alberta
For those of you who have yet to meet
me, I would like to introduce myself
and give you a brief update on some of
the work taking place in the Mackenzie
County Region. I have been hired by
Organic Alberta for the Mackenzie
County Organic Success Program,
which works to support organic
agricultural and agri-food
entrepreneurs in the region. I am
assisting organic and transitioning
farmers in the region through one-on-
one discussion as well as various
projects and initiatives. I believe that
organic farm prosperity is strongly
linked to soil health, and I am
passionate about agriculture and the
production of healthy, good quality
food through organic practices.
The -40 temperatures of winter did little
to slow down the progress of the
Mackenzie County Organic Success
Program. We held a successful weed
management workshop, conducted a
survey as well as consultations that will
feed into a needs assessment, and also
hosted the live viewing of the Fort
Saskatchewan Conference in January.
Our annual La Crete Conference,
“Growing High Quality Organic Grains”,
was held on April 5th and 6th. We hope
that it was informative and valuable for
those who attended. The success of
such an event is based on your
4 WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
participation and evaluation, and your
input is essential in our mission to
provide our membership with useful
expertise and gathering places to form
connections and exchange ideas.
In May, I will be returning to La Crete to
experience my first growing season in
the region. I am looking forward to
getting out of the office and providing
numerous agronomy services such as
crop and soil sampling, field scouting,
nutrient management, crop rotation and
weed management planning. I
encourage interested farmers to contact
me as early as possible as I anticipate
time constraints may prevent me from
being able to help everyone.   from last year. If time and space permit,
The control of Canada thistle has been
identified by many as a priority, and I
have therefore developed a project
involving the use of stem-mining weevil
to help control the weed. I will contact
participants of the trial after seeding to
visit their farms and select the best
locations for testing. The farmers
involved will be responsible for some
site maintenance to avoid seed setting of
the thistle plants and provide a good
habitat for the insect. The insect will be
released at the selected locations
throughout the county in August. Insect
survival and establishment, as well as
plant damage will be monitored in 2020.
Additional insect releases in 2020 may
also be possible. It is my hope that, in
time, the insect will multiply and reduce
thistle plant density. However, it is
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
important to know that this is a long-
term control method which may not
show significant results for a few years.
It is only one part of the solution; each
farmer must do his or her part by
adopting a suite of farming practices
that overall contribute to proper weed
control.
Through the Mackenzie County Organic
Success Program, we will also be
conducting research projects in
collaboration with the Mackenzie
Applied Research Association (MARA)
including a liming experiment, a
companion cropping trial and the
continuation of a green manure trial
we may also test some cover crop mixes.
I am currently searching for a farmer
with acidic soil who would be willing to
conduct our liming experiment. If
possible, the farmer would also host a
field day event in June or July.
Finally, I am very happy to announce
that Alberta Economic Development and
Trade, under the Community and
Regional Economic Support (CARES)
Program, has granted the Mackenzie
County Organic Success Program an
extension until November 20, 2020.
I look forward to connecting with many
of you in the summer. Organic farmers
interested in participating in any of the
activities mentioned can contact me at
julie.bernier@organicalberta.org for
further information.
 SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU CURRENTLY

SEEING IN THE ORGANIC GRAIN MARKET?
OrganicBiz gathers and posts
monthly organic grain price
information at
organicbiz.ca/category/markets.
Visit their website to find the most
up to date prices.
 
