Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (May 24/04) - Robert Buckle came to Hay River looking for ideas on farming.

He believes he learned a lot at the 14th annual agricultural seminar sponsored by the Territorial Farmers Association on May 15.

"Mostly where to start from and things that need to be in place," said Buckle, the employment officer with the Aklavik Indian Band.

The First Nation is drafting a proposal to start a community garden this year. It would include vegetables like potatoes, lettuce and radishes.

"It's small-scale to begin with," Buckle explained. "Things we know will grow."

Buckle noted one aim of the proposed market garden is to lower the cost of food in the Mackenzie Delta community. "We have real high freight costs because we are off the highway."

For example, a 10lb. bag of potatoes can at times cost up to $20, he said.

At one time, there were several gardens and a small farm in Aklavik, Buckle said.

The one-day seminar provided a chance for farmers to share ideas and learn about the industry.

Several government and private industry experts were on hand for presentations and to answer questions.

Much of the discussion centred on changes to government funding and regulations.

Gene Hachey, an agri-food and commercial wildlife development specialist with RWED in Hay River, noted there will be $870,000 coming to the NWT under multi-year funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"There's a lot of money rolling into the NWT over the next five years," he said.

Hachey said one of RWED's goal is to encourage replacement of food imported into the NWT. Currently, there is $55 million in food imported per year.

He also advised the farmers about the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, which will allow agricultural products to be traced backwards and forwards through the production system and ensure the safety of the food supply.

"That's where we're headed in Canada," he said, noting it will mean more record-keeping for farmers.

Optimum return

Shiela Alexandrovich, a producer from Whitehorse, explained how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) works. It is a system whereby customers pay for the product ahead of time and have it delivered weekly throughout the growing season.

"It's very much a growing way of marketing," Alexandrovich said. "There's no middleman. It's direct."

She added the system allows the farmer to receive the optimum amount of money for a product.

Alexandrovich operates her CSA from one-tenth of an acre, which she explained is intensively cultivated with such things as vegetables and herbs. "It's suited to the North because you can do it on a small scale."