Stimulating Commercial Berry Production in the NWT Capital Region - Ecology North
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Stimulating Commercial Berry
Production
in the NWT Capital Region
Project completed by Ecology North with
funding provided by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation
Program, and supported by the Territorial Farmers Association
February 2012
Written by: Dwayne Wohlgemuth
Ecology North
For more information on this project, please contact Ecology North or the Territorial Farmers
Association. Copies of this document can be downloaded from the Ecology North website at
www.ecologynorth.ca.
Ecology North
5013 -‐ 51 Street,
Yellowknife, NT X1A 1S5
Tel/Fax: 867-‐873-‐6019
Ecology North is a NWT-‐based charitable, non-‐profit organization established in 1971 to promote sound
environmental decision making at the individual, community and territorial level. We achieve our
mandate of bringing people and knowledge together for a healthy northern environment through
integrated programming in the following areas: youth engagement and public education, climate change
mitigation and adaptation planning, sourcewater protection planning, waste reduction and sustainable
food systems development.
i 
Executive Summary
Numerous berry species ŐƌŽǁǁĞůůŝŶƚŚĞzĞůůŽǁŬŶŝĨĞ͕ĞƚƚĂŚ͕ĂŶĚE͛dilo region (capital region) of the
Northwest Territories (NWT), and could be planted on an orchard scale for local consumption. Local
agricultural land is in very limited supply, but berries are high value crops that require only small areas of
land for production. Berries are very perishable, which results in relatively high losses and high prices in
grocery stores when compared to other fruit and vegetables. This study thus examines the feasibility of
producing berries in the capital region for the fresh local market. Funding for this project was provided
by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), which is administered by the Territorial
Farmers Association (TFA).
A survey of residents was completed to determine what berries are locally harvested and grown, which
would be preferred for a local orchard, and how people use berries. A total of 117 responses were
received. The two most commonly picked berries were cranberries and raspberries, while the most
commonly purchased were blueberries and strawberries. People most frequently grow raspberries and
saskatoons in their yards, while people expressed that they would prefer blueberries and raspberries for
an orchard. The survey also showed that many residents, even those with berry bushes in their yards, do
not feel that they harvest or produce enough berries for their own personal use.
A number of berry species were researched and considered for their potential in a local orchard. These
species included blueberries, sour cherries, cranberries, Ribes (currants & gooseberries), Haskap berries,
raspberries, saskatoons, strawberries, gogi berries, and sea buckthorn. Blueberries are one of the most
commonly purchased berries, but are difficult to grow due to soil pH requirements. Only low-‐bush
blueberries would grow in this area, and they have lower yields and more complicated management
requirements than many other berries. Sour cherries may produce well and be appropriate. However,
they have only been planted for the first time in this area in 2011, and their hardiness in the region is
thus undergoing testing. The commercially produced cranberry would likely grow well here, but it is a
durable berry that is relatively inexpensive compared to other berries. The abundance of wild
cranberries, the relatively inexpensive price of cranberries in grocery stores, and a well-‐developed
Canadian cranberry industry mean that local production would not likely be profitable. Ribes, including
currants and gooseberries, grow well in the region, are grown by many residents, and could be produced
by an orchard. Consumption of these berries, however, is relatively low and commercially produced
berries are used mostly for processing. Haskap are a newly developed berry similar to blueberries. They
are easier to grow than blueberries, grow to a height ideal for hand-‐picking, and could be a substitute for
imported blueberries. Very few local residents have planted haskap berries, however, and winter
hardiness is still uncertain. A few are being trialed in 2011 in Yellowknife. Both raspberries and
saskatoons grow and produce well locally. Raspberries are the most expensive berry in grocery stores
and have a quantified local market. They would likely be the most lucrative option for local berry
production. Saskatoons are not currently available in grocery stores, so the size of the market is
undetermined, but may be substantial. Of all the berries considered, strawberries are the least expensive
and one of the most durable. Growing them would require regular soil tillage, crop rotation, and special
equipment, and a local operation would not likely be profitable. Gogi berries and sea buckthorn are not
considered as viable options due to their specialized and small market.
ii 
Consumption of purchased fresh berries in Canada averaged 6.7 kg per person in 2008, and information
from local grocery stores shows that consumption of locally purchased berries is close to the Canadian
average. Berry sales are highest during the summer months when prices are lowest, with 20,000 kg of
berries purchased locally in a 6-‐week summer period. A local u-‐pick with competitive prices could result
in increased local berry consumption and in numerous customers preserving berries for winter
consumption.
