Yesterday the Canadian Wheat Board announced that it will now offer funding incentives to prairie farmers who wish to make the transition from conventional to organic:
“Growing consumer demand for organic products creates new opportunity for western Canadian farmers,” said CWB president and CEO Ian White. “We have committed to assisting organic farmers in a number of ways, including funding these worthwhile initiatives.”
Farmers will be helped to make the transition to organic farming through workshops run by Canadian Organic Growers, supported by $75,000 over three years from the OSMDI. Research at the University of Manitoba to evaluate farm-income potential in grazing green manures will receive $72,000 over three years from the fund. Testing of spring wheat breeding lines, selected under organic crop conditions, will be conducted at the University of Saskatchewan using $45,000 in OSMDI funding over the next two years.
Essentially, the Wheat Board offering educational opportunities for select prairie farmers as well as transitional funding to make the jump along with research funding to determine high-quality wheat varieties that are suitable for organic cultivation.
While it may seem “cheaper” to pick organic over conventional simply because of a difference in methods, it is likely challenging for a modern farmer to switch over. Considering the fact that today’s farmers are several generations removed from chemical-free production, they lack the essential skills necessary to do so.
While it is certainly encouraging that the Wheat Board is getting behind organic farming, which will save precious soil, petroleum and human health, the methods that they are advocating appear to be those used in industrial organic production. This program also includes phrases like “precision tillage” and “microbial bio-herbicide”, reinforcing the notion that large and industrial is inherently better. No-till would probably be a much more sound option.
Having said that, we might as well start somewhere. If it’s not the most ecologically sound production method, it is several notches above the conventional petro-wisdom. Since organizations like the Wheat Board have recognized that organic is the likely future of agriculture, perhaps down the road they will also realize that small and biodynamic farming methods may be the real key to feeding ourselves ethically and sustainably.
This is the kind of stimulus we need–lower health costs, less CO2 production and efficient production. An innovative stimulus that saves, encourages sustainability. because these are problems that we can’t just throw money at in the hopes that they will go away.
