<h2>Ever Thought About Becoming a Farmer?</h2> <p align="left">Every now and then, I get a message in the office that someone is looking for advice on how to leave the city behind and get into agriculture. 'Great!' I say. 'Do you have a plan to get trained?' Often, this is where the conversation ends. Farming, like any other profession or trade, requires significant skills and is fundamentally based on science principles. Even Organic farming is highly technical and to be a successful grower, you need to go to school. <a class="bookmark" title="More Below" href="#EmailWoes">Read below</a> for some ideas I have on how you can explore this as a potential career for yourself and your family.</p> <p align="left"><strong>Last Week for the Bountiful Harvest Special!</strong></p> <p align="left">As a thank-you to our members and to our entire food family, we have an excellent promotion for you this fall. </p> <p align="left"><img style="WIDTH: 369px; HEIGHT: 200px" title="10off_coupon" alt="10off_coupon" align="absMiddle" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/discount_coupon.png" width="369" height="200" /></p> <p align="left">Between now and November 30, when you spend $100 or more on your weekly or biweekly order, we will give you $10 back. We have a fantastic catalogue of over 500 items, many of them items produced right here in Western Canada by small and independent producers. They want you to try their wares, and we want you to get a break this fall.</p> <p align="left"></p> <h2><a class="bookmark" title="EmailWoes" name="EmailWoes"></a>Farmer Education</h2> There is an entire generation of farmers who are either in their retirement years or who are imminently ready to retire. As they exit the industry, it creates opportunities for our younger generations to fill the gap and become commercial growers - whether market gardeners, livestock producers or grain farmers. However, my advice to anyone who is seriously considering this as a career path is to get some training. We aren't talking about a four-year degree, but instead just a chance to learn from those who are doing it now and a chance to set yourself up for success.<p>If you have land, know someone who has land, or are looking to go shopping for some land, this is a fantastic time and the perfect economic conditions to get into organic growing. The organic industry in Western Canada is worth nearly a billion dollars a year and growing faster than any other food category. The direct-to-consumer supply chains that we are putting in place are giving growers better returns on their investments and helping families make a living on the land.</p> <p><strong>Kootenay Farm School</strong></p> <p>Miranda and I have our farm in Creston, BC. Creston is in the central Kootenays just south of Kootenay Lake. It has been a prime agricultural region for over a century and produces some of the best quality late-season tree fruits in Canada. <a title="College of the Rockies" href="http://www.cotr.bc.ca/kootenay-farm-school/" target="_blank">College of the Rockies</a> has a campus in Creston and this February is launching its first year of the <a title="Beginner Farmer Training" href="http://www.cotr.bc.ca/kootenay-farm-school/cotr_web.asp?IDNumber=145" target="_blank">Beginner Farmer Training</a>program. This is an intensive 10-month part time program designed to give the students a good foundational overview of sustainable agriculture in a variety of disciplines. Students will receive training in a variety of topics from the business of farming, to equipment handling, to crop husbandry and livestock keeping. I will be an instructor at the school focusing on business topics and many of our neighbours in the valley will be hosting students for practical learning. I think this is an excellent program and encourage anyone who is thinking about making a change to take a hard look at enrolling. When you are finished you will be ready for your first season as a commercial grower.</p> <p><strong>Alberta Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship Program (ASAAP)</strong></p> <p>ASAAP is a program run by the <a title="Organic Alberta Council" href="http://www.organicalberta.org" target="_blank">Organic Alberta Council</a> and matches organic growers in Alberta with candidates who want to learn farming principles on a real working farm. There are several positions available for the coming season. If you want something less intensive and closer to home, the ASAAP program might be an excellent way to get a jump-start in your chosen farming practice. <a title="Check out" href="http://organicalberta.org/news/farming-apprenticeships-available" target="_blank">Check out</a> all the opportunities available on the Organic Alberta Website.</p> <p><strong>USask Organic Weed Management</strong></p> <p>Brenda Frick, one of the most respected and productive scientists in Organic Agriculture, runs an <a title="online weed management course " href="http://ccde.usask.ca/weedcontrol" target="_blank">online weed management course </a>out of the University of Saskatchewan. Weed management can be one of the most challenging aspects of organic growing and is often the thing that can make or break a season for a producer. Having access to Brenda's vast knowledge of organic growing via an online course is a gift and I have sent my own workers at our farm on this course to learn from the master.</p> <p><strong>Lots of Other Educational Opportunities</strong></p> <p>If you are looking for a more comprehensive list of education opportunities there is a good directory available on the <a title="Organic Alberta Website" href="http://organicalberta.org/resources/education-opportunities" target="_blank">Organic Alberta Website</a>. From study grants, apprenticeships, land stewardship, seed cleaning and lots more, there are many options available for learning the practices and principles of organic farming. I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in a new way of life to pursue food production with a vigour, but I caution against doing it without first getting some training and support.