An analysis was completed of 100 orchards in Alberta. The top five berry species and the percentage of
orchards growing each species are as follows: raspberry (63%), saskatoons (60%), strawberries (59%),
sour cherries or chokecherries (34%), and currants (20%). The number of species per orchard averages
about three. The percentage of orchards using various marketing methods were as follows: u-‐pick (86%),
farm gate sales (65%), pre-‐picked custom orders (64%), and farmers markets (42%). Seven orchards were
certified organic.
Four marketing options were explored for selling local berries: selling to grocery stores and other
wholesale customers, selling at stands or farmers markets, selling through community supported
agriculture programs (CSAs), and direct farm sales including u-‐pick. Processed and frozen berry sales
were not considered as these products require more investment and are generally only pursued by
orchards that cannot sell all their berries fresh. For a very small orchard of a hectare or less, pre-‐picking
the berries for wholesale customers and pre-‐picked custom orders would be likely work the best since
only a small number of full-‐time pickers would be required and investment in public amenities would not
be required. For an orchard larger than a hectare, a variety of marketing methods would likely be
needed to sell all the berries.
Hand picking of berries is recommended for the fresh market. Though mechanical harvesters are
common in Canada, they cause greater berry damage than hand picking and are usually only appropriate
when berries will be used for processed products. The terrain of the local region is also not ideal for
mechanical harvesters, which require relatively flat terrain. The costs of mechanical harvesters are also
high.
Estimates are made for berry yields per hectare for all species, and an amount of berries roughly
equivalent in weight to the existing sales during a 6-‐week summer period could be produced on about 5
hectares. The market for locally produced berries could be larger or smaller, however, than the existing
wholesale berry market, depending on berry species grown and on prices. The harvest from a 2 hectare
orchard could be marketed through a u-‐pick, while the rest would need to be pre-‐picked for wholesale
customers and direct sales. Once an orchard was established and at full production, an assessment could
be completed of the potential for further growth, for processed and frozen products, and of the
opportunity to ship berries to other parts of the NWT.
The business case was explored for two types of orchards. The first was a 5 hectare orchard with
multiple species and multiple marketing techniques. The second was a 0.2 hectare orchard growing
primarily raspberries, with saskatoons as a secondary crop, and where all berries are pre-‐picked for
wholesale customers. Both models were found to be profitable and viable based on estimated berry
production levels and equipment costs. Raspberries could be produced at a cost of about $13 per
kilogram and saskatoons at a cost of about $10 per kilogram. Raspberries currently retail for about $24
per kilogram in Yellowknife. Saskatoons are currently unavailable locally, but usually sold for $8-‐$10/kg
on Alberta orchards.
