The October 2022 Farmer Direct Organic Newsletter is here!
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October's Feature
What’s New with Farmer Direct Organic and Above Food
Jason Freeman, CEO of Farmer Direct Organic, will be speaking at the Organic Connections Conference & Trade Show.
The Organic Connections Conference & Trade Show is the largest organic conference in Western Canada. This year, it will take place in Saskatoon on November 16-17. Topics will include community-supported stewardship agriculture, the Regenerative Organic Certification, the On-Farm Climate Action Fund, enhancing farm resilience through better soil health, and more.
The Gavelin family finds their cover crops perform well even under adverse conditions
Dark clouds roll in as a charter bus drives down gravel roads near McCord, Sask. Marla Gavelin, one of the people hosting the field day from the Prairie South Holistic Management group, speaks to the people in attendance. She compares the Gavelins’ farm to the Sahara Desert with a fond laugh, and the 70-plus people at the field day laugh with her.
Of course, that day McCord finally gets some rain, sending everyone running from the Gavelins’ cover-cropping field and back onto the bus.
Calvin Gavelin, Marla’s husband, says they never expected such a large crowd at their first field day, but put it down it to people’s interest in the topic — holistic management.
“People want to learn it on the field scale, and from a farmer,” he says. “Saturday night, that crowd, we were supposedly done at eight o’clock, they were still there at 11 o’clock. Discussions were going strong.”
The next day, there were over 40 people back again, he adds, as “people wanted more.”
A rough start
The Gavelins’ holistic management approach focuses on cover crops, which are a variety of plants that are grown to protect and cover the soil.
Gavelin watched a friend in his area grow cover crops in 2017. Like many people, he was initially skeptical. However, when he saw how beneficial the cover crop turned out to be, his opinion changed.
In 2019, they planted their own cover crop, but when they received hail that summer which wiped out the entire field, Gavelin thought they were done for.
“We actually got hailed out 100 per cent in July. It was very gut-wrenching, I didn’t know what to do with it. But it came back, and it rallied hard. And that field set up our whole herd for the 2019 winter. And it was amazing. It was the first time in my life that I never started a tractor for the majority of the winter. The cows were out there grazing it. They were happy, content, in great shape,” he says.
“That first year when we got hailed out 100 per cent on that field, I thought I wasted my time. But that crop turned around and showed me the potential.”
In 2020, the Gavelins took a holistic management course alongside many of their neighbours. The course is offered by Ralph Corcoran and runs over six days for a group of people who live in the same area to establish goal-setting, financial planning, as well as pasture and land planning.
“It was very rewarding,” Gavelin says. “It was very life-changing for our operation.
“They’re not a set of principles. It’s more an idealism that you can use in any industry or any occupation that you do. So it’s just the walking through the processes.”
According to Holistic Management International, the form holistic management may take (for example, cover cropping, intensive rotational grazing, etc.) depends on the producer and their operation’s needs. The website states that holistic management practices can increase water infiltration and retention, create more food and fibre from the sun by increasing land productivity, improve wildlife ground cover and increase organic matter in the soil as well as bring more carbon from the atmosphere into the soil.
Spreading the word
Near McCord, Sask., the group that took Corcoran’s course on holistic management didn’t stop after the course was done. From there, they created the group Prairie South Holistic Management to show other people the benefits they’ve reaped from holistic management.
In June 2022, they hosted their first conference and field tour.
“It was a little mind-boggling and nerve-wracking for our first time,” Gavelin says. “It’s the power of sharing information amongst us. That is more rewarding than anything, because having the ability to discuss opportunities for your farm, and even seeding alternatives, that just made our operations a little stronger.”
Their group varies in the types of people as well, and has changed since they’ve taken the course.
“We’ve had people ask to join and we’ve let them join,” Gavelin says. “We’re basically proponents of how well this is doing. And we’re a variety of age ranges too. We have people that are next to retirement, we have people with young families like myself, or other couples. It works for all of us.”
Gavelin’s focus is on cover crops, but different people in the group concentrate on different aspects of holistic management.
Gavelin has seen some of the benefits holistic management cites, particularly when it comes to soil.
“What we’re finding with our cover crops, the ones that we grazed last year, there was also a soil health benefit that I never expected,” Gavelin says. “And when we did our fertility test last fall, when I hired Nutrien to do it, they were very skeptical of that. But when the results came back in that field, the cover crop that we grazed in October is actually sowing 30 pounds more and the biological activity of the soil is higher, and the CO2 levels are higher. That cover crop is doing more than just feeding my cows, the soil is improving.”
Also because of all the different nutrients offered in his diverse cover crops, he has seen an improvement in his cattle herd.
“When we preg-checked in September, the vet was just over the moon excited about our conception rates. Because none of our neighbours or even anybody in the country was even close to it. And she said, ‘What are you doing differently?’ And I said, ‘Well, they were grazing cover crops,’” Gavelin says.
