Thursday, September 13, 2007

Berwick community reaps rewards from Homestead Organics, a booming processing operation sown 10 years ago

By TOM VAN DUSEN

BERWICK -- Where's Atlantic Canada's leading organic feed processor located?

Well, it's not in Atlantic Canada. It's Homestead Organics in this hamlet about 40 km southeast of Ottawa.

Business has boomed to such an extent in the Maritime provinces that Homestead is now investigating expanded production in that region, likely through contracting rather than ownership.

Currently, said Homestead owner Tom Manley, three to seven 1-tonne skids of bagged product are being trucked to the east coast every week.

Not bad for a business which, when it opened 10 years ago in an abandoned traditional feed mill here, was given little chance to succeed.

After all, it was at a time when the word "organic" was rarely even heard around here. But agricultural times changed. What began as a 300-tonne per year processing operation is now handling 6,000 tonnes of grain a year.

CELEBRATORY FEAST

Last Saturday, Manley, wife Isabelle, their families, employees and special guests celebrated Homestead's 10th anniversary with a reception at the Berwick Community Centre. More than 200 well-wishers were treated to organic snacks, organic beer brewed in Vankleek Hill, wine and a full organic meal, along with speeches and live music.

There was plenty to celebrate: The expansion in tonnage handled, an established mix of services such as custom processing, organic feed mill and organic grain elevator, a line of farm supplies, an organic food store, and jobs for the owner, his wife, and seven other area residents.

Among those Manley singled out for Homestead's success were his parents Murray and Carrie, who are among the pioneers in organic agriculture in Eastern Ontario.They launched the original Homestead in 1988 on their 400-acre farm which they certified as an organic operation. They offered grain cleaning and mixed feeds to other far-flung organic farmers.

Murray and Carrie kept the land while Tom and Isabelle moved the processing into what was then Berwick's vacant McIntosh feed mill.

SPACE CRUNCH

As part of the anniversary event, guests were offered guided tours of the refurbished grain processing and distribution facility, which has run out of space and is using a highway trailer and a tent for additional storage.

Considering Homestead's eastern connection, it was only fitting that the guest speaker for the celebration would be Wayne Easter, Liberal MP for Malpeque in P.E.I. and Opposition agriculture critic.

A farmer, Easter congratulated the Manleys for their vision in starting Homestead.

"Today," he said, "organic production is the fastest-growing sector in the agriculture industry."

Lamenting the fact the federal government didn't support organic agriculture to a greater extent earlier in its development, Easter said a major challenge for the sector will be maintaining local control and ensuring that organic producers "are not open to the exploitation that has disadvantaged primary producers in industrialized farming."

Agriculture isn't the only thing Easter and Manley have in common. During much of the time he has operated Homestead, Manley has also campaigned in provincial and federal elections, first as a candidate for the Green Party and later as a Liberal Party candidate.