We reach out to industry’s leading
organic grain buyers for insights
on the markets. Hit the ground
running when it’s time to harvest
your crops!
Q: Overall, what is the current
state of the organic grain
market? What options do prairie
organic grain farmers have if
this continues?
Field Farms Marketing Ltd.: The
organic grain market is ticking
along at a steady pace even with
the higher volume of supply on
the market from both domestic
and international sources. We are
seeing prices sitting closer to their
longer-term averages, which is
slightly down from the highs
witnessed in previous years. Each
year there are additional farmers
converting their practices from
conventional to organic, but there
is still much less domestic supply
available than what the market
can absorb. Much of the organic
market is supplied by
international sources, so there is
room for domestic supply to
expand in order to meet the
current domestic demand. The
organic marketplace is still
growing year over year. A good
practice for organic farmers to
BE AN HERO
get into is speaking to a few
potential buyers before seeding
in order to get a better idea of
DONATE TODAY!
what is in demand that year. Your support will go toward
Another good option is entering
a portion of your seeded acres A Consumer Education Program,
into forward contracts in order
to reduce the uncertainty for at cultivating better production
least a portion of cash flow. practices, delivering programs
Q: How are provincial, that will benefit you, and more!
national, and/or international
markets impacting organics LEARN HOW TO DONATE TODAY!
grains in the prairies? CALL ORGANIC ALBERTA AT (587) 521-2400
 
Grain Millers: Part of the reason
for the switch back to cereal
crops is that overall, markets are
tight. With new producers
chasing the often-higher priced
specialty markets, market
demand for traditional crops has
been driven higher. For example,
if the world demand for organic
lentils climbs, the prairies will
see acreage climb, in turn
pressuring acres of other crops
and helping to support those
prices. Imports of organic feeds
into the US has been an
important factor as well. These
import grains are often able to
be brought in at a lower price
than domestic grain, pushing
domestic feed markets lower
and making it harder for our
growers to market off-grade
products.
For more commentary on the
organic grain market visit: 
http://www.pivotandgrow.com/
resources/prices/

ORGANIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

CLASSIFIED ADS
F.W. Cobs Company is buying Organic Grains, including Wheat, Barley, Peas, Rye, Screenings, and more. We buy FOB the
farm, delivered to Loreburn, SK or loaded rail. Call 888-531-4888 ext. 7 or 8.
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, Tom Allen: 306-203-9168.
Farm For Sale: Organic Certified. North West of Fairview. Surrounded by beautiful Boreal Forest. Please call for more
information 780-835-1196 or 780–835-1279

WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG 5
 SPRING 2019
THE BAUTA FAMILY INITIATIVE ON
CANADIAN SEED SECURITY – 7 YEARS STRONG
By Iris Vaisman, Prairie Organic Grain
Initiative
In 2013, the Bauta Family Initiative on
Canadian Seed Security was launched
with the generous funding and support
of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation
and Mrs. Gretchen Bauta. Since that
time, the initiative has been working in
partnership with USC Canada, Seeds of
Diversity, and many other organizations
across Canada, including Organic
Alberta. Alongside their partners, Bauta
has been building a movement for
resilient seed systems in Canada.
Working with farmers, seed producers,
researchers, and partners from civil
society, government and business, the
goal of the initiative is to conserve
biodiversity, keep seeds accessible to the
public, support ecological agriculture
and promote the wisdom and knowledge
of farmers.
Over the past six years, Bauta has hosted
many events, trainings, and developed
numerous resources. Through field days
and webinars, farmers have gained
valuable skills and knowledge on seed
saving. The Seed Grow-Out program
supported farmers in experimenting with
varieties of vegetables in different
environments, bulking up desired
varieties, and sharing their seeds and
observations across the country. The
6 WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
“Ecological Seed Finder” is an online tool
for finding the best locally adapted
vegetable seeds and small-scale field
crop seeds. In British Columbia, the BC
Eco-Seed Co-op was established which is
a cooperative of farmers providing BC
grown certified organic and ecological
seeds. In Nova Scotia, the very first
regional seed bank for Atlantic Canada
was launched.
Here in Alberta and on the Prairies, one
of the main ways that farmers have been
participating in Bauta activities is through
the Canada-wide Participatory Plant
Breeding Program. This unique program
from the University of Manitoba works
with farmers to select varieties of wheat,
oat and potatoes that are adapted to the
specific needs of organic farmers in many
different regions of Canada. Bauta was
also a key donor and partner for the
Prairie Organic Grain Initiative, which is
an initiative that has been working across
the Prairies over the past four years to
increase the resiliency and stability of the
sector, focusing on the quality and
quantity of grain.
As we enter its seventh year, the Bauta
Initiative is working with a variety of
potential funders to ensure that the
program is sustainable for many years to
come. USC Canada has committed to
continuing their important work on seed   iris.vaisman@prairieorganicgrain.org.
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
training, on-farm research and policy
related to seed security. One example of
their ongoing projects is the Organic
Science Cluster-supported Participatory
Plant Breeding Program for wheat, oat
and potatoes. The focus of the program
will be on the evaluation of farmer-
selected lines, as well as bringing in new
farmers interested in participating.
The newest addition to the Bauta
Initiative is another exciting program by
the Organic Science Cluster, called the
Canadian Organic Vegetable
Improvement Project (CANOVI). This new
initiative will work with farmers to trial
vegetable varieties to determine the
best parent for breeding. Through this
participatory breeding work, vegetable
varieties optimized for organic systems
will then be developed.
 