Gavelin says they were also putting on more weight on the cover crops than they had on normal vegetation.
Not only that, but the cover crops persisted through the brutal drought of 2021.
“And then when we had some August rains, it just flourished. And that 80-acre field produced enough feed for five-and-a-half weeks for my 200-head operation. They started grazing October 1, and the economics of it and the drought, that field paid for itself many times over.
“Even last year’s drought, taking the risk has proven itself that it was very rewarding, because when all my monocultures were dead, my cover crop flourished. So when people come and see that, then they can relate it back to their operations. And then they can take the chance whether it’s five acres or 10 acres or whatever they’re willing to trust or even commit to, it gives them the opportunity to look at it.”
Kevin Elmy, based in Saltcoats, Sask., is a cover crop consultant for Imperial Seed, and also runs Cover Crops Canada.
“When we look at nature, nature never has a monoculture. And this is what we’ve been trying to do for the last 100 years in the Prairies,” Elmy says. Through cover crops, “we’re creating a really strong ecosystem that’s going to build our soil biology and create better feed for animals.”
Elmy echoes Gavelin’s statement that people are often skeptical of how well cover crops work before they see them. He says this is because of the fluid nature of cover cropping.
“When we start talking about cover cropping, there’s no recipe saying this is the blend to use,” Elmy says. “Whether it’s different parts of the province or the Prairies, or different soil types, different climate types, seeding equipment, all of these different variables, people want that button saying ‘This is how we grow canola. This is the recipe, that’s how we do it.’ When we look at cover cropping, it takes into account so many more variables that you know you’re going to have to work on developing that blend for you. You’re going to be able to go in and modify your plans to match the conditions.”
Benefits beyond the field
Switching to holistic management practices and cover cropping hasn’t just helped Calvin Gavelin’s farm, though. It’s also helped his relationship with his wife and his kids.
“Just walking through the processes on our operation has actually strengthened the bond between myself and my wife. And holistic management and doing cover crops, my kids are actually excited to be out there in the field. They’re out there themselves. They’re asking to move cattle because they’re excited to go out there. They’re excited to see the variety of plants that we’re seeding.
“So that first year when we winter-grazed those cover crops, that was the first time that I actually had time for my kids, whether it was skating or other winter activities. I wasn’t feeding cows all the time.”
Interest is growing, too. Elmy says more people are getting into cover cropping all the time, and that is echoed in the interest Gavelin has seen on his farm. With people constantly asking to check out his plots, Gavelin will now be involved with a Living Lab.
Announced by federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau in July, Living Labs bring together farmers and scientists to address agri-environmental issues. Two Living Labs will be coming to Saskatchewan — and Gavelin will reach people interested in cover cropping through it.
“I have people asking me to do this for the next five years, to do cover crop plots. And they just want to see it, or they want to experience it. And it’s industry asking that,” he says, adding that “everybody wants to know what’s actually going on. And I said, ‘The only way to know it is to start data collection.’”
Agricultural Crop Report
For the full crop reports please click on the links below:
Crop Conditions as of October 11 (Abbreviated Report) Final Report for 2022: Harvest is practically complete for the 2022 season; two to three weeks ahead of the 10-year average (see Figure 1). Harvest is even ahead of last year, which was another advanced year with respect to harvest progress (see Table 1). Provincially, about 99 per cent of all crops have been harvested, 23 per cent ahead of the 5-year average (2017-2021) and 17 per cent ahead of the 10-year (2012-2021) average. About 0.3 per cent of major crops are in swath and 0.5 per cent remain standing…
For the Period September 27 to October 3, 2022: The weather over the past week was excellent for harvest. The province now has 90 per cent of the crop in the bin, up from 81 per cent last week and well ahead of the five-year average of 82 per cent. Some producers have been struggling with heavy fog and dew in the mornings that has delayed their harvest activities until the afternoon, making for short days and less progress. High humidity in many parts of the southeast, east-central and northeast is making it difficult to combine and has also led to grain coming off at higher amounts of moisture than normal. Producers must dry down the grain in order to store it properly.