iii 
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ ii
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. vii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... viii
List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... viii
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ix
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Orchard Case Studies ............................................................................................................................ 2
2.1 Shady Lane Berry Farm, Lac La Biche, Alberta............................................................................... 2
2.2 Birds and Bees Organic Winery, Brosseau, Alberta ....................................................................... 3
2.3 Fruition Orchards, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ............................................................................... 4
2.4 Between the Bushes, Centreville, Nova Scotia.............................................................................. 5
3 Survey of Local Residents ...................................................................................................................... 6
3.1 Berry Species Picked, Grown and Preferred.................................................................................. 6
3.2 How Residents Use Berries ............................................................................................................ 7
3.3 Berry Consumption Per Person ..................................................................................................... 7
3.4 Local Berry Bushes ......................................................................................................................... 8
3.5 Organic Production ........................................................................................................................ 8
4 Berry Species Investigated .................................................................................................................... 9
4.1 Criteria for Species Selection ......................................................................................................... 9
4.2 Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) ......................................................................................................... 9
4.3 Dwarf Sour Cherries Prunus cerasus L. ........................................................................................ 11
4.4 Cranberries .................................................................................................................................. 13
4.5 Gooseberries, Currants, and Jostaberries (Genus Ribes) ............................................................ 15
4.6 Haskap Berries Lonicera caerulea ............................................................................................ 16
4.7 Red Raspberry Rubus idaeus ..................................................................................................... 18
4.8 Saskatoon Amelanchier alnifolia .............................................................................................. 19
4.9 Strawberries Fragaria x ananassa ............................................................................................. 20
4.10 Other Berries that were Briefly Considered ................................................................................ 22
5 Species Comparison ............................................................................................................................ 23
5.1 Production Yield Levels ............................................................................................................... 23
5.2 Sugar Content in Berries .............................................................................................................. 23
5.3 Health Benefits ............................................................................................................................ 24
iv 5.4 Berry Plant Costs ......................................................................................................................... 24
6 Crop Management .............................................................................................................................. 26
6.1 Soil Nutrition ............................................................................................................................... 26
6.2 Weed Management ..................................................................................................................... 26
6.3 Pruning and Orchard Rejuvination .............................................................................................. 26
7 Market Size and Marketing Methods .................................................................................................. 28
7.1 Marketing Methods and Species ................................................................................................. 28
7.2 U-‐Pick & Direct Farm Sales .......................................................................................................... 31
7.3 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) .................................................................................... 32
7.4 Wholesale Market ....................................................................................................................... 33
7.5 Berry Prices .................................................................................................................................. 35
7.6 Market Summary and Berry Species Selection ........................................................................... 36
8 Local Factors ........................................................................................................................................ 37
8.1 Climate......................................................................................................................................... 37
8.2 Arsenic Contamination ................................................................................................................ 38
8.3 Pollination.................................................................................................................................... 40
8.4 Land ............................................................................................................................................. 40
9 Equipment and Operation Requirements ........................................................................................... 42
9.1 Tractor or ATV ............................................................................................................................. 42
9.2 Manure Spreader ........................................................................................................................ 43
9.3 Mower ......................................................................................................................................... 43
9.4 Storage Building .......................................................................................................................... 43
9.5 Irrigation ...................................................................................................................................... 44
9.6 Vehicle ......................................................................................................................................... 46
9.7 Refrigeration ................................................................................................................................ 46
9.8 Hoop Houses ............................................................................................................................... 47
9.9 Power .......................................................................................................................................... 47
9.10 Bear Fencing ................................................................................................................................ 48
9.11 Insurance ..................................................................................................................................... 48
10 Harvesting Methods and Harvesters ............................................................................................... 49
