Here we are…

After nearly a year in business, Homestead Organics now has a proper company pamphlet. We hope that it will help you understand our services. Since the organic industry can best grow by word of mouth, please share our flyer with a friend who may need information on organic field crops, livestock feed, or food for their family.

The food of life…

Homestead Organics is proud to announce that we are soon opening an organic food store in our mill. We would like to think of it as a permanent organic farmers’ market featuring organic produce, grains, flours, poultry, meats and dairy products from producers in Eastern Ontario and Western Québec. Please call us to have your products displayed in the store.

We understand that the major deterrent from buying organic food is the lack of availability; then, take advantage of your visits to the mill or our feed deliveries to your home to purchase organic food for your family. If organic food is good enough for our customers, then it’s good enough for us!

Just Arrived...

Homestead is now offering some new products. We have clover, alfalfa and oil radish seed available for sprouting; soft and hard wheat are also good to sprout wheat grass which is pressed into a juice.

A real favorite, we now have flaked roasted soybeans as a soy snack - an excellent replacement for chips in front of the TV or as a snack after school.

We are trying some experiments in dog food, a mix of ground grains that can be served as a porridge; but somewhat delayed while we switch to a hammer mill to make it finer. Two customers asked for a rabbit mix; we are still searching for an appropriate recipe.

More Beans Please!!!

Many growers have been asking us about which crops to grow based on market demand. The answer is simple: EVERYTHING!!! The organic market both in Canada and abroad is growing on every front. Since we serve both the food and feed markets, we need almost everything you can think of, IF you can store it until we can process it.

If you cannot store it, then the most popular food grains are (in order of importance) soybeans, buckwheat, flax and hard red spring wheat; the popular feed grains are barley, corn, feed wheat, oats. Naked oats have a stronger market than regular oats. Plan some winter grains in your crop rotation: rye, spelt, soft wheat. If your desire to learn is strong, we also need small quantities of sunflowers, navy beans, other edible beans, alfalfa, clover, peas, oil radish. Please call now for purchase agreements for your 1998 crops.

More More More Growers!

To keep up with the demand for organic food, we definitely, absolutely, desperately need more producers. Please talk to your neighbours, friends, family, or buy more land yourself.

Homestead Organics is joining forces with Canadian Organic Growers (COG) and Organic Crop Producers and Processors (OCPP) in a broad program to recruit more organic producers in our region. Watch for our booth at the Ottawa Farm Show and several other community seed shows. You will find the "Organic Essentials", a regular column featured in the Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Valley Farmers’ Forum is publishing a report on the organic market in its next edition. And check out the full page ads in both papers in March.

Save the planet & WIN

You can also help expand production. Recruit a new certified organic producer and both you and the producer will enter a draw for a one-week family vacation in a luxury resort among 500 RCI resorts in Canada and around the world. The prize includes accommodation, a value of $500; the winner is responsible for traveling, food and entertainment. The producer must submit a certification application by May 31st or earlier according to the certifier’s deadline. Make your entry to Homestead Organics by the draw date of June 30th, 1998.

New feed prices

The good news is that the feed business is growing rapidly as consumers request more organic poultry, milk, eggs and meat. The other good news is that Homestead Organics has lots of inventory to serve you reliably and handle new customers throughout 1998. The bad news is that Eastern Ontario’s field crops can’t keep up with demand; thus most of the inventory now comes from Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Given the distance and the strong global demand, our grain costs have risen. We therefore moved our price list up by about 5% on average; the prices should be stable until the next harvest. Check our web site or ask for a full price list. Here is a summary of the popular items, picked up; add $1.50 per bag for delivery:

• Chick starter - $13.50/25 kg
• Chick grower - $19.45/40 kg
• Layer mash - $18.95/40 kg
• Turkey starter - $14.80/25 kg
• Turkey grower - $20.20/40 kg
• Lamb creep - $18.15/40 kg
• Dairy ration - $18.35/40 kg
• Hog mash - $18.65/40 kg

As the feed season gets busy, we must become more efficient; therefore a minimum delivery order of $200 would be appreciated when possible in order to optimize the number of stops on the route. Thank you for your understanding.

WWW@Web Resources

The Internet is a rich source of information for organic producers and consumers. Our own site, now receiving visitors and getting better over time, will provide some background on Homestead and keep you up to date on our products, services, and prices. Paul Lycett has a large site www.gks.com/gaiaone.html which hosts and points to a lot of Canadian organic resources including the Canadian Organic Growers (www.cog.ca) and the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (www.gks.com/efao). Farmers Online (www3.sympatico.ca/kerby) is a central library for lots of farming information. From these locations, you will reach many other resources.

The seed is in!

Now is the time to order and pick up your spring seed. Quantities are limited, so order now - first come, first serve.

Common organic seed (no performance guarantees):

• Buckwheat - $20/25 kg. - one bage per acre
• Oats - $12/25 kg. - two bags per acre
• Hard wheat - $15/25 kg, 3 bags per acre

Certified untreated seed (brand name guarantees):

we offer specific varieties that the market will appreciate and we suggest replacing any home seed that may have degraded over the years.

• Soybeans, OAC Arthur - $19.95/50 pds, 90 pds/acre.
• Innoculant, Pulse*R - $49.50/bag, for 25 bags of seed
• Hard wheat, AC Domain - $14/25 kg, 3 bags/acre.
• Barley, AC Stephen - $14/25 kg, 2 bags/acre
• Oats, AC Francis - $16/25 kg.
• Corn, Dekalb DK345 - $127.50/bag for 2.5 acres

Back to school!

The Ecological Farmers are hosting three very useful courses in organic production, given by experienced farmers and trainers, located at Kemptville College. Call Janet Duncan for details and registration, (613) 256-2933.

The course on organic field crops is on March 13th and 14th, small fruit production on March 13th, and diversified livestock on March 20th and 21st. Reading material is available for sale at our mill: Organic Field Crop Handbook ($20), Organic Field Crop Video (2 volumes - $35), Why We Do It ($10).

Boost your fields

Murray will try applying diluted molasses (with the weed sprayer) to the field to stimulate the microbial activity. Call Murray for his recommendations; we have bulk molasses by the drum. We also have access to liquid kelp and liquid fishmeal, organically acceptable fertilizers.