Angelhoeve Organic Farm
Angelhoeve Organic Farm, owned and operated by Angela Patterson and her husband Ron Titus, is located in Glenmont, Kings County, Nova Scotia. Angela describes Angelhoeve Organic Farm as an “old-fashioned mixed farm,” with a large variety of products, such as eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, strawberries, raspberries, and assorted vegetables. Currently, on their 150 acres, 50 acres are used for crops and pasture. The other 100 acres are certified by Smart Wood which makes it a Forestry Standards Council (FSC) certified woodlot.
Angela and Ron searched the Annapolis Valley for four years looking for the perfect property to transition to a certified organic farm. They found it in 2002. The property had not been farmed for five years as the previous farmer had passed away. This made it perfect for their plan. They are "certified organic" for the health benefits of consuming the products, and also out of great concern for the health and sustainability of the environment. As a bonus, Angela claims that organic food simply tastes better!
Angela has certified the farm with Nova Scotia Organic Growers Association (NSOGA) since the beginning. She is now president of NSOGA, and says she appreciates being with NSOGA because it is a small, dynamic group, where everybody knows each other, learns from each other, and will help one another out in any way they can. “Being certified organically gives confidence to the consumer that someone else other than the producer is looking at the products, and that the customer is getting the product that they pay for,” says Angela about the benefits of being certified. She also explains that being certified is a way to make sure that you, as a producer, are doing everything according to the standards.
At Angelhoeve, one of the biggest challenges is weed control. Angela decided from the beginning that she would not plough the fields, but chose to strip plant in the existing sod fields to minimize soil erosion, preserve life in the soil, and to reduce the amount of energy required to plough whole fields. All vegetables and strawberries are planted in strips that are four by approximately 100 feet long. This means that the original grasses are constantly trying to creep back into the beds. The first three years, she used black plastic mulch as the main weed control strategy. The land had not been disturbed for many years, so when strips were made, the dormant weed seed bed went wild! So, in addition to the perennial grasses, wild mustard, radish, Queen Anne's Lace are a constant pressure. Hoeing and hand weeding are the main sources of weed control.
Another challenge they face is growing enough product to meet customer demand. Angelhoeve Organic Farm retails at both the Wolfville and Halifax Markets, and from the farm, as well as selling some products through health food stores.
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