In this episode of our Farm to Food podcast, we dig into the realities behind organic farming, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, consumer trust, the use of pesticides in organic production, and the labelling of organic products.

In This Episode

• What defines an organic farm in Canada
• The difference between conventional and organic pesticides
• Why some pesticides are still permitted in organic farming
• How CSA programs connect consumers directly with local farms
• The costs and challenges of organic certification
• Whether “organic” always means small-scale or local
• Consumer confusion around labels, marketing, and transparency
• The future of regenerative and sustainable agriculture

Hugh Maynard speaks with his neighbour, Steve Lalonde, about organic field crops and his transition to organic farming in 2000.

Sarah Rennie talks with Fred Thériault from the Réseau des fermiers-ères de famille / Family Farmers Network (RFF) about CSA programs and the role of the RFF.

Sarah also speaks with Jamie and Nora Quinn of La Terre Bleue about their farm and what it was like being one of the first CSA farms in the region.

She then speaks with Jess Elwell from the CSA farm Coop les Jardins de la Résistance about the importance of certification, the use of pesticides in organic farming, and organic labelling.

Callan Forrester wraps up the episode with conversations with consumers about if, when, and why they choose organic products.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Farm to Food podcast.

We’d like to thank our sponsors for helping bring this initiative to life: Desjardins, the Livestock Breeders’ Association and Quinn Farm in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot for their promotional support.

We also wish to thank the Community Media Strategic Support Fund and the Government of Canada for their financial support for this project, as well as the Bourses d’initiatives en entrepreneuriat collectif for their contribution toward equipping the podcast studio.

This program is made possible thanks to the dedicated work of the volunteer directors on the board of Châteauguay Valley Community Information Services (CVCIS), a non-profit social enterprise with charitable status. We would love your support to help keep this podcast going.

Donations can be made at farmtofood.ca, and we can issue tax receipts for donations over $25.

Farm to Food Podcast Credits:

Hugh Maynard – Host

Jackie Rourke – Producer

Sarah Rennie – News Editor

Callan Forrester – Reporter

Stacey Pennington – Audio Production

Dianna Chycki, sales & marketing

…and of course, Farmer Phil — who’s farm-tastic!