The largest certified organic blueberry operation in New Brunswick (and growing!) is over 80 acres in the beautiful Acadian coastland in Kent County. S&G Blue stands for "Steven and Gerard Blueberries" which at this point is run by Gerard (Gerry) Gallant. Steven is Gerry's son who has not yet decided to carry the farming torch, but Gerry remains hopeful that he'll play a larger role in the business at some point. Blueberries aren’t all that they do; they are also heavily involved in the organic cranberry production business. "People are crazy about my cranberries around here, fresh, organic and delicious!"
15 years ago, Gerry Gallant's lush blueberry fields were fully forested acres. Gerry set about clearing the land in the early 90's, with the desire to start a fresh plot of land in full organic production. "But that's precisely why we've had such a hard time clearing the suckers from the fields" says Gerry. Any part of a remaining stump in the soil will continue to grow "suckers" which are small shoots from the stump roots. They tend to be extremely detrimental to farm fields, as they damage equipment and leach valuable nutrients from the soil. Gerry is not the only farmer to come up against hard times while trying to rid his field of these nuisances. But he might be the only one to have found a perfect solution: the stone grinder.
Gerry purchased an old stone grinder from the city of Halifax several years ago when he heard that they sometimes used it to grind stumps to pulp. "It works wonders," claims Gerry, "just look and compare the fields!" And he's right, one blueberry field is patchy and uneven with tree shoots, while the other is nearly a perfect field of blueberries at every step.
"This is a big part of the difference between an organic operation and a chemical operation," says Gerry. "In organics you can't just spray the suckers to be rid of them; you have to deal with them without using harmful chemicals on your land." Gerry knows what he’s talking about when he mentions chemicals, after having had a long career of exposure to them. As a young man he worked as a painter using oil paints for industrial-sized jobs. "Believe it or not, we used to rinse ourselves off after a job with paint thinner – really toxic stuff," he says. "We just didn't know any better." Eventually, Gerry's father went to the doctor with a cancerous patch on his shoulder, and when Gerry had the option of becoming a conventional berry producer, the warning bells went off. Instead he chose to turn his back on the chemical sprays and protective gear and opted for organic production. “"I want to be safe out in my fields wearing my normal comfortable clothing. I also don't want to be sick, or make anyone else sick, from trying to make my living".
Citing the hidden costs of developing and producing chemicals in conventional farming, Gerry emphasizes his belief that organic agriculture is sure to win-out ahead of conventional practices. "If we were to put as many resources into research for organic methods as we have for chemicals alone, I think organic innovation would provide all of the answers we need to survive healthily on a healthy planet."
