Growing for a community

Roy and Sherry Lawrence have been growing crops for a local grain initiative that was a first for Canada

by
Roy and Sherry stand with their arms around each other beside a dirt road. Beside them is a green field and a blue sky with puffy clouds.

Roy and Sherry Lawrence live right alongside their crops on the Creston Valley flats. — Kristen Mitchell photo

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is one alternative economic model to traditional commercial farming. On a CSA farm, members commit to financially support a farmer, and sometimes to contribute labour. In return, they receive a share of the farm’s produce throughout the year.

Creston has a Kootenay Grain CSA that is the first of its kind in Canada. As an interest in eating local began to grow in the Kootenays, farmers Roy and Sherry Lawrence were approached to ask if they would be willing to produce grain crops for a CSA.

“At this point, we would rather deal directly with the people, as opposed to trying to sell to a store or do bulk sales,” said Roy. “It’s way more effort, but there's always been a concern with how we’re doing and whether it will be sustainable for us, which has never been a thought in the commercial sense.”

Growing Kootenay grain

The Kootenay Grain CSA differs slightly from more standard CSAs in that members simply purchase a number of full shares or half shares at 100 or 50 pounds. They get to choose from seven varieties of grain, although if one crop fails, as lentils have done in the past, that variety may be substituted with another one of their choice.

All of the couple’s crops are certified organic, meaning they’re an excellent option for anyone concerned about eating locally and avoiding pesticides. Many members of the Kootenay Grain CSA hail from Nelson or Slocan. Each year members have to collect their grain from the Creston Valley flats where the Lawrences live on their farm. However, Roy and Sherry enjoy this aspect of growing directly for a community.

“Actually, meeting the people when they come to pick their shares is really quite enjoyable,” said Roy. “They’re happy to get their grain and they like to look around and say, 'Oh, look at the turkeys.' That part is very neat.”

“People will ask, 'What is that?' and we’ll say that it’s a combine,” said Sherry. “A lot of people—and we didn’t realize this—a lot of people just don’t know where it comes from and what you even do with it. And then others will come that are older, or they were farmers, and it’s fun listening to their stories—hearing what they did or how they did it. You start to realize how much your little piece connects to another little piece.”

The farmin’ life

The Lawrences have enjoyed watching their ground rejuvenate as they’ve delved into organic farming. Growing for a CSA has added extra labour and a learning curve, however, as they have to clean, label and package their own product.

“Probably the biggest challenge was cleaning the grain,” said Roy. “We inherited an old seed cleaner that was probably made in the late 1930s. It works just fine, but seeing as we’d never run the thing before it was kind of a learning process because it’s almost an art. Little wee adjustments change things quite a bit.”

On 150 acres, the Lawrences would like to regularily manage about 200 shares each year. Learning to use the grain takes time and experimentation, but it’s satisfying to eat a slice of bread made with organic wheat grown in the Kootenays. The Lawrences look forward to continuing to grow and they’re happy to see Kootenay residents think twice about where their food comes from.

 

Kristen Mitchell

Kristen studied at College of the Rockies in Cranbrook and has worked in a variety of industries, from agriculture to construction, retail to restaurants. She now brings her understanding of the area to Kootenay Business magazine. View all of Kristen Mitchell’s articles

Related articles

West Kootenay, Castlegar, Agriculture, Environment, Retail, Small Business Cultivating sustainable gardens in Castlegar

The owners of Dig Garden Centre are all about community, sustainability and growth

by Danielle Brost
East Kootenay, Creston, Agriculture, Environment, Technology Creston organic farmer is aiming for year-round food without fossil fuels

A solar array and Chinese-style greenhouse technology will be impacting Cartwheel Farm and its ability to produce vegetables year-round without fossil fuels

by
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Nakusp, Nelson, Revelstoke, Rossland, Slocan, Agriculture Market gardens and farms in the West Kootenay: Bringing fresh produce, meat and more to local tables

Throughout the West Kootenay area, local farms and food producers sell directly to the public through roadside stands and farmgate sales

by
View all Agriculture articles

Comments