Toolbox
Newsroom
2009
450-bushel wheat bin at Forks Market connects city and farm
September 17, 2009
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A 450-bushel wheat bin is now part of Winnipeg's Forks Market |
Tall Grass Bakery shares the harvest. |
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Farmers and Tall Grass Bakery unveil the new bin on Sept. 17 | |
Winnipeg – As the harvest hits full swing across the Prairies, Winnipeg's newest landmark was unveiled today at The Forks Market. The 450-bushel bin for organic wheat will be used for education and awareness and to supply the adjacent stone mill operated by the Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company.
The bin includes three glass viewing portals and a colourful mural that connects the Prairie grain harvest to consumer tables. The initiative is a joint project of Tall Grass, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and The Forks Market. It emphasizes the fundamental importance of agriculture and the grain industry to the people of the Prairies – urban and rural alike.
"Bread does not begin in the bakery," said Tabitha Langel, a co-owner of Tall Grass, which mills fresh flour each day for its bread. "At this historic meeting place, the world of earth and grain connects to the concrete and steel of the urban environment.
"The visual presence of this grain is a reminder of the importance of agriculture to our lives and a reassurance to those who increasingly want to know where their food comes from. "
Forks Market General Manager Randy Cameron noted the bin can act as a powerful teaching tool. Farmers will bring the grain to the Forks and load it directly into the bin through piping connected to an outside port. Clear sections of piping and the viewing portals on the bin allow visitors a view of the grain.
"Our recent focus has been a return to the traditional local market: artisans, crafters and 'hundred-mile' foods," Cameron said. "What better way to showcase the bounty Manitoba offers than by providing a view of grain being brought directly from the farm to your downtown neighbourhood grocery store."
CWB president and CEO Ian White noted that Winnipeg is the business hub of Canada's grain industry, worth an estimated $12 billion annually to the economy. He said the Forks wheat bin is an innovative way to bring attention to the grain industry and the crucial role of Prairie farmers in growing our food.
"The CWB supports local and value-added processing in addition to our global marketing activities," he said. "As farmers and marketers, we realize the importance of niche-market initiatives for the overall agricultural economy."
The CWB's "Field to Plate" program enables those involved in small, value-added processing ventures for niche markets to source grain directly from farmers in amounts up to 500 tonnes each year.
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For more information, please contact:
Maureen Fitzhenry
CWB media relations manager
(204) 983-3101
Cell: (204) 227-6927
maureen_fitzhenry@cwb.ca
Clare MacKay
Manager, Marketing and Communications
The Forks North Portage Partnership
204.987.4360
clare.mackay@tf-np.ca
A few facts
- Winnipeg is the hub of Canada's grain industry, worth $12 billion a year to the national economy. Within a few blocks of Portage and Main are the headquarters of grain-industry giants like Cargill, the Canadian Wheat Board, Richardson International, Paterson Grain, Parrish & Heimbecker, the Canadian Grain Commission, the Canadian International Grains Institute and the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange.
- Prairie farmers grow more than 20 million tonnes (735 million bushels) of wheat each year, enough to make 46 billion loaves of bread. The vast majority of this wheat – about 80 per cent – is exported to 70 countries around the world.
- This year, a Manitoba farmer can expect to receive about $5.90 for a bushel of wheat, which makes about 62 loaves of bread. Assuming a loaf sells for $2, the farmer receives less than 10 cents from each loaf.
- Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. Organic methods do not employ pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics, or technologies such as genetic engineering or radiation.
- As of June 30, 2009, Canada's national organic regulations came into force as mandatory for anyone using the label "organic". Organic certification is now overseen and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
- Organic production is an important niche market for farmers, with higher potential returns. At present, a Manitoba farmer can expect to receive $9 to $12 for a bushel of organic wheat – about double that for conventional wheat.
- There are approximately 1,500 organic farms on the Canadian Prairies, with 500,000 acres of organic grain production. In Manitoba, there are 180 organic farms, with 24,000 acres of organic grain production.
- Organic yields vary depending on factors like weather, crop rotation and farm management practices. In general organic crops will yield between 75 and 100 per cent of conventional yield.
- Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company supports organic, natural and local agriculture, based on its desire to take responsibility for the gifts of the earth. It operates bakeries in Winnipeg's Wolseley neighbourhood and at The Forks Market, including Manitoba's largest stone mill and Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen.
- The Forks is Winnipeg's original "meeting place" with over 6,000 years of history. That unique story continues today in its bustling Market, offering a multitude of shops, from skateboards and souvenirs to local produce, gourmet cheeses, organic baked goods and wine. This year marks the 20th birthday of Winnipeg's favourite market.
- Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. One of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based company sells grain to over 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.
