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By Janet Kanters
Alberta’s Going Organic Network Kick-off in early February was a great success bringing over 150 people together for the three-day event. |  |
According to Lori-Jo Graham, Business Development Specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the event was a good indicator of the strong interest in organics and the desire to build an organic network in Alberta.
“The event attracted an impressive mixture of producers, processors, retailers, industry and service providers, as well as an impressive contingent of our target market, the consumer,” she said.
Event attendees sampled fabulous foods at the Art Gallery of Calgary, such as mini beef burgers, tiny turkey pot pies, crème brûlée and wine -- all purely organic -- courtesy of Infuse Catering. A critically-acclaimed documentary film, ‘Broken Limbs: Apples, Agriculture and the New American Farmer’ was shown, illustrating the plight of small scale apple growers in Washington. The film then tells the story of several farmers who are now finding new hope with organic and direct marketing ventures.
The event also featured various panels of well-known producers and industry people speaking about the future of organics in Canada. For instance, Dan Wiens, with Manitoba’s Community Shared Agriculture in the Prairies, talked about the ‘food connection’, where consumers buy shares and work on organic farms in exchange for organic harvest.
“The ‘food connection’ between the producer and the consumer is the organic industry’s competitive advantage and future growth,” noted Graham. “And when asked what the consumer, who is driving the 20 per cent per year growth in the organic industry, is looking for, Ron Hamilton, of Sunworks Farms near Camrose, replied there are three things – taste, an ethics package (humanely treated livestock and sustainable environmental practices), and price.”
A big driver in the organics industry is innovation, so says speakers Wade Sirois with Infuse Catering of Calgary, and Dwayne Smith with Grainworks Inc. of Vulcan, AB/Mankota, SK.
“Organic farmers not only have to be innovative in their production, but innovative in their product development and marketing,” said Graham. “They can’t just take a conventional product and make an organic copy. Organic farmers need to do an inventory of farm assets, look at what’s in the market and create something innovative.”
Many participants pointed to Sunday’s tour as the highlight. Three Calgary organic venues were visited, including Lakeview Bakery, which featured samples of their organic and allergy-free products; Community Natural Foods, a local large-scale natural food chain; and the Calgary Farmers Market, which featured talks from four organic producers/vendors who sell products year round at this market.
“At the end of the weekend, we’re positive people got the take-home message loud and clear: Going Organic is all about networking, innovating, and making the food connection” noted Graham. “Going Organic Network is here to help make these things happen.”
To learn more about the Going Organic Network, visit their Web site at www.goingorganic.ca, or call 403-556-4244 (dial 310-0000 for toll free access).
The Agricultural Policy Framework (APF)
A FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL-TERRITORIAL INITIATIVE | |
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