10.1 Hand Harvesting .......................................................................................................................... 49
10.2 Mechanical Harvesting ................................................................................................................ 50
10.3 Packaging ..................................................................................................................................... 54
11 Suggested Model for a Berry Orchard ............................................................................................. 55
11.1 Key Factors .................................................................................................................................. 55
v 11.2 Species, Marketing, and Size ....................................................................................................... 55
11.3 Location ....................................................................................................................................... 56
11.4 Timeline for Developing an Orchard ........................................................................................... 57
11.5 Labour .......................................................................................................................................... 57
11.6 Equipment ................................................................................................................................... 57
12 Financial Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 59
12.1 Small Pre-‐Pick Orchard ................................................................................................................ 59
12.2 Five Hectare Orchard ................................................................................................................... 59
12.3 Funding Assistance ...................................................................................................................... 61
13 References ....................................................................................................................................... 62
Appendix A: Analysis of Survey Responses ................................................................................................. 73
Appendix B: Relevant Price Look-‐up (PLU) Codes ....................................................................................... 75
Appendix C: Determing the Cooling Requirement for Berries .................................................................... 76
Appendix D: Small Pre-‐Pick Orchard Financial Analysis .............................................................................. 77
Appendix E: Five Hectare Orchard Financial Analysis ................................................................................. 78
vi List of Tables
Table 1: Berry species picked and grown by residents, purchased at grocery stores,
and preferred for a local orchard, as summarized a 2010 berry survey............. 6
Table 2: How residents use berries they pick, according to a 2010 berry survey͙͙...... 7
Table 3: Average Canadian consumption of select fruit in kilograms for 2008͙͙͙͙͙͙ 7
Table 4: Anticipated yields of berry species in Yellowknife/N͛dilo/Dettah, NT (kg/ha).. 23
Table 5: Brix levels in berries͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 24
Table 6: Berry plant costs͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 25
Table 7: Labour, sales volumes, and profitability of various marketing methods͙͙͙͘͘ 28
Table 8: Marketing strategies used by Alberta orchards͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 29
Table 9: Berry species grown by Alberta orchards͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 30
Table 10: Yellowknife wholesale market quantities in kg͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 34
Table 11: Retail prices at a Yellowknife grocery store, Aug 2011͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 35
Table 12: Retail prices at a Yellowknife grocery store, Dec 2010͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 35
Table 13: U-‐Pick prices at Shady Lane Berry Farm, July 2011͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 35
Table 14: Pre-‐pick prices at Shady Lane Berry Farm, July 2011͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 36
Table 15: Growing Degree Days in Various Locations......................................................... 37
Table 16: Northwestern Alberta land values in dollars per hectare, for land sales
between 2008 and 2010...................................................................................... 40
Table 17: Drip irrigation water requirements for a five-‐hectare berry orchard ͙͙͙͙͙͘ 45
Table 18: Components and costs for a drip irrigation system for a 5-‐hectare orchard͙͙͘ 45
Table 19: Respiration rates of berries in mg CO2 / kg / hour͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘͘ 46
Table 20: Estimated hand picking speeds and costs........................................................... 50
Table 21: Mechanical harvester specifications.................................................................. 53
Table 22: Revenue and expenses for a 0.2 hectare............................................................ 59
Table 23: Expected production by year from a 5-‐hectare orchard..................................... 60
Table 24: Suggested pre-‐pick and u-‐pick berry prices......................................................... 61
Table 25: Revenue, expenditures, and net income after taxes for a 5-‐hectare orchard.... 61
vii List of Figures
Figure 1: The Joanna 2 Harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 4
Figure 2: Alpine Bilberries on the Beaulieu River, NT͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 9
Figure 3: Sour Cherries͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 11
Figure 4: Cranberries near the Cameron River, NT͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 13
Figure 5: Gooseberries in Yellowknife͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 15
Figure 6: Haskap͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘16
Figure 7: Raspberries near Sunset Lake, NT͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 18
Figure 8: Saskatoons in Yellowknife, NT͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙ 19
Figure 9: Strawberry plants at the Old Town Community Garden, Yellowknife, NT͙͙͙͙ 20
Figure 10: Percentage of Alberta orchards versus number of marketing methods.............. 30
Figure 11: Percentage of Alberta orchards versus number of fruit or berry species............. 31
Figure 12: Plant Hardiness Zones͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 37
Figure 13: Agricultural land in corridor between Hay River and Enterprise͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 41
Figure 14: Hand-‐held berry scoop sold by Lee Valley͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 49
Figure 15: BEI Model H harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 51
Figure 16: Joanna 2 harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 51
Figure 17: Korvan 930 harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 51
Figure 18: BEI Model 500 harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 52
Figure 19: Jovaras harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 52
Figure 20: Joonas harvester͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘ 52
Figure 21: A clear plastic vented clamshell͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 54
List of Appendices
Appendix A: Analysis of Survey ResponseƐ͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 73
Appendix B: Relevant Price Look-‐up (PLU) Codes͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 75
Appendix C: Determining the Cooling Requirement for Berries͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 76
Appendix D: Small Pre-‐Pick Orchard Financial Analysis͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 77
Appendix E: Five Hectare Orchard Financial Analysis͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͙͘͘ 78
viii Acknowledgements
This project was inspired by many people, including members and volunteers of the Territorial Farmers
Association, the Yellowknife Community Garden Collective, and Ecology North. Thank you to the
Territorial Farmers Association for supporting the project, and to the Government of Canada for funding
the project through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP).
