East of Edmonton

 

We drove up through the Kootenays and spent the night at a camp-sight in Banff – not before stopping at some hot springs to catch our breath. After spending the afternoon in Edmonton, we headed about two hours East of Edmonton to Viking, AB to visit Vern Hafso and his family. We spent the evening talking over supper which was comprised of a sampling of moose steaks that we were gifted by our friend Misty in Edmonton and a couple of “chef’s surprise” pizza that the Hafsos had picked up in Viking. We discussed where the Hafso family farm came from and where it was headed. Both Vern and his wife are trained as healthiatrists and this knowledge infuses their farming practices and particularly their plans for the future. Largely based on the “brix” method which measures glucose in fruits and vegetables and involves adjusting production methods to maximize these levels which ultimately enhances their taste, quality and health. We talked for hours about Brix levels, soil nutrients, soft-rock phosphate and even the linkages between farming, faith and soils. Chris, an arbors who was along for the ride, was excited to hear Vern describe a method of planting trees that significantly expedited the initial growth period of a tree (almost doubled the growth). Needless to say, we were tired after absorbing Vern’s wisdom and retreated into the Hafso basement for the night. The next morning, we woke up and Vern generously offered to take us over to Sunrise Farms owned and operated by the Ruzitca family. After being served a lovely, homecooked breakfast, Don took us out on his land for an extensive tour of his farm and his philosophy.

More to come….

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