The Bauta team is also working with
other organizations across the country
to respond to the proposed changes to
seed royalties, and is actively engaged
with CFIA and AAFC consultations on the
matter.
For more information on all the
programs and projects mentioned
above, please visit www.seedsecurity.ca 
or contact Iris Vaisman at
(587) 521-2400, or email
 
SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

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 SPRING 2019
SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS
From USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Science
Infiltration
 
Infiltration is the downward entry of
water into the soil. The velocity at which
water enters the soil is infiltration rate.
Infiltration rate is typically expressed in
inches per hour. Water from rainfall or
irrigation must first enter the soil for it to
be of value.
 
Factors Affecting Infiltration
 
Inherent - Infiltration rate is dependent
on soil texture (percentage of sand, silt,
and clay) and clay mineralogy. Water
moves more quickly through the large
pore spaces in a sandy soil than it does
through the small pores of a clayey soil,
especially if the clay is compacted and
has little or no structure or aggregation
(see Table 1). Depending on the amount
and type of clay minerals, many clayey
soils develop shrinkage cracks as they
dry, creating a direct conduit for water to
enter the soil. These clay soils have high
infiltration capacities as water moves
into the shrinkage cracks, although at
other times, when cracks are not
present, their infiltration rate is
characteristically slow.
Dynamic - A reflection of climate and
landscape position, as well as
management practices and crop
demand, existing soil water content
10
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
affects the ability of the soil to pull
additional water into it. Pores and cracks
are generally open in a dry soil. Many of
them are filled in by water or swelled
shut as the soil becomes wet, so
infiltration rate is generally highest when
the soil is dry. As the soil becomes wet,
the infiltration rate slows to the rate at
which water moves through the most
restrictive layer, such as a compacted
layer or a layer of dense clay.
Infiltration is affected by crop and land
management practices that affect surface A one-inch layer of water is added to a six-inch
diameter ring to measure infiltration rate.
crusting, compaction, and soil organic
matter. Without the protective benefits of Soils high in organic matter also provide
vegetative or residue cover, bare soil is good habitat for soil biota, such as
subjected to the direct impact and earthworms, that through their
erosive forces of raindrops that dislodge burrowing activities, increase pore space
soil particles. Dislodged soil particles fill and create continuous pores linking
in and block surface pores, contributing surface to subsurface soil
to the development of surface crusts that layers.
restrict water movement into the soil.
  Management that reduces soil cover,
Compaction results from livestock and disrupts continuous poor space,
equipment traffic, especially on wet soils, compacts soil, or reduces soil organic
matter negatively impacts infiltration.
and continuous plowing to the same
Since tillage negatively affects all of
depth, e.g. the creation of a plow pan
these properties, it plays an important
below the tillage depth. Compacted or
role in a soil’s infiltration rate.
impervious soil layers have reduced pore
space and restricted water movement
through the soil profile.
Soil organic matter affects infiltration
through its positive affect on the
development of stable soil aggregates, or
crumbs. Highly aggregated soil has Table 1. Steady infiltration rates for general soil
increased pore space and infiltration. texture groups in very deeply wetted soil.
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 SPRING 2019
Relationship to Soil Function
Infiltration is an indicator of the soil’s
ability to allow water movement into
and through the soil profile. Soil
temporarily stores water, making it
available for root uptake, plant growth
and habitat for soil organisms.
Problems with Poor Function
When water is supplied at a rate that
exceeds the soil’s infiltration capacity, it
moves downslope as runoff on sloping
land or ponds on the surface of level
land. When runoff occurs on bare or
poorly vegetated soil, erosion takes
place. Runoff carries nutrients,
chemicals, and soil with it, resulting in
decreased soil productivity, off-site
sedimentation of water bodies and
diminished water quality.
Sedimentation decreases storage
capacity of reservoirs and streams and
can lead to flooding.
 