</p> <h2><strong>Its time for Winter Delivery Instructions</strong></h2> <div><img title="Snowy Van" alt="Snowy Van" align="top" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/snowyvan.jpg" width="600" height="335" /></div><p>The snow is piling up and I won't surprised if we reach 40cm by the end of this cold snap. I ran some deliveries myself during the worst of it and we don't have enough people with delivery instructions. During extreme snow events your box will come earlier or later than usual so please take the time to update your instructions for us. Remember that our normal delivery hours are noon to 10pm, so if you are expecting your box and it is getting dark,<strong>please turn on your porch light for our drivers to see</strong>. If we can't see your house number or if your front steps aren't safe, we will have trouble getting your box of food to you this winter.</p> <p>Its also time to start thinking about<strong>winter delivery instructions</strong>. Your box won't survive in -10C weather for more than 30 minutes outside, so please start thinking about winter conditions and how you want your box delivered. Some options include:</p> <ol> <li>We can put it in your garage if you have a keypad entry system.</li> <li>We can leave it with a specified neighbour if you aren't home.</li> <li>If you aren't home, we can bring it back to the warehouse and you can pick it up from our warehouse on Wednesday to Fridays during business hours and 9-1pm on Saturdays.</li> <li>Something else creative that you can devise!</li> </ol> <p><span>Boxes without winter delivery instructions will be</span><strong>left on your front step if your driver is unable to get in touch with you</strong><span>, so please take the time to update your instructions and let us know what you would like us to do for you - this can include leaving it out even if you aren't home. Delivery instructions can be updated by clicking the 'My Account' button on the right hand side of the Choose Your Box page.</span></p> <p>At The Organic Box we are always growing, always looking for ways to get better, and always trying to find ways to fill more of your shopping basket with Alberta and BC food producers. We can do it! You are helping!</p> <p>Havea Great Week!</p> <p>Danny.<br />Founder, The Organic Box.</p> <h2>FeaturedProducts and Producers:</h2> <table cellspacing="15" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#edf0e9"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><div><img title="sunriseposter" alt="sunriseposter" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/sunrisegardensposter.jpg" /></div></td> <td><h2>Shoots from Sunrise Gardens</h2> <p>Inside the greenhouses at Sunrise Gardens in Onoway east of Edmonton, Dawn is busy growing her microgreens for us all winter long. Tremendously delicious,and fresh, microgreens are also knownto be nutrition powerhouses! Loaded with vitamins and minerals that are found in their highest concentrations in theseearly greens.This winter, try some different kinds of greens for your salads and sandwiches and enjoy everything that this awesome <strong>local</strong> producer has to offer. </p> <p><strong>Salad Shoots </strong>- an assortment of all the different sprouts Dawn has on offer</p> <p><strong>Sunflower Shoots</strong> -a nice nutty flavoured shoot, great alternative to alfalfa<br /><br /><strong>Radish Shoots </strong>- give your salad a little natural zest with some yummy radish shoots</p> <p><strong>Live Wheatgrass </strong>- Get your wheatgrass fix by growing and harvesting it from your own plant! These wheatgrass portions are also excellent for your pets to chow down on... especially cats, it's like catnip. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><div><br /></div><div><div><img title="Fairwinds Logo" alt="Fairwinds Logo" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/Fairwinds Logo.png" /></div><br /></div></td> <td><h2>Fairwinds Farm</h2> <p>Right now is peak seasonfor Alberta Organic Goat's Milk! Goat's milk has an excellent mix of vitamins and health benefits and is a good way to mix it up in your kitchen. We have fluid milk on sale this week plus an excellent variety of goat's milk yoghurts, all flavoured with tastes from Alberta, BC and a little father away. Ben and Anita are good friends of The Organic Box and make some excellent milk products on their goat farm. </p> <p>If you've steered clear of cow dairy, try out goat dairy instead. It's protein and nutrient makeup is often easier to digest than cows milk, and provides great nutrition. </p> <div><a title="Fairwinds Farm" href="http://www.fairwindsfarm.ca/" target="_blank">Check out the Fairwinds Farm Website</a></div><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><div><img title="Gold Forest" alt="Gold Forest" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/goldforest.jpg" /></div></td> <td><h2>Gold Forest Grains</h2> <p>Cold weather outside means hot kitchens inside as everyone starts to get ramped up on holiday baking. One of our city's most vocal food activists, John Schneider, farms Gold Forest Grains near St. Albert. He has an excellent variety of grains and flours available including some excellent Gluten-Free options. Take a look in the flours category for lots of choices.Instead of the conventional flours try some local grown, local milled, and local loved flour in your kitchen this year. Like this one:<br /><br /><strong>Red Fife Flour</strong> - Red Fife is considered Canada's first registered grain. Brought over from Scotland in the 1800s and hybridized to grow especially well in our temperate climate, the Red Fife was a powerhouse wheat in the early 1900s and has recently saw a resurgence in popularity. An excellent bread flour, try the Red Fife and see what everyone is talking about. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
