So far with "Who's Your Farmer?" we've focused on people who USE farmers ... and that's ok! Because without these amazing people who use locally produced and sustained foods, our local farmers wouldn't be as famous as they are. Keri visited Cilantro and Chive on Lacombe, AB, a few months ago and could not stop raving about them. So she left the owner a note (albeit a slightly tipsy napkin note) to contact her. A couple weeks later she got an email from the dubious Rieley Kay, chef and co-owner. He proceeded to tell her that not only were they a local restaurant, but that they source locally, and where possible use organic producers! WIN-WIN-WIN!
So we made an appointment to go visit and have a little chat. Below is the video of the interview, and the some really great information about Cilantro and Chive's origin, a list of farmers they use, AND a list of BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES they use. You are welcome.
We go visit farmers, and ask 10 questions, and then make a video ...
We begin our "Who's Your Farmer?" series with a different kind of farmer ... a "garbage" farmer. Well, to be fair, it's not conventional garbage, or compost, we're talking about. This is organic "craft compost", and it's {going to be} the best thing you can use in your garden or farm.
Keri and I visited HopCompost in Calgary, AB, and spoke with Kevin Davies, the founder. Watch the YouTube video interview with Kevin - and prepare yourself - you will learn things about compost, compost fertilizer, and conventional fertilizer you haven't heard before! The amazing process which Kevin and the team at Hop Compost have devised is the stuff of legends. In fact, we believe that hop compost is at the forefront of a new organic compost and fertilizer era.
A FEW FACTS
Since 2015, their debut year, Hop Compost has diverted 2,029,000 pounds of waste from
local landfills. This has saved over 5,200,000 pounds of emissions, 65,000 cubic feet of land, and 507,000 liters of water.
HOP compost has 7.6 times the nutrient value compared to conventional compost.
Using a closed loop of organic farmers and vendors ensures Hop Compost's top quality
Grow Calgary - the largest urban farm in Canada - by using Hop Compostannounced
their crop yields are rising enough to be able to donate an additional 1125 meals to food banks
Canada's large cities will soon run out of landfill space:
Calgary has 18 years left
Vancouver has 4 years left
Toronto has 0 years -a they transport their garbage to Michigan
1/3 of most landfills are comprised of COMPOSTABLE material
Conventional FERTILIZER
Is poisonous to animals and humans
Has been proven to be toxicatmospherically*
Areas which use high amounts of conventional chemical fertilizer have an increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma & brain cancer*
Heavy use of chemical fertilizer pollutes the air much like smoking*
*Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma stats: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Brain cancer stats: Boston University, School of Public Health
".. I would say organic is possible...a lot of people have been making the same purchase decisions that
they’ve just inherited through generations. It seems like a natural move
to go into a green center and buy a chemical fertilizer .."
Please watch the video and read the transcribed interview below.
