The Farmers' Table is Two Years Old and Expanding to Saskatoon!
by Hélène Tremblay-Boyko

The Farmers’ Table (TFT) Sustainable Agriculture Initiative is a non-profit organization made up of independent Saskatchewan family farmers working together to bring their sustainably grown, healthful, and delicious local farm products to Saskatchewan consumers. TFT farmers use sustainable practices to produce a broad range of farm products from meat and eggs, to fruit, vegetables, whole grains, honey, natural fibres, soaps, preserves, and more.

We believe that buying from local farmers supports the local economy and places value on farmland and open space over urban sprawl. Buying local supports farmers who grow food for taste, diversity, and good health over uniformity and durability during transportation. Local food, picked at the family farm, is immediately delivered to your family table where its taste and nutritional value are at its peak. You will enjoy unique and flavourful heirloom and heritage varieties unavailable in mass-produced and transported food. Supporting small farmers preserves open space, jobs, and the security of a local, healthy, and sustainable food supply. Knowing your farmers allows you to connect with your food and fosters relationships, accountability, and knowledge of how your food is raised and who is raising it.

Who Are We?

In July 2015, the Farmers’ Table celebrated its second year of delivering locally and sustainably grown produce and meat to discriminating Regina customers. TFT currently features nine farm families providing eggs, pastured meats, garden vegetables, grains, legumes, fruit, garlic, honey, and even alpaca products. We started out with only three of these farms and a handful of customers. Through the dedicated work of our first coordinator, Nikko Snyder, our customer base grew and we attracted new producers.

The founding farms include Ben and Lisa Martens-Bartel at Grovenland Farm, Jeff Kinash and Tara Malinowski at Peregrine Farm, and Al Boyko and Hélène Tremblay-Boyko at BreadRoot Farm. Thanks to the recruiting efforts of our new coordinator, Pamela Wolanski, we now count among our producers, Don and Donna Kizlyk at D&D Market Garden, Pam and Lyle Miller from Miller’s By-Gone Farm, Dave and Hazel Tanner from Pure T Organics, Rhonda and Ralph Martin from Spring Valley Food Farms, Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer from Over the Hill Orchard, and Bob and Polly Schindel from Saskapaka Farm. We are also proud to count among our best customers, Regina’s newest food sensation, chef Mariana Brito and her Backyard dinners. Check it out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebackyardregina.

Quality and Sustainability

Our dedicated farm families are committed to following a set of production standards that ensures ethical practices and environmental sustainability. Livestock are pastured to allow them as close to a natural environment as possible. Chickens get to scratch in the dirt, pigs root around in pasture, sheep and cattle get only grass and hay to eat. No chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used in garden and orchard production, no growth hormones or antibiotics are administered to livestock, in fact some of the producers are also Certified Organic. The greatest care is taken for both livestock and produce, as well as the environment.

The farmers who supply food through TFT meet or exceed Canadian and Saskatchewan Food Safety regulations. TFT standards were developed to provide guidance to its farmers and processors on production practices that

• Ensure farmers use sustainable farming practices that reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and GMOs,
• Ensure animal health and well being through humane care of all livestock,
• Ensure human and environmental health through responsible care of all livestock, crops, and soil,
• Ensure farmers practice fair and safe working conditions for all farm workers.

TFT farmers are committed to continuing and strengthening their sustainable farm management practices through ongoing training. Their standards provide farmers with flexibility in their choice of farming practices. However, individual farm practices must be fully disclosed.

How It Works

The Farmers’ Table functions year-round through an on-line buying website that our customers access monthly to “shop” for whatever they need from the current offering. Then, on the designated delivery day, the producers deliver the ordered product to a pick-up location in Regina, where we connect with our customers. We recently moved to bigger facilities, the Regina North East Community Association on North Broad Street. This September, we have expanded our service to Saskatoon. Customers can now register for Regina OR Saskatoon locations and pickups. Just check out our website at thefarmerstable.ca to register as a customer. Be sure to indicate the location for the community of your choice in order to view the shopping page for your city.

The Farmers’ Table would also welcome any new producers who would like to add their farm or crafted items to our line of quality products, especially in the Saskatoon area.

We look forward to meeting and serving you in either Regina or Saskatoon.

Hélène Tremblay-Boyko and her husband Al Boyko operate a certified organic grain and beef farm north of Canora, SK. She is also a co-coordinator of The Farmers’ Table, avid gardener, and advocate for farmers’ rights to save seed both here in Canada, and in the Global South.