Love organic food? This is your week to celebrate

Sep 22, 2014

Canada’s National Organic Week showcases organic food and products

This week is proclaimed as National Organic Week in Canada, the largest annual celebration of organic food and farming across the country.

According to a fact sheet posted on the Organic Week site, Canada is the fifth largest organic market in the world. The country is home to approximately 3732 organic farms, about 870 organic processors, and 245 organic handlers. Canadian organic exports are currently valued at $400 million per year.

Interestingly, Saskatchewan has the most organic farms in Canada, representing about 97 per cent of its field crops. Whereas in the province of Quebec the organic sector has seen the largest amount of growth compared to its provincial counterparts with a 179 per cent increase since 2001. B.C. is home to the largest concentration of organic farms in an urban area. For example 31 per cent of the farms near Victoria are deemed organic. The vast majority of organic farms in B.C. are fruit and vegetable operations.

Event organizers say “organic represents a vibrant alternative food system and an alternative option for clothing, personal care and cleaning products.” If you want to buy organic food, look for the “Canada Organic Biologique” logo on products. Products that bear this symbol indicates that it meets Canadian requirements of organic standards and regulations. This means that the product has passed independent audits and inspections, in addition to regular food safety requirements.

Organic week is from September 20-28, 2014. Want to get involved? Visit Organic Week events section on their website for more details.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.