Restricted infiltration and ponding of
water on the soil surface results in poor
soil aeration, which leads to poor root
function and plant growth, as well as
reduced nutrient availability and cycling
by soil organisms. Ponding and soil
saturation decreases soil strength,
destroys soil structure, increases
detachment of soil particles, and makes
soil more erodible. On the soil surface
rather than in the soil profile, ponded
water is subject to increased
evaporation, which leads to decreased
water available for plant growth.
A high infiltration rate is generally
desirable for plant growth and the
environment. In some cases, soils that
have unrestricted water movement
through their profile can contribute to
environmental concerns if misapplied
nutrients and chemicals reach
groundwater and surface water
resources via subsurface flow.
Conservation practices that lead to poor
infiltration include:
Incorporating, burning, or harvesting
crop residues leaving soil bare and
susceptible to erosion
Tillage methods and soil disturbance
activities that disrupt surface
connected pores and prevent
Accumulation of soil organic matter
Equipment and livestock traffic,
especially on wet soils, that cause
compaction and reduced porosity
Improving Infiltration
Several conservation practices help
maintain or improve water infiltration
into soil by increasing vegetative cover,
managing crop residues, and increasing
soil organic matter. Generally, these
practices minimize soil disturbance and
compaction, protect soil from erosion,
and encourage the development of
good soil structure and continuous pore
space. As a short-term solution to poor
infiltration, surface crusts can be
disrupted with a rotary hoe or row
cultivator and plow plans or other
compacted layers can be broken using
deep tillage.
Long-term solutions for maintaining or
improving infiltration include practices
that increase soil organic matter and
aggregation, and reduce soil
disturbance and compaction. High
residue crops, such as corn and small
grains, perennial sod, and cover crops
protect the soil surface from erosion
and increase soil organic matter when
reduced tillage methods that maintain
surface cover are used to plant the
following crop. Application of animal
manure also helps to increase soil
organic matter. Increased organic
matter results in increased aggregation
and improved soil structure leading to
improved infiltration rates.
Conservation tillage, reduced soil
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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
disturbance, and reducing the number
of trips across a field necessary to
produce a crop help leave continuous
pore spaces intact and minimize the
opportunity for soil compaction.
Conservation practices resulting in
infiltration rates favorable to soil
function include:
Conservation Crop Rotation
Cover Crop
Prescribed Grazing
Residue and Tillage Management
Waste Utilization
Measuring Infiltration
 
The Single Ring (Flooded/Ponded)
Infiltrometer Method is described in
the Soil Quality Test Kit Guide, Section
I, Chapter 3, pp. 7 - 8. See Section II,
Chapter 2, pp. 55 – 56 for
interpretation of results.
 
Reference: Lowery B, Hickey WJ, Arshad
MA, and Lal R. 1996. Soil water
parameters and soil quality. In: Doran
JW, Jones AJ, editors. Methods for
assessing soil quality. Madison, WI. p
143-55.
 
Specialized equipment, shortcuts, tips:
To accurately assess infiltration and
compare rates for different soils, the
soils should be at similar moisture
content when taking the
measurement. It is recommended that
measurements be taken at field
capacity, defined as the water content
of the soil root zone at which drainage
(by gravity) becomes negligible. If the
soil is already saturated, infiltration
will not occur; wait for one or two days
to allow for drying to measure
infiltration rate.
 
