Demand is growing for locally produced organic food, everything from beef to beets.

by Jennifer Lewington
King Township

A stone's throw from the organic farm of Michael and Cynthia Beretta, one can see a shimmering image of the hazy Toronto skyline.

The CN tower, visible in the distance, symbolizes the close links between the farm field and the chef's table in the Toronto region.

"It's a unique experience to be farming so close to Toronto," said Mr. Beretta, who has operated Beretta Organic Farms Inc. on 263 hectares since 1999, with his extended family and an important backer, land developer Elvio Delzotto of Tridel Corp.

"Customers in the greater Toronto area appreciate where the food is coming from," he said. "We can't keep up with the demand."

Some of the certified organic beef, lamb, pork, beets and other vegetables grown on the Beretta farm wind up on the menu at Millie's Bistro, a North Toronto restaurant where owner-chef Gary Hoyer features organic and wild-grown specialty items.

"We strive to be organic and local'" said Mr. Hoyer, an ebulliant American, who moved here 25 years ago. "Interest in organic products has grown quite a bit and more people are aware of it, but we're still way behind the rest of the world."

According to Agriculture Canada, organic farm production - which avoids chemicals, synthetic pesticides and genetic engineering - is a small but rapidly growing sector. In 1999, organic grains and oilseed production was worth $500-million, about 1.5 per cent of total farm cash receipts in Canada.

"From the consumer side, you see more and more demand pulling this sector," Ontario Agriculture Ministry official Ken Maltby said. "Production may be the limiting factor."

Part of the blame lies with governments in Canada, organic advocate Ray Rivers, a garlic producer on Campbellville, Ont., contends. Compared to the attention paid to genetically modified foods, governments have done little research into organic farming. And with the exception of Quebec and British Columbia, there are no government-approved standards, as is the case in Europe and more recently in the United States.

"Credibility is one of the issues," said Mr. Rivers, executive director of the Organic Crop Impovement Association, a voluntary certification group in Ontario. Strict standards, he said, would raise consumer understanding and demand for organic foods.

Members of his association meet certain requirements, including not using pesticides or genetically modified seed. Their land must be free of chemicals and sprays for a minimum of three years.

All these factors apply to the Beretta's location, where certified products are sold to Toronto-area chefs and the general public.

After graduating in agriculture from the University of Guelph a decade ago, Mr. Beretta, 32, was determined to use organic methods.

Despite their large acreage, the Beretta's animal production--300 to 400 pigs are marketed a year--is tiny compared to commercial farm operations. They supplement their farm income with a retail store that features meats cut by Mr. Beretta, a trained butcher.

At the farm, the emphasis is on a stress-free environment for the animals, from birth to the time they head to market. For example, the pigs are housed on straw in large wooden pens and receive natural herbal remedies for standard animal diseases. When the pens are cleaned, the manure is spread on the fields as natural fertilizer for the oats and rye that are grown for animal feed.

These natural methods and the small scale of production mean the organic food products are more expensive, about 20 per cent higher than commercial mass production.

Through the annual Feast of Fields, a $100-a-plate fundraiser to be held this year on Sept. 9 at Milton Heritage Park, Toronto-area chefs and local farmers aim to educate the public about the agricultural and environmental benefits of organic food production.

Mr. Hoyer, who makes his own brand of snacks from beets organically grown at the Beretta farm, is among those willing to pay a premium.