About Us + Farming Philosophy
We are very grateful to have had knowledge of growing with exceptional soils passed down through four generations.
About Us
We started growing garlic with the intention to provide growers with seed that will move them forward successfully.
To do this, our focus has been on removing unwanted pathogens, such as garlic bloat nematode, and learning new techniques to promote healthier crops overall.
We have attended workshops with experienced growers and members of plant science faculties throughout Canada. As one would imagine, a key factor to success is starting with the cleanest, most vigorous quality seed you can get in Canada, as garlic is produced mainly by cloning.
Testing our seed & soils for pathogens & testing soil for fertility has been key to our rapid growth. We have found that certain varieties have more vigour and complement our harsh growing conditions in Zone 2B.
That’s why we don’t offer many varieties of garlic; our garlic will grow well regardless of your zone in Canada. With our soil, snowfall, rainfall and location, we have a special microclimate that promotes earthy, aromatic garlic with robust spicy notes.
Stewarding our Land
The garlic farm is located near the banks of the historical Assiniboine River. The river stretches over one thousand kilometres & ironically, our farm sits on the largest switchback found on the river.
Because of our location, one of our leading environmental practices is protecting our waterways. We do this by growing alfalfa & native grass mix in the bottom third of our land that borders the river. This helps reduce errosion and promotes biodiversity while helping supply a local bison ranch with quality feed for its herd.
We also plant our garlic on this land. As it has been free of conventional farming practices for five years, the alfalfa provides an excellent natural fertilizer and snow catch for the winter months.
What’s Next?
We are excited to be working on a new project at Switchback Farms.
This year we are focusing on drying the garlic crop with the sun; however, it will not be directly under the sun. Rather than running our very efficient generators to provide power to our garlic drying shed, we will instead be harvesting the sun’s energy resources to power our ventilation, lights & dehumidifiers. This is how we will reduce our carbon footprint & become more sustainable for future generations.
We also have tree planting projects in the works for the upcoming season and have been using cover crops since our inception; we’ll keep you posted on the progress.
We do not offer advice on growing garlic on our website, and we recommend you do your own research. No two farms are alike.
We will gladly offer our options and support; however, being involved with agriculture for many decades, we know and understand that it is up to the grower to do their own testing and find what works best for their fields.
Starting Your Own Garlic Farm
Contact: Emerald Bison Ranch place your order today! Locally grown grass feed bison. 1.306.542.7325 thewalkers@imagewireless.ca
See our Products