Time needed: 60 minutes or more
depending on soil conditions.
11
 SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

ORGANIC FOOD IN ALBERTA

Ready to get the facts?

Trust the label, it's the LAW

ORGANICALBERTA.ORG/GETTHEFACTS/

DONATE TODAY!
Organic Alberta was recently approved for a
two-year consumer education campaign. In
order to receive the government funding, we
need to raise industry contributions.

Help consumers get the facts

about Organic food in Alberta !

CALL US TO LEARN MORE:

(587) 521-2400

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SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

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 SPRING 2019
CULTURAL PRACTICES: GIVING THE CROP
THE ADVANTAGE IN THE SPRING
By Brenda Frick
Cultural weed management refers to the
way in which the crop is grown. It
includes all of those techniques that give
the crop an advantage: creating diverse
rotations that reduce insects and pests;
selecting strong cultivars of vigorous
crops; maintaining healthy soils; and
seeding at the right time, depth and
density. Cultural techniques provide the
conditions for strong crop
competitiveness and thus for optimal
crop yield and quality. These techniques
are surprisingly effective, especially in
combination.
 
Use a Sound Rotation
 
Rotations are crucial to growing
competitive crops. They provide the
potential to improve soil and soil
biological activity, control insects,
manage diseases, and if weed
management techniques are rotated, as
well as the crop, they can be highly
successful in reducing weed outbreaks.
Choose an Appropriate Crop
 
Crops that perform poorly under specific
growing conditions are not likely to yield
well or give best quality. And they are
likely to provide opportunities for weeds.
Many factors are involved in crop
selection:
14
Region, weather, and stored moisture.
Of course it is difficult to predict the
weather, but previous crop and soil
reserves are an indication of water
availability. Avoid lentils in a wet year,
avoid faba beans in a drought. Keep an
eye on the weather and be prepared to
be flexible. Solid choices made in
March may not be optimal choices in
May.
Match crops to soil fertility. Heavy
feeding crops, such as hemp, or high
protein wheat, grow much better when
fertility is high, generally after a green
manure, or with application of animal
manure or compost. Pulses can have a
competitive advantage when grown on
low nitrogen soils, as they can access
nitrogen not available to weeds.
Anticipate weed populations. The best
indication of this year’s weeds is last
year’s weeds. If weed populations are
high, competitive crops such as barley
or fall rye can help reduce weed
populations. Many strongly
competitive crops such as fall rye, oats,
barley, mustard, sweetclover, and
hairy vetch are allelopathic – they
produce chemicals that can suppress
small seeded weeds in following crops.
If weed populations are low, it may be
time to seed weakly competitive crops
such as lentil or flax.
Consider intercropping. Intercrops can
improve competitive ability and reduce
disease and insect problems.
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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
Choose a Strong Cultivar
 
Cultivar selection is also important.
Variety trials under organic management
have pointed to different cultivars
performing best in different regions. The
best choices may vary from farm to farm.
In general, strong cultivars are those that
jump out of the ground; they have at
least some of these characteristics: they
germinate and emerge rapidly, cover the
ground quickly, have large spreading
leaves, produce a canopy quickly, have
lots of tillers, are tall, have strong deep
roots, and are allelopathic.
 