A huge thank you is owed to the 117 local residents who responded to a survey regarding which berries
they harvest, grow locally, and would prefer for a local orchard. Their responses to the survey were
invaluable in determining the most feasible species to grow, in knowing how many berries people
consume, and in providing further inspiration for the project.
We appreciate the cooperation of staff at the downtown Yellowknife Extra Foods and the Yellowknife
Co-‐op, which allowed us to complete an analysis of total berry sales in the City of Yellowknife during the
summer berry season. Their enthusiasm for the project speaks to the potential demand and market for
locally-‐produced berries.
We owe a special thank you to the many orchard owners in Alberta who gave tours and information
during an orchard tour in July of 2011. Especially helpful were Xina Chrapko at Birds & Bees Organic
Winery, Lorne Moen at Shady Lane Berry Farm, Carol Jones at Grove Berry Patch, and Dave Wilson at
Horse Hill Berry Farm.
The Yellowknife Community Garden Collective and Weledeh School made an important contribution to
this project by supplying space for a berry trial planting outside the new Weledeh School Community
Garden. Haskap, sour cherry, saskatoon, and raspberries were planted there as part of this berry project.
ix 1 Introduction
dŚĞzĞůůŽǁŬŶŝĨĞ͕E͛ĚŝůŽ͕ĂŶĚĞƚƚĂŚƌĞŐŝŽŶŽĨƚŚĞEtdŝƐƐŝƚƵĂƚĞĚŽŶ the Canadian Shield and has a
continental climate with cold winters and moderately warm summers. The mean annual temperature is
-‐4.6oC and there is an average frost-‐free summer period of 123 days. There is limited soil, and rock
outcroppings and lakes dominate the landscape. The forests of the region are composed primarily of
jack pine (Pinus banksiana) on rocky outcrops, with white spruce (Picea glauca), black spruce (Picea
mariana) and paper/Alaskan birch (Betula neoalaskana) in areas with some soil. There is relatively little
agricultural production at the present time, though the town was self-‐sufficient in vegetable production
in earlier years before the all-‐weather road was constructed. There is currently renewed interest in
agricultural production. Recent examples of this resurgence include birch syrup production, the
expansion of one commercial greenhouse operation, and the construction of three new community
gardens in the last four years.
Berries are high value crops that can be feasibly grown in this region on small parcels of land. Numerous
berry species, such as low-‐bush cranberries, blueberries and cloudberries grow well in northern Canada,
and many are an integral part of the traditional diet of Aboriginal peoples in the NWT. Berries are high-‐
value commodities, sold at higher prices by weight than most other fruits and vegetables, due partly to
their fragility and short shelf lives. As a result berries seem to be an ideal food crop for commercial
development. The existence of many berry bushes in residential yards and the local history of berry
consumption also suggest that berries could be a potentially viable commercial crop. This study was
launched to determine if commercial berry production in the Yellowknife, Dettah, and E͛ĚŝůŽ area could
be technically and financially viable. Some species of larger fruit such as apples and plums are likely
hardy enough to grow in this region, but were not considered in this study since they are more durable
and less expensive than berry crops, and would be less profitable as a local agricultural venture.
This project has been primarily funded by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP),
administered by the Territorial Farmers' Association. The project is being completed in two stages:
a berry production feasibility study and a land survey. This report represents the findings from the berry
production feasibility study.