Harvest in the southwest and west-central regions is virtually complete with mostly flax waiting to be harvested, which will likely occur after the next heavy killing frost. The northwest has 94 per cent of their crop off, the northeast 87 per cent, the southeast 86 per cent and the east central 81 per cent…
Harvest progress sits at 90% complete across the province, having caught up to the 5-year average of 91% complete by week 42. Harvest is wrapping up or done in many areas of southern Manitoba, and fall fieldwork, tillage, fertilizer application and drainage is underway. Winter cereal crops appear in good condition, but soil moisture is low in those fields and many other areas. Rainfall is needed to recharge soil moisture reserves ahead of spring planting. Some canola remains unharvested in parts of the Southwest, Eastern, and Interlake regions where late seeding has resulted in late-harvested crops, which are slow to drydown and condition for longer-term storage, leaving those producers frustrated with harvest delays. Corn harvest has started, and is most advanced in the Red River Valley of the Central region. Yields are reported between 150 to 200 bu/acre on average. Fertilizer application is ongoing, with some broadcast fertilizer being applied, while many farms choose to band granular nitrogen or anhydrous ammonia as soils cool below 10°C…
CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 16, 2022 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY: Montana experienced another week of above average temperatures and minimal rainfall, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. This week, counties along the western border received no measurable precipitation. Counites along the eastern border were dry as well, with rainfall totals less than a tenth of an inch. The central portion of the State received between 0.1 and 0.25 inches of rainfall, with localized areas receiving upwards of 0.3 inches. Average daily temperatures this week ranged from 2 to 5 degrees above average for most of the State. Counties along the western border and some counties in the central portion of the State were much warmer, with average daily temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above average. Drought conditions in the State remained similar to last week. According to the United States Drought Monitor for October 13, 2022, 89.6 percent of the State is experiencing drought conditions, unchanged from last week. The amount of land rated as abnormally dry was 16.8 percent, compared to 16.7 percent last week. Moderate drought was present across 31.6 percent of the State, compared to 31.7 percent of the State last week. Severe drought conditions decreased slightly from 29.0 percent last week to 27.9 percent of the State this week. Extreme drought conditions increased to cover 13.3 percent of the State, compared to 12.2 percent last week. Mineral, Missoula, and Ravalli Counties experienced mild weather this week. Producers were beginning to use irrigated fall pastures and hay harvest is finishing up. Wildfires are continuing to burn in southern Ravalli County, however, there is snow forecasted for the upcoming weekend. Wibaux County remains very dry and needs moisture going into the winter. Producers in Broadwater County are harvesting a third cutting of hay. Potato harvest in the county is still underway and there are reports that yields are higher than average. Corn harvesting is slightly behind last year. Corn harvested for grain is 40 percent complete this week, compared to 45 percent complete this time last year and corn harvested for silage is 83 percent complete this week, compared to 94 percent complete this time last year. Winter wheat planting continues ahead of last year, as does emergence of the crop. Planting is 89 percent complete, compared to 76 percent complete this time last year and emergence is at 63 percent, compared to 48 percent emerged this time last year…
NORTH DAKOTA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION FARGO, N.D. October 17, 2022 - For the week ending October 16, 2022, there were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 22% very short, 45% short, 32% adequate, and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 17% very short, 46% short, 36% adequate, and 1% surplus. Field Crops Report: Soybeans harvested was 76%, near 80% last year, but ahead of 61% for the five-year average. Winter wheat condition rated 3% very poor, 10% poor, 32% fair, 48% good, and 7% excellent. Winter wheat planted was 95%, near 96% last year, but ahead of 88% average. Emerged was 75%, behind 80% last year, but ahead of 69% average. Corn condition rated 2% very poor, 7% poor, 33% fair, 52% good, and 6% excellent. Corn mature was 93%, near 96% last year, but ahead of 85% average. Harvested was 25%, behind 40% last year, but near 23% average. Canola harvested was 97%, near 100% last year and 96% average. Sugarbeet condition rated 1% very poor, 3% poor, 37% fair, 51% good, and 8% excellent. Sugarbeets harvested was 79%, well ahead of 29% last year, and ahead of 61% average. Sunflower condition rated 1% very poor, 5% poor, 37% fair, 49% good, and 8% excellent. Sunflowers bracts turned brown was 92%, near 94% last year and 91% average. Harvested was 26%, ahead of 19% both last year and average…
SOUTH DAKOTA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION SIOUX FALLS, S.D. October 17, 2022 - For the week ending October 16, 2022, there were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 39% very short, 41% short, 19% adequate, and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 35% very short, 44% short, 20% adequate, and 1% surplus. Field Crops Report: Corn condition rated 13% very poor, 18% poor, 30% fair, 35% good, and 4% excellent. Corn mature was 97%, near 96% last year, and ahead of 88% for the five-year average. Harvested was 44%, near 48% last year, but ahead of 29% average. Soybeans harvested was 82%, near 84% last year, but well ahead of 56% average. Winter wheat planted was 91%, near 94% last year, and equal to average. Emerged was 54%, near 50% last year, but behind 64% average. Sorghum condition rated 6% very poor, 29% poor, 27% fair, 38% good, and 0% excellent. Sorghum mature was 98%, equal to last year, and ahead of 81% average. Harvested was 61%, behind 70% last year, but well ahead of 38% average. Sunflowers harvested was 18%, behind 33% last year, but near 17% average…
