In Conversation with Beekeeper Tracey Smith – Beanstalk Honey – Strathcona County

Tracey Smith grew up near North Cooking Lake in Strathcona County and in Edmonton. During her undergrad degree in conservation biology at the University of Alberta, she became intrigued by questions of food security in the North. After graduating, Tracey moved to Fairbanks, Alaska to pursue a Master’s of Arts at the University of Fairbanks. Her research on the North compared the carbon footprint of raising backyard laying hens compared to that of importing eggs from the lower 48 states. Around the same time, Tracey began volunteering on a vegetable farm near the university. The farmer also kept a few hives for pollinating the vegetables. At the time, Tracey was living in a rustic cabin – no running water – and becoming disenchanted with academia. She wondered what kind of career to pursue.

Stronger Plants, Family & Community – Peas on Earth – Sturgeon County

Eric and his wife Ruby, along with their extended family, have been growing mixed vegetables in northern Alberta for nearly 35 years. The Chen family has seen it all over the past several decades, dealing with weeds, pests, and extreme climactic events. They have a deep passion for growing organic food and feeding communities in the Edmonton and surrounding area.

“Farming was always a calling for us,” explains Eric. “It really helped us grow as a family.”

Eric was born in Laos and spent part of his childhood in Thailand. His grandmother, originally from China, had farming roots, but his parents only kept a hobby garden and a few livestock. In 1979, when Eric was thirteen years old, he and his family immigrated to Westlock, Alberta. Two years later, he took a summer job working on a vegetable farm in Westlock. “That’s how it all started,” he laughs. “The farmer said to me, ‘Maybe you should start a farm’ – and eventually – I did!”

Small Berry with a Big Story – Rosy Farms – Sturgeon County

Andrew works with natural ecosystem succession: planting berry bushes on broken, exposed soils and making room for pioneer species – like dandelions, for example – and grasses and shrubs. He points out how “weeds” actually have tremendous value in helping to aerate soils, provide shade for other plants, and stimulate microbiology in the soil. Andrew purposely sowed bunch grasses – a grass that would be in the same phase as the haskaps – as opposed to a creeping grass, like a brown grass, or quack grass.

Building Soil, Healthy Ecosystems & Community – Tin Forest Farm – Wetaskiwin, AB

In their first year on the land, the Schambers planted 500 trees. The following year, they planted 3000. Today, they have over 8000 trees on their property. “The land was what fit our budget – it wasn’t the land of our dreams,” reiterates Alana. “But we’ve been working with the land to clean up the junk, reorganize, plant trees, encourage plant growth and make it the farm of our dreams.”

Over the past decade, the Schambers have helped to restore and rehabilitate Tin Forest Farm through regenerative farming practices, including rotational grazing, agroforestry, and fencing off sensitive riparian areas. The family raise grass-finished heritage beef and lamb, heritage chickens, honey bees, and sell hand-spun wool. In previous years, Alana organized an annual summer Kid’s Nature Camp and a Farm to Table community dinner at the farm. “Our goal is to get local food on the tables of local families,” says Alana.

Heritage Sheep Farming and Silvo-Pasture Management – Rhyant Rock Farm – Stony Plain, AB

When I began to consider the risks for disease – which is very real in this day and age, look at COVID-19 for example – I became really interested in learning more about heritage breeds. There’s certain breeds that are more disease, or parasite resistant. There’s also mothering instincts and attributes of food quality. When you consider evolution, some breeds go extinct. But sometimes they lose popularity because they are smaller, or slower at production. I think as human beings we’ve gotten caught up with breeds that grow the fastest versus those that are of better food quality.

For me, I work off-farm, so I can’t be here 24/7 to lamb sheep, or getting up in the middle of the night and then going to my day-job and performing well. It was important to me to find breeds – American Soay and Katahdin sheep – that are able to look after themselves in the hours when I’m not here. With these breeds, lambing entails going out in the morning and evening and putting tags in the lambs’ ears. It doesn’t involve pulling lambs. It doesn’t involve 2 AM checks or anything like that.