Modern greenhouses assist in building a self sustainable economy
Published on September 7, 2011
On August 11, 2011 the Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta, along with local produce growers and distributors, including County Fresh Farms and Red Hat Cooperative, took part in the annual Country Cruzin’ event. This one-day tour was a collaborative effort to build awareness on the advantages of supporting local food producers, processors and distributors to build a stable support base and more self-reliant economy.
Alison Pfeifer, Research Assistant for the EDA guided the tours that took place at County Fresh Farms. Pfeifer explained that this greenhouse in particular is only two years old but due to demand is already expanding to provide 10 acres of Mini and Long English Cucumbers. “The water process alone is a good example of how modern and successful our local greenhouses are,” said Pfeifer. “Water is provided to the plants through black tubes, providing 70 millimeters of water to the cucumbers every 8 minutes, unused water (about 50%) is sent to be recycled, thus cutting down on waste.”
Pfeifer explained that in the winter, curtains on top of the glass roof are closed to retain heat, providing an energy savings of approximately 45%. “It’s these processes that allow for a more energy efficient and state-of-the art systems.”
Other stops during the tour included: TLC Farms, Erna’s Berry Farm as well as Bow Island Greenhouses.
The EDA felt the focus of this event aligned with the overall objectives of their locally grown food awareness campaign, a program currently in the planning phase. This campaign will focus on promoting the diversity of agriculture products available in the region while encouraging individuals to support local businesses and economy.
Tracy Heebner, Associate Director for the EDA mentioned that although Country Cruzin’ was focused at companies located on and around Highway 3, the entire region contains industry leaders. Some examples include Deerview Meats, a state-of-the art meat processing facility, and Ehnes Organics, an organic seed cleaning facility which offers Red Fife- a heritage wheat variety. These as well as other savvy companies will be highlighted during the awareness campaign.
“The EDA hopes this campaign will bring greater awareness and more recognition to our local smart and savvy producers,” said Heebner. “The diversity of agriculture in this region is outstanding, and we want to assist companies in getting the word out about the great products southeast Alberta has to offer.”
For more information on the local agriculture sector and the innovative companies within southeast Alberta visit www.edalliance.ca.