Homestead Organics (1997) Ltd is now in business as planned and we have moved into the Berwick Feed Mill. Besides our own crops on the family farm, we are busy preparing the Berwick mill for this fall’s harvest. If you are driving by, drop in for a visit. We would love to show you how we will be processing your crops.
Homestead aims to serve the organic market of Eastern Ontario and eagerly seeks your grains to fulfill the growing consumer desire for organic food.
Homestead has some transient storage capacity for the products we purchase; but due to our current capacity restraints, we do not offer a storage leasing service to farmers.
We encourage those farmers who have on-farm storage to make full use of those facilities.
Homestead Organics provides grain processing and marketing services to organic farmers. We purchase grains from farmers; we store, dry, clean, grade, package and distribute the produce to food manufacturers. We offer the same services as custom work for your grains when we are not buying.
Homestead also processes and distributes ground animal feed for organic dairy, egg, chicken, and meat producers.
Definitely! On behalf of Homestead Organics, Murray offers to share his ten years of organic growing experience. As a fellow organic grower and processor, we count on a mutual learning relationship. Call Murray anytime for tips and advice. Time permitting (we have a farm too), he would be pleased to visit your farm.
We have not yet signed any contracts with growers. We have been busy confirming the product and volume requirements with our customers - the manufacturers - to ensure that your crop has a place in the market. A contract is optional; our contact with our associated growers so far has shown a sincere desire to work together. But if you want a contract, we would be happy to comply.
Otherwise, ALL of our associated growers can rest assured that there is demand for and we will process all their crops; but not all at the same time obviously, so we still need to discuss delivery schedules. In our constant contact with the customers, we have a good understanding of the prices for this year and we will be very competitive with the market. Please call Tom to discuss your crop and to review your situation.
A contract gives you some peace of mind in avoiding the hassle of finding a buyer at the last minute. It helps you and us understand and rely on certain volumes and predictable prices. It may protect you against price decreases over the year. But it does remove your flexibility in selling what, when, where and for how much you want. One possible strategy is to contract a portion of the crop and keep the rest in reserve.
Fellow growers, it’s planting time again, and I hear that seed is in short supply. If you must plant bin run seed, be sure to check it well for purity. We will be planting soybeans in 28" rows this year to control the weeds better by cultivating. I suggest to not roll the fields after seeding; leave the soil loose to blind harrow 4 days later. Seed beans about 70-80 pounds per acre and wheat about 110 pounds. Buckwheat at 60 pounds seems to be thick enough. If some people are like myself and spring plowing is required, we try to plow no deeper than 5" and as flat as possible.
Among the choice of buyers for your crops, there are several issues to consider. Price is an important factor; but ask the questions about the published price. Several items will change the bottom line that you will be paid. Before accepting an offer from someone, give us a call; we would be pleased to advise you on the issues.
Thanks to our discussions with our associate growers, Homestead wants to keep it simple for you, avoid surprises, leverage our facilities, and provide you with one-stop shopping. Therefore, the prices we generally quote to buy crops are farm-gate, based on clean weight, delivered by you to our plant in Berwick. The price varies by grade (quality factors such as size, protein count, colour, weight per bushel, etc.). We charge the grower for drying, at standard provincial rates, for humidity above the standard level specific to the crop. We buy your usable screenings such as soybean splits since these go to animal feed. We cover everything else and build it into the price to the manufacturer: costs for sample tests, weighing, cleaning, handling, bagging, transient storage, marketing, shipping to the manufacturer. Payment to the grower is within 15 to 30 days; special arrangements are possible. Deliveries of produce by you at the plant must be scheduled to allow for storage capacity and shipping schedules; so call Tom early to reserve your spot. On-farm storage is recommended and may warrant a premium.
Besides price, you are probably looking for more in the relationship with your buyer. Homestead Organics can bring many benefits to its associated growers thanks to its close contact. Our long standing presence in the local community assures you of commitment, reliability and trust. As an experienced grower, we may help you shorten your organic learning curve.
We are a unique full service operation handling all your grains including custom services and feed products; we will support you throughout your crop rotation. Our local facility reduces your cost of shipping and of doing business. We buy your usable screenings to maximize your revenues. We are focused on the regional market of growers, consumers and manufacturers. We are 100% dedicated to organics with no risk of contamination. We are investing in the future of organic farming and organic food in Eastern Ontario and we invite you to join us in this mission.