Farmers of invention

James Vriend and Jenny Berkenbosch of Sundog Organic Farm change the way they farm their 16 certified organic acres

by Mary Bailey

James Vriend and Jenny Berkenbosch are smart, experienced farmers with generations of farming knowhow in their backgrounds. Yet, two years ago, they wondered if they should continue farming. Too much water had overwhelmed the top-notch sandy loam of their Sturgeon River Valley farm. Would we lose their delicious vegetables? Seeing how they have adapted to changing conditions on their farm not only provides perspective, it gives us hope. Their perseverance is a beautiful thing.

Cabbage and clover in the new no-till beds.

Cabbage and clover in the new no-till beds

“In 2019 and 2020 we had a lot of water,” says Jenny, “and if we thought 2019 was bad, 2020 was wild.” Jenny gestures at the beds nearby. “Where we are standing?

We couldn’t even get to it last year. It was a slough, and totally covered in weeds.”

“Our soils had been depleted of minerals due to all the water,” said James. “We could tell by the kinds of weeds, and the amount of weeds. The vegetables weren’t growing and were losing value.”

If you have a small farm, things are simpler, but we have a big farm and we need it to produce.” – Jenny Birkenbosch

“We didn’t know how we could recover it. That summer we were in crisis management, then we started actively looking for solutions. It was a matter of—are we going to keep farming? Or are we going to do this.” says Jenny.

“At first we thought we’d use tile drainage. A lot of farmers do this to recover wet boggy land, especially on large farms,” she says. “It’s quite disruptive and we just didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere, or that it was the right solution.”

They learned they would have to change a fundamental way of doing things. Organic farms have relied on tilling the land to break up hard soils and weeds. But, the practice frees up stored carbon, breaks up soil structure and contributes to erosion. Many conventional farms are no till: using herbicides to remove weeds and fertilizers to replace what’s lost. That wasn’t an option for Sundog.

Jenny, a painter, made a visual aid to explain no till.

Jenny, a painter, made a visual aid to explain no till

Yet, they weren’t sure how to make no till work for their larger organic market garden. “If you have a small farm, things are simpler, but we have a big farm and we need it to produce,” says Jenny. “What we first learned about no till was from farmers in warmer climates, who plant a cover crop first every year. Our season isn’t long enough.

“Then we found out about Richard Perkins, a proponent of no till, who farms at a similar latitude in Sweden. And we looked at what Oxton Organics in England was doing. By going no till, they were able to shrink the size of the farm they are managing with the same yield,” says Jenny.

“What I like about Richard Perkin’s method was less weeding,” says James. “Our weed pressure had become tremendous. As soils become depleted of carbon, weeds become a serious problem. Annual weeds are adapted to soil that is low in carbon and love to grow where there has been a disturbance—weeds are encouraged through tilling.”

They experimented with how the beds might look and work, before landing on a new structure of six-foot wide permanent beds with a thick (four inches) layer of compost with raised paths on either side planted with a cover crop.

“It’s a new start. The thick layer of mulch (compost) suppresses weeds and creates a substrate that can hold moisture but also drains moisture,” says Jenny.

“We’ve learned that the mycorrhizal fungi is the key to great soil. You do not want to disturb it by tilling as you lose the microorganisms and the aggregate which allows drainage and oxygen flow. We’ve discovered that each plant has its own planet of interconnected life. All those living things under the soil is what makes it a really effective carbon sink, not just the green stuff up top.”

“We plant a crop of fava beans and oats just to get roots in the beds, as roots in the ground colonize the soil. Over a several-year cycle, we will transplant, then seed into the beds,” says James.

The other key to a no-till organic system is what happens to the cover crop. They don’t till it in, nor do they till or remove crop residue. Rather, it stays on top of the soil and is slowly incorporated into the soil.

A company in Morinville is supplying the compost, 450 tons so far, a fraction of what they’ll need to complete the project.