Heritage varieties may have
advantageous traits. They were, after all,
selected before chemical inputs were
widespread. However, modern breeding
has been beneficial in introducing
a number of useful traits, such as disease
resistance and early maturity that are
very useful under organic management.
Both old and new varieties are worth
considering.
Sometimes the best performance is hard
to predict. For instance, despite the
importance of height to competitive
ability in wheat, the semi-dwarf variety
CDC Go performed very well in organic
trials near Edmonton. Leafy varieties of
pea would be expected to suppress
weeds better than semi-leafless varieties.
However, competition studies have gone
 SPRING 2019
both ways. True to prediction though,
the leafy 4010 forage pea has been
outstanding in organic variety trials. This
lack of predictability underlines the
importance of regional variety trials.
Organic breeds, those that have been
selected, at least in part, on organic
farms, can be a preferred choice. AAC
Oravena oat is the first variety in Canada
to come out of an organic breeding
program. Farmers may choose to be
involved in participatory breeding
programs to facilitate the development
of organic varieties. They may also
develop their own strains. By saving and
replanting only the best seeds produced
on-farm, a producer improves the
suitability of those seeds to that farm.
Over time, this can result in a level of
speciality that may be marketable, for
instance, Blé Marquis de Loiselle wheat.
When choosing a cultivar, it may be best
to consult buyers, and use a cultivar that
the buyer will accept. The competitive
ability of a crop will not guarantee
milling quality. Unless the cultivar is
being used for green manure or cover, or
for your own feed or forage, buyer
acceptability is important.
 
Cultivar selection can be especially
important in intercropping. Matching
crop maturities is often a matter of
picking appropriate cultivars. If
intercrops are sold separately, the
cultivars should be easily separated, for
instance small seeded lentils with
cereals, large seeded lentils with
mustard.
Use Good Seed
 
Competitive ability in crops often
involves early vigour. This is largely a
function of seed health. Seed should not
be leftover grain; it should be of the
highest quality – clean, heavy, and high
vigour. Ideally, the field where the seed
is produced should be identified early,
and then monitored for disease, rogued
for weeds and any crop plants with
characteristics that seem problematic –
low vigour, disease. Avoid planting all
the seed at once. That way, if this year’s
seed crop shows signs of disease, you
can return to a previous seed lot, rather
than use the diseased crop as seed.
If seed is purchased, it often comes with
quality statements, indicating its purity,
germinability and vigour. Avoid bringing
new (or more) weeds or diseases onto the
farm by avoiding seed with these
contaminants. High germinability seed is
more likely to produce vigorous
seedlings. A simple germination test can
be conducted at home. Place a number of
seeds (perhaps 20) on a damp paper
towel. Fold to cover seed, and place in a
clear plastic bag. After a week, count the
germinated seeds and express as a
percentage. If seedlings look abnormal,
twisted, brown or deformed, be cautious.
If germination is low, but the seed is
desirable for other reasons, seeding rates
can be boosted to compensate for the
germination rate. For instance, if
germination is 80%, planting 1.25x your
desired rate will result in the same plant
population (1.25 x 0.8 = 1). For some
crops, such as oats, screening for heavier
seeds can improve the vigour and
competitive ability of the crop. Lighter
seeds might be used for feed.
Seed Well
 
Different seeders offer different benefits.
The ideal seeder is one that matches the
soil – whether it is rocky or clayey, tilled
or untilled, whether the soil is wet or dry
at seeding. The choice of seeder can
determine the precision of seeding, and
the ability to seed into crop residues.
The usual recommendation for large
seeds is to sow as deep as necessary to
seed into moisture. Packers may be used
to assure good seed to soil contact.
However, they also press weed seeds into
the soil and encourage them to
germinate. Ideally the packers will cover
only the seed row. Looser soil above the
seed, or in the interrow space, may
reduce weed emergence. If pre-
emergence tillage is planned in the layer
above the emerging seedling, seed may
be placed deeper, although deeper
seeding may slow crop emergence.
Shallow seeding is used for smaller seeds
and requires timely rain for germination,
as shallow layers are often dry.
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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
Crops are most competitive if they
emerge ahead of the weeds. This is
achieved by two methods. Pulses and
cereals can often be seeded early. If
weeds are mostly warm season species,
such as green foxtail or pigweed, early
seeding allows the crops to get ahead of
the weeds. Alternately, if many of the
weeds are cool season weeds such as
stinkweed and wild oats, pre-seeding
tillage can stimulate weed seed
germination, and those weed seedlings
can be killed before or as the crop is
seeded. This delays seeding somewhat,
and care should be taken when using
this technique with late maturing crops.
 
