Walking the Talk: Certifying Organic Research Land

By Roxanne Beavers, M.Sc., P.Ag.

At the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC), researchers study organic production practices and assess the environmental impacts of going organic. Much OACC research takes place on organic and transitioning farms across Canada. Organic farming systems are based on feeding the soil and soil life, and the characteristics of organic soils may differ significantly from conventionally managed farms. Weed and insect pressures on organic farms can also be distinct from conventional production. The practices of using longer crop rotations can result in more perennial weeds or different insect – crop dynamics. Researchers understand it is important to test organic practices on organically managed land to produce meaningful results for farmers.

However, not all trials can be completed on farms. Some projects test high weed and pest pressure or very high and very low fertility levels. Scientists may assess new crops or organic products that are not yet proven to work. Farmers understandably may not want these processes tested on their working farms. Some trials also need tightly controlled conditions, and data for some factors may be collected weekly, daily, or even hourly. For all of these reasons, an organic research facility is beneficial.

In 2002, ten hectares at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College’s Brookside Pasture, only 3 km from the OACC main office, became available for organic research. In 2003, our transition process to organic certification began. The Canadian Standard for Organic Agriculture is now mandatory. The standard includes requirements to keep written records about field history, rotations, and management, and to use organic seed when available. An application is submitted and reviewed annually and a third-party inspector visits the site to verify practices.

We are proud to announce that in 2006 the Brookside Research Site was certified organic by the Organic Crop Producers and Processors (OCPP). With many research plots and different varieties being tested, some challenges were encountered along the way. At Brookside, we host at least 10 research projects per year, investigating everything from different flax and soybean varieties to the impact of composts on soil fertility and quality. Our field history is organized to keep data for eight main fields of 1 – 2 ha each, with detailed information about seeds and pest control and fertility input for sub-plots in each field. It’s a lot of paperwork but the process becomes easier with experience. As a research facility, we sometimes need to test experimental products or contrast aspects of organic and conventional production systems. Two plots set aside for these purposes are not certified. Our crew shares some equipment (tractors and seeders) with the larger, conventionally managed NSAC farm. As any producer who shares equipment, we also keep a cleaning log and record how and when we clean out shared equipment. Field implements are operated in a purge area, swept off, washed off, or vacuumed.

OACC’s Brookside Site is not the first certified organic research facility in Canada. As far as we know, that distinction belongs to an apple orchard at Agriculture Canada’s Kentville Research Station in Nova Scotia and the Back to the Farm Research Foundation, a non-profit in Saskatchewan, both certified organic in 2002. In Ontario, the University of Guelph’s Collège d’Alfred is moving towards organic certification of a dairy research centre. Some land is already certified, and a working dairy with 300 acres of land will be organic by 2008. Many more facilities are managed using organic techniques, including sections of Agriculture Canada’s Scott Research Station in Saskatchewan and the Carman Facilities at the University of Manitoba. While certification is not necessarily the best option for all research sites, OACC staff recognize the value of certifying some of our research fields, especially given our mandate as the national centre for organic research. The process of certification also helps researchers better understand the needs of organic farmers and research questions arising from the organic standard.


Roxanne Beavers is a Research Coordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. Please send comments or questions by phone to 902-893-7256 or by email to oacc@nsac.ca.


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Posted July 2007