“The cover crop on the paths is clover—not too large, not too invasive, also fixes nitrogen. We planted peas where there was open ground. We planted grasses and alfalfa in the headlands and plan to increase diversity by planting shrubs and trees. It’s beneficial to create wind barriers to slow air movement because the earth breathes, releasing carbon dioxide every day. The barriers keep that air where it needs to be, to be taken up by the plants.” says Jenny.

What’s the benefit of no till? Jenny lists them off; carbon sequestration, better crops, less weeds. “The no-till beds are ready sooner in the season. We can plant so much earlier. That lengthens the season. As soon as the snow is off we can plant, we don’t need them to dry up. It’s less muddy. People picking in the no till after a rain have a completely different harvesting experience,” says James.

Harvested onions curing.

Harvested onions curing

“We’re learning from other farmers, there is a global network of no-till market gardeners, people are writing books. And we’re sharing info too, taking pictures, documenting things that are relevant for the people around here. More and more farms are experimenting with this kind of farming,” Jenny says.

They are well into a five-year plan, with one quarter of the farm’s fields becoming no-till beds every year. Three plots for winter storage crops, like carrots and potatoes, which have to be dug up when harvested, remain on a green manure rotation to restore nutrients.

“So much of what we’re doing is experiential, you have to go through it and respond, continual learning and growth. It’s exciting and daunting too.” says Jenny.

“What have we seen so far this year?

Our yield is much higher, we have fewer weeds so far, that’s encouraging. We can continue doing business, and they appear to have more nutritional value,” says James.

Jenny Birkenbosch of Sundog Organic Farm

Jenny Berkenbosch of Sundog Organic Farm

“The other part is about a healthy environment. Tilling is a major activity that releases carbon into the atmosphere. We can keep carbon in the soil with the use of cover crops and not tilling.”

“Learning to build these beds and seeing good results has given us hope,” says Jenny. “The last few years have been so tough emotionally, seeing things work out and finding a way forward that makes a lot of sense, it’s healing.

“Our kids saw us not have a good time farming. We want them to see that’s not how it has to be.”

Find Sundog at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. Sign up for their farm box at sundogorganicfarm.ca.

For more on the breathing earth: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-earth-has-lungs-watch-them-breathe

Mary Bailey is the editor of The Tomato.


Where to buy locally-grown certified organic food

Grey Arrow Farm, Camrose
The Forstbauer family offer a CSA, online store and single parent scholarships, greyarrowfarm.ca.

Peas on Earth, Edmonton
Eric and Ruby Chen’s market garden was founded in 2000. Find at the Bountiful, Old Strathcona (OSFM) and St. Albert markets, Amaranth and the Grapevine Deli in St. Albert and via the Organic Box, peasonearth.ca.

Reclaim Urban Farm, Pigeon Lake
Visit Reclaim’s booth at the Downtown Farmers’ Market, also Earth’s General Store, Spud.ca, online shop, reclaimurbanfarm.ca.

Rock Ridge Dairy, Ponoka
The Bos family’s exceptional Jersey cow and goat milks can be found at the Italian Centre Shops, Earth’s General Store, Awn Kitchen, Sunterra, Amaranth in St. Albert and several Save On Foods, rockridgedairy.com.

Sparrow’s Nest, Edmonton
Graham Sparrow has operated a CSA since 2000. I remember digging potatoes by hand in those early years. Excellent bedding plants too. Find at the OSFM, sparroworganics.com.

Sundog Organic Farm, Gibbons
James Vriend and Jenny Berkenbosch offer an annual Farm Box (CSA) and have a booth at the OSFM, sundogorganicfarm.ca.

Sunworks Farm, Armena
Buy Ron and Sheila Hamilton’s exceptional chicken, beef and pork at the Bountiful, Downtown, OSFM and Terwillegar markets and at Blush Lane, sunworksfarm.com.

Many local organic farm products can be found online at Spud.ca and theorganicbox.ca.

Organic Week is September 12-18. For more information visit organicweek.ca.