Posted: May 24, 2024
叠测:听Emily MacKinnon
You鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find a more idyllic scene than TapRoot Farms on a warm spring day. The sky is blue with cotton ball clouds, birds are chirping, green shoots are sprouting all around and the sheep are quietly grazing as Patricia Bishop (BSc (Agr)鈥99) and Josh Oulton (DipTech'96) survey a crop. Jenny, their new puppy, skips along behind Bishop鈥檚 bright pink boots.
Bishop and Oulton bought this land 鈥 all 144 acres of it 鈥 in 2004. The couple has spent the last 20 years working in lockstep with temporary workers from Jamaica to plant, grow, harvest and distribute certified organic produce. The result is a bustling farm operation that grows over a hundred different crops of fruits and vegetables, and humanely raises animals for meat and fibre. It鈥檚 a lifestyle Bishop and Oulton, both descendants of legendary Annapolis Valley farming families, are deeply committed to.
鈥淎s locally grown food gets harder to access, we are losing the ability to have a secure food system, and losing the flexibility to sort out solutions that will make food more affordable,鈥 Bishop, who has a degree in environmental sciences, says.
And food security and sustainability are Bishop and Oulton鈥檚 raisons d鈥櫭猼re.
It starts with the soil
鈥淲e鈥檝e been feeling the impacts of climate change over the past number of years,鈥 Bishop says, referencing long dry spells followed by weeks of torrential rain and wild temperature fluctuations, like 2023鈥檚 polar vortex. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to have a regenerative system of agriculture and healthy soil that can rebound.鈥
Oulton, who has a diploma in farming technology, has long made it his mission to revitalize TapRoot's soil. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to create a healthier soil biology,鈥 he explains.
鈥淚f I feed the soil, it can feed us back. I鈥檓 hoping to create a soil that鈥檚 full of life and just grows all kinds of great food.鈥
Community-shared agriculture
And bountiful great food has become a given at Bishop and Oulton鈥檚 farm. So much so, that in 2009 TapRoot launched its community-shared agriculture (CSA) program, which Bishop describes as a partnership between a customer and a farmer. CSA members pay a fee to cover all or part of a farm's operating expenses for an upcoming season. In return, each week members receive a portion of the farm's produce.
Bishop and Oulton鈥檚 model offers year-round or seasonal shares. Depending on the time of year, TapRoot鈥檚 CSA boxes might include perennial produce like apples and blueberries, or year-round offerings like basil and cabbage (two of Bishop鈥檚 favourites).
Bucolic as it sounds, Bishop and Oulton are aware that cost is a barrier for many folks when it comes to accessing farm-fresh goods. Oulton remembers a woman who came to Noggins Farm Market to fill up her bags with 鈥渟econds鈥 鈥 soon-to-expire, free produce. 鈥淪he just gave me this big hug; she was so happy to have that food,鈥 Oulton remembers.
It鈥檚 a tricky balance for Bishop and Oulton, who staunchly believe local, organic produce is integral to a sustainable food system, since there is little to no transportation cost, and it nourishes both the natural environment and our bodies.
鈥淚t's real that people can't afford organic food,鈥 Bishop says. 鈥淏ut it's also real that organic food is part of the solution to building resilient communities and resilient bodies and a resilient Earth.鈥
Sustainability is wearable too
Bishop also wanted to offer folks a way to reduce their carbon footprint through the clothing they purchase and wear. 鈥淭he use of natural fibers is declining because synthetic fibers are cheaper,鈥 she explains. 鈥淪o, we thought, why not start growing textiles?鈥
So, they planted flax and got some sheep. The fibres from both are spun into linen and wool respectively, which can then be used to make clothing.
From Jamaica to Nova Scotia
The day-to-day operations of a farm require many hands, and the labour just isn鈥檛 available in the Valley. When locals came to help, Oulton says they simply didn't understand all that goes into farming, especially the physical requirements. A neighbour had some Jamaican workers helping with their harvest, and they came to TapRoot at the end of the season. 鈥淚 remember thinking, 鈥榳ow, these people aren't temporary farm workers. They're professional farmers,鈥 鈥 Oulton says.
That experience planted a seed that blossomed into 20 years of friendship. Some workers have been coming to TapRoot since then, and others are newer recruits. Most stay between six and eight months, living in a house on Bishop and Oulton鈥檚 property, and doing the heavy lifting of planting, weeding, watering and harvesting.
There is a mutual respect between Bishop, Oulton and their farm workers, which Oulton says is borne of empathy. TapRoot is well known for their commitment to the fair pay and treatment of their Jamaican partners.
Next-gen farming
Bishop and Oulton are celebrating 20 years of marriage this year and have raised three children on their farm. A lot has changed in those two decades, from farm technology to the crops themselves. But Bishop and Oulton both say they hope their kids will choose careers in agriculture if that鈥檚 what makes them happy.
鈥淭he work of primary production, whether it鈥檚 the fishery, forestry or agriculture, is the basis of everything,鈥 Bishop says. 鈥淲e are in a crisis when it comes to how we value the work that鈥檚 required to provide us with the things we need. If you value local food, then you need to purchase local food. Because that is how you鈥檙e going to have a local farm.鈥
