A Dream Develops

Over the next few years I had an idea sprouting in my brain - the concept of a sustainable orchard.  I always loved trees and fruit, and immediately planted a few apple trees when we built our house, but I began to consider the possibility of a small home business that could capture the imagination of the upcoming generation.  I was familiar with conventional farming and the industry surrounding it, which rewards large-scale operations and ruins the family farm.  And the idea of "the family farm" is not some romantic antiquated notion - it has been the backbone of healthy, stable societies since the beginning of written history.  A great article with links to studies is found here.  I wanted to exemplify the values and ideals of my generation: living sustainably so that my family, my physical land, my community, my country, and the world all benefit from my labours. 

I took a few independent study courses (the Prairie Horticulture program) to learn more about horticulture and sustainable agriculture, and to see if my burgeoning idea was at all feasible.  I left my desk job in fall 2008 due to health reasons, took the winter off to stay at home with my growing family, and then in spring 2009 I joined the team at Falk Nurseries.  They specialize in trees and shrubs, and this fit nicely with my long-term plans.  That summer I decided to go ahead with planting my first test-plot: 7 varieties of saskatoons, about 240 plants.  And thus began the life of Friesen Fruits