Crops have a minimum temperature for
successful germination. Seeding before
the soil has warmed can delay
germination and increase the chances of
seed rot. Soil temperatures at seeding
depth should be at least 5°C, but
preferably 20°C for most crops. Tillage
can warm the soil. Some producers
begin tillage as soon as the soil is dry
enough to drive on. Other producers use
phenological cues, such as the
emergence of wild oats, the opening of
poplar buds, or blooming of berry trees
to determine when to seed.
Seeding with narrow row spacing has
been suggested as a way to give the
crop the advantage.
Theoretically, the closer the row spacing,
the more evenly the crop plants are
distributed, and the more quickly they
can close the crop canopy to suppress
weeds. It may be difficult for the
producer to alter row spacing, but there
are some options, including changes to
openers/knives that distribute
 
In-Crop Options
 
A number of tillage options are available
around seeding time, and in early crop
growth. These include methods that
skim above the seed or emerging
seedling, using shallow harrows,
cultivation or rod-weeders; of course
caution must be used to keep the tillage
above the crop. Methods that are used
once the crop has emerged include
various harrows or rotary hoes. Inter-
row cultivation is a possibility if crops
are seeded in wider rows. Clipping above
the crop can reduce seed set of taller
weeds in shorter crops.
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 SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

16 WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
SPRING 2019
MENTORING THE
NEXT GENERATION
OF ORGANIC
FARMERS
By Dana Penrice, Organic Alberta
Being a mentor to aspiring and new
farmers is a unique but much needed
role in our farming community. We
might think of a mentor as a formal
role but a mentor is essentially anyone
who is further down the path that can
share insights on pitfalls or challenges
and promising opportunities. That
makes a lot of us mentors, whether we
recognize it or not.
In farming, most of the learning is non-
linear. There’s not really a recipe one
can follow or one text book that one
can read to be successful. Learning is
ORGANIC ALBERTA CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Find the answer key in the Summer 2019 issue of the Organic Alberta Magazine!
can follow or one text book that one can
read to be successful. Learning is
bumpy. There’s starts and stalls, and
progress and setback. A good mentor
helps the learner make sure they are
headed in the right direction. They help
them to develop the capacity to do 3
things:
1) Have the judgment to be able to see
what needs to be done.
2) Be self-authorized to do it without
being told what to do and
3) Take action to do it successfully.
Aspiring farmers, being new to
agriculture, need time and support to
develop these skills. Mentoring is a lot
about helping mentees build
competence and confidence. Learning
happens at the edge of our capacities.
This takes a healthy diet of challenge.  in the future, contact Dana Penrice
Good mentors provide challenges that fit
the stage of learning that the mentee is
WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01
at and work with them to increase the
challenges as their capacity grows.
Being a mentor doesn’t mean you have
to have all the answers. Julie Sullivan and
George Whitten, San Juan Ranch,
Mentors in the Quivira Coalition New
Apprenticeship Program, the program
on which the Young Agrarians
Apprenticeship is modeled, say “One has
to commit to the idea of practical
education both for the apprentice and
yourself. Remember, you are learning at
least as much at the person you are
teaching, just at different levels.”
Through funding from the Alberta
Community Cooperative Association,
Young Agrarians developed and
delivered a Mentor Training Webinar. If
you are interested in participating in this
alberta@youngagrarians.org or 780-914-
6282.
ACROSS
4. Root crop in the Bauta Participatory
Plant Breeding Program
7. Recommendation for seeing large
seeds is to seed ____
8. Irene Mihailuk’s federal work
11. Most learning in farming
12. Infiltration rate is dependent on this
physical property of the soil
DOWN
1. Farm location of incoming southern
region representative on the board
2. Mentors are important for these kinds
of farmers
3. Instrument used to measure
downward entry of water into the soil
5. Mentors strive to build confidence and
this
6. Seeding in cold soil can delay this
9. Cultural weed management includes
choosing a strong one of these
10. Insect used to control Canada thistle
17
 SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

18 WWW.ORGANICALBERTA.ORG
SPRING 2019 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 01

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