Minnesota had 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending October 16, 2022, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The state saw its first measurable snowfall of the season. In Minneapolis the snow arrived about three weeks earlier than average. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 12 percent very short, 36 percent short, 50 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 11 percent very short, 34 percent short, 53 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Corn mature or beyond was at 96 percent. Corn harvested for grain was at 36 percent, six days behind last year but four days ahead of the 5-year average. Corn moisture content of grain at harvest averaged 19 percent. Corn condition was 3 percent very poor, 7 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 48 percent good, and 14 percent excellent. Corn for silage was 98 percent harvested…
Wisconsin had 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending October 16, 2022, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Periodic rain and snow interrupted harvest activities for some this week, but farmers continued to harvest corn and soybeans and apply manure where field conditions allowed. Topsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 20 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 19 percent short, 75 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. Ninety-two percent of corn was mature. Harvest of corn for grain was 14 percent complete, 12 days behind last year and 4 days behind the 5-year average. Moisture content of corn harvested for grain was 25 percent. Corn condition was 78 percent good to excellent statewide, the same as last week. Corn for silage harvest was at 89 percent complete, 2 weeks behind last year but 3 days ahead of the average. Soybeans dropping leaves was at 97 percent. Soybean harvest was 56 percent complete, 1 day behind last year but 5 days ahead of the average. Soybean condition was 75 percent good to excellent, even with last week. Potatoes harvested was at 92 percent, 1 day ahead of last year and 4 days ahead of the average. Winter wheat planted was at 83 percent, 1 day behind last year but 8 days ahead of the average. Winter wheat emerged was at 56 percent, 3 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of the average. Winter wheat condition was rated 81 percent good to excellent statewide…
Scattered precipitation across much of the State last week provided much need moisture to the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula saw its first snow flurry, according to Marlo D. Johnson, Director of the Great Lakes Regional Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. There were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Michigan during the week ending October 16, 2022. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, counties in the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Lower Peninsula and the Southwestern Upper Peninsula were reported as abnormally dry. The Thumb Region and a few counties in Southeastern Michigan continued to experience moderate drought despite the rain events. Corn for grain moisture content at harvest was reported as 23 percent and soybean moisture content of beans was reported as 13 percent. Corn for silage harvest neared completion. Soybean and dry bean harvests made excellent progress in the Northeastern region of the Lower Peninsula. Winter wheat planting continued ahead of normal, with many areas in the Southeast reported as complete. Sugarbeet harvest progressed through light rain events in the Thumb Region. Alfalfa and other hay cuttings continued trending ahead of last year. Other activities during the week included, fall tillage, prepping for winter, and hauling manure…
Growing with Farmer Direct Organic
Farmer Direct Organic has built a traceable, transparent pipeline to market that will assure retailers that the organic products they are selling their customers have organic integrity and are grown by family farmers like you--not imported from faceless corporations being accused and convicted of organic fraud or domestic players who are floating the rules.
Simply put, our strategy to take back markets by combating organic fraud and offshoring through transparency, traceability, pesticide testing and exclusively sourcing from US and Canadian farms is working and retailers want more of your grains.
We have a real opportunity to establish lasting relationships with retailers that will assure premium prices, regardless of the pressures to organic commodity markets.
Please call Fabiola Coates at 403-999-4161 if you have grain to market or me, Jason Freeman at 306-201-6948 if you have general questions about FDO.
Pricing and Markets
Please contact us if you have any of the grains for sale or acres you are interested in contracting.
All our oat planting seed has been contracted for the 2022 growing season. Thank you to all our grower partners. We still would like to speak to growers who are interested in putting gluten-free oats in their rotation.
Announcement: Purely Canada Foods, a Saskatchewan based CGC licensed and bonded grain trader and part of the Above Food Corp., is now purchasing grain on behalf of Farmer Direct Organic. Please contact orgpurchasing@purelycanada.ca or the Above Ingredient Centre toll free at 1-855-778-4662
In the News The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) will be holding its 5th annual conference on regenerative agriculture on November 14th-15th in Brandon.
Regenerative Accelerator Program: Holistic Management Canada will be selecting ten farms across Manitoba to participate in the Regenerative Accelerator Program, which sets out to speed up the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices on farms in Manitoba. The deadline for applications is October 30th.
The Compost Council of Canada has announced the 32nd annual Organics Recycling Conference, which will take place from November 1st to 4th. It will be a hybrid event, with virtual sessions available for both remote participants and in-person groups in various locations across the country.
The Organic Connections Conference & Trade Show is the largest organic conference in Western Canada. This year, it will take place in Saskatoon on November 16-17th.
Hello, my name is Emerald the Hummingbird. I was named after a precious gemstone because of the bright green colour of my wings. I was recently rescued in the streets after injuring my wing. I hope to recover soon and continue my journey searching for best flower nectar in the world.
Don't forget to send us pictures of your fur (and feathered!) friends for a chance to be featured in our upcoming newsletters!
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