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As Steven Snider wraps up his 22nd organic crop, his advice will inspire those who want to follow a similar path.
Alberta farmers and ranchers have good reasons to consider a move to organic production: new markets, potentially premium prices and perhaps, the chance to build a consumer-facing brand.
When the Snider family farm near New Norway made the switch in 1986, their motivations were quite different. “We didn't go in it for the money because there was no extra money in it then,” says Snider, Alberta's 2003 Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year. “It was more of a lifestyle choice. I hated handling all those herbicide products, and I had herbicide poisoning when I was younger. My father, Robert, always grew organic wheat, though it wasn't certified, that we used to mill on the farm.”
Snider and his family, operating as Little Red Hen Mills, grow 2,000 acres of certified organic cereals, green manure crops and hay. Getting to this point, along with recognition as one of the guiding lights of organic production in Alberta, came with several setbacks. Despite the challenges of growing and marketing crops under a radically different production system, the Sniders never lost faith that they were doing the right thing for both business and family.
Resources are better today
Take it from Snider: If going organic seems daunting in 2008, it was positively scary in 1986.
“There was very little information available at the time,” he remembers, “which led us to go out and talk to people. Now, there are a lot of publications, more producers you can talk to and conferences and websites to visit.”
Being well-known as an organic producer comes with a price. For Snider, that price is a telephone that seldom stops ringing. He is accustomed to providing expert (not to mention free) advice to fellow farmers looking for his views on the pros and cons of organic production. “I know how frustrating it was for my dad and me to learn,” he says, “and I hope we can save others from making the mistakes we made.”
As challenging as the production side can be, that might not be the biggest hurdle that organic newcomers face. For many, it’s marketing. When Snider was just getting started, his goal was to market more and more of his crop as organic, and less and less as an undifferentiated commodity. That took time. In 1986, he sold just five per cent as organic. By 2008, virtually his entire production sold as organic.
“There are so many more marketing options for organic production today,” says Snider. “For instance, you can contract production now. The risks around marketing are not as bad as they used to be, but you can still make some mistakes with marketing that can cost you money.”
The future looks bright
At first blush, it might seem odd that Snider spends so much time advising producers on how to gain a competitive advantage which took him decades to acquire. He doesn’t see it as educating future competitors, but as nurturing future leaders and builders of an industry he believes in. Snider maintains that organic grain production is in the early innings of a long-term success story.
“We see continued opportunity if we just open our eyes and look around,” he says. “Years ago, people thought organic agriculture was just a fad. Well, we’ve proven that we’re here to stay.” |
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