Reg Phelan Farm
For Reg Phelan, farming has been in the family for years. His farm, located on Byrne Road, near Morrell, Prince Edward Island, was originally farmed by his great-grandparents, and has been passed down through the generations. Reg began farming on this land in the mid 1970’s.
Reg does his farming on a little over 100 cleared acres. He produces a variety of products such as brussels sprouts, potatoes, cabbage, hay, grain, wheat, oats, spelt, lettuce, cauliflower, blueberries, broccoli, Chinese cabbages and kale. Reg also has some hogs. His products are available through Sea Spray Atlantic Cooperative, a farmer-run marketing and distribution organization.
Reg has been farming organically for many years. In the 1970’s, he shipped organic produce to distributors in Halifax. Organic farming was very new at this time, and the interest died down over the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, eventually resulting in the closure of the store that he was producing for.
Reg continued to farm organically, and in the early 1990’s he obtained certification with OCIA, and is currently certified with MCOG. He says that being certified gives consumers a verification of what’s happening on the farm, and an assurance that the products are grown under specific organic standards.
Dealing with wholesalers can be a big challenge for an organic farmer. “The large sized wholesalers are used to having a domination relationship with the conventional farmers, and their reaction is similar to organic.”
Yet, Reg feels that organic farmers and wholesalers could have a much better relationship. He would also like to see a distribution system where there is more contact with consumers and smaller organizations. He thinks the Fair Trade labeling system will help develop more fair and equitable standards to the social dimension of farming.
Reg is pleased with the direction that his farm is taking and has no intentions to expand - 100 acres is more than enough for one man!
|