This report analyses the business case for commercial berry production in the region around Yellowknife,
N'dilo and Dettah. It is hoped that the information provided will support individuals, businesses, or
organisations in making investment decisions regarding local commercial berry production in this region.
Page 1 of 80 2 Orchard Case Studies
To introduce the topic of commercial berry production and berry marketing, three berry orchards
currently operating in Alberta and Saskatchewan are profiled. These orchards were chosen because they
are located in northern areas of the prairie Provinces, they grow berry species that could be grown by an
ŽƌĐŚĂƌĚŝŶƚŚĞzĞůůŽǁŬŶŝĨĞ͕ĞƚƚĂŚ͕ĂŶĚE͛dilo region, and they use a variety of marketing techniques to
sell berries. These orchards also use unique and creative ways to produce value-‐added products with the
berries they grow. One orchard in Nova Scotia is also profiled.
2.1 Shady Lane Berry Farm, Lac La Biche, Alberta
This farm is located 2km east of Lac La Biche and has 3.2 hectares (8 acres) of drip-‐irrigated orchard. The
primary berry species grown are strawberries, saskatoons, and raspberries, with small plantings of
currants, sour cherries, haskap, and sea buckthorn (Moen 2011). The berries are all sold fresh through
the following marketing methods:
x u-‐pick where customers come to pick their own fruit;
x pre-‐picked custom order;
x sales directly from the farm (farm gate sales);
x sales to Planet Organic Market in Edmonton; and
x ƐĂůĞƐĂƚĨĂƌŵĞƌƐ͛ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ͘
Sales are fairly evenly split among u-‐pick, pre-‐pickĞĚĨĂƌŵƐĂůĞƐ͕ĨĂƌŵĞƌƐ͛ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ͕ĂŶĚǁŚŽůĞƐĂůĞ
customers. Shady Lane has been selling to Planet Organic Market in Edmonton for a few years, and in
2011 began selling berries to The Organic Box, a food delivery business in Edmonton (Moen 2011).
Shady Lane farm became certified organic in 2001. Maintaining certified organic status costs about $100
per year and includes an annual inspection of the orchard.
Shady Lane Berry Farm has a unique orchard layout and a few management practices that help reduce
pests and disease. Saskatoons are planted in rows separated by 9 rows of strawberries. The saskatoons
thus create a windbreak for the strawberries, and the physical separation allows for better airflow in the
saskatoon rows. The transfer of insects and disease from one row to another is reduced, and the co-‐
owner Lorne Moen says that saskatoons at the farm have not had significant pest or disease issues.
There is not a permanent fence around the orchard. However, deer have been a problem in early winter
so the ŽǁŶĞƌƐŶŽǁŝŶƐƚĂůůĂϮ͘ϭŵĞƚƌĞ;ϳ͛ͿƚĂůůƉůĂƐƚŝĐĨĞŶĐĞĂƌŽƵŶĚƚŚĞŽƌĐŚĂƌĚĞǀĞƌLJĨĂůů͘
Weed control is assisted by the planting of annual rye grass and the placement of used fibre mats
between many berry rows. The fibre mats were obtained for free from a nearby pulp and paper plant.
They are durable and permeable, allowing water to soak through. Annual rye grass is planted in each
berry production area for one year before berries are planted. This grass suppresses weeds and is
mowed and then ploughed under before berries are planted the following year. Strawberries are
managed in 5-‐year cycles or 7 year cycles, depending on variety. For all varieties the land is planted to
clover for 2 years and annual rye grass for one year before being returned to strawberry production.
Shady Lane orchard makes maximum use of available space. Raspberries are pruned by hand every fall
with a long-‐handled hook-‐like tool that allows pruning from a standing position. This results in
production every year from every row, rather than every second year in cases where rows are pruned by
mowing. A few hired staff can prune the entire raspberry patch in 2 days. The raspberry rows are spaced
about 1.5 metres apart, which when combined with hand pruning results in very high production for a
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