This month’s Buzz Builder is in celebration of Canadian Ag Day.

COTA celebrates the organic value chain.  From farming, processing, manufacturing, distribution, and retail, we applaud all people involved in the creation of Canadian organic food, feed, and seed!  Celebrate Ag Day by thanking an organic farmer! Tag @canadaorganictrade and #cdnagday for a repost!

For this Buzz Builder, we asked our member, St. Francis Herb Farm, to share their insights on why they are committed to organic herb farming.

Canadians understand the benefits of choosing organic, spending an average of $7.94 Billion per year on organic grocery items. Organic produce has more nutrients, fewer chemicals, and is better for human and environmental health.

Much has been made about the purity and quality of organic foods and rightly so!

At St Francis Herb Farm, we have always been of the mindset that it’s essential for quality herbal medicine to begin with organic herbs.

Herb growers use similar agricultural methods to food crop farmers, planting, growing and harvesting a crop for people to consume, and how it is done matters.

Growing with traditional, organic methods contribute to high-quality, toxin-free herbs that are good for your family, and the environment. Here are a couple of aspects of organic growing we consider essential in growing herbs.

Diversity 

Monocultures are not found in nature and make great one-stop shopping destinations for insects and fungi. On organic farms several herbs often grow together in the same field. Different plants attract different insects – and beneficial insects are an effective organic method of pest control. Herb diversity encourages diversity in the whole farm ecosystem, supporting a variety of pollinators and animals, and resulting in a happier, healthier, herb harvest of higher quality.

Investing in Soil Health 

100 years – that’s how long it takes to form just one inch of soil! Our global food systems depend on a mere two inches of soil right beneath the surface. Diverse soil organisms and beneficial fungi make for fertile, nutrient-rich soil. Organic farming doesn’t just avoid harming soil – it incorporates several practices that actively improve soil health.

Rotating the herbs grown in each field means higher microbe diversity, no nutrient depletion, and no need for toxic fertilizers. More nutrients are available to be taken up by herbs – which makes for high-quality herbal supplements.

Organic farming uses cover crops during “rest periods” to replenish the soil with nutrients. These crops are like placeholders, keeping the soil ‘warm’ until the next main crop is planted and discourages pests and prevents weeds from taking hold. A well-rested, nutrient-rich soil produces excellent quality herbs not just for this season but also for the many after it. Cover crops encourage biodiversity in the farm ecosystem year-round and keep carbon in the ground to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Organic growing requires an attentive mindset. Attention to the soil, the farm, the environment, the local climate, and local environment. Herb quality depends on the health of the soil and the plants.” 

Jeremy Rivett-Carnac, Co-Founder of St. Francis Herb Farm

At St. Francis Herb Farm, we have been strongly committed to organic principles from the very beginning. From our origins, our founders, Monique and Jeremy, spent many years growing and processing organic herbs on their organic farm and developed a deep love and appreciation for growing herbs and advocating herbs for the benefits of all Canadians. Our farm was certified in the early 1990s, at the very forefront of the Canadian organic certification movement.

You can learn more about St. Francis Herb Farm’s Holistic Herb Approach™ HERE, or learn more about life on the farm HERE.

About the Author:

Paul Rivett-Carnac is the Chief Executive Officer and President of St. Francis Herb Farm, a leading herbal company that’s Canadian owned and family run for more than 30 years.  His interest herbal medicine and organic farming has deep family roots, given his parents started St. Francis Herb Farm in the Ottawa Valley in the late 1980’s. Paul’s commitment is to build on this foundation and empower people on their wellness journey through education and well-crafted plant medicine