BARRHEAD- A County of Barrhead woman is attempting to help her farm while making the community more environmentally friendly.
A little more than a month ago, Chelsey Schultz, who with her husband Nathan owns and operates a farm west of Barrhead near the Lac Ste. Anne border, put out a request on Facebook asking if Town of Barrhead residents were interested in participating in a composting program.
"I have a real passion for getting food out of the landfill," she said. "Most people don't realize how much food waste gets sent to the landfill. I know I didn't, at least not before I started composting. I think most people think it decomposes harmlessly. It doesn't. It becomes this sludgy methane, which is much more severe than carbon dioxide compared to other greenhouse gases."
According to a 2019 report by environmental agency Second Harvest, food waste in Canada creates 56.6 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.
Schultz said she is starting slowly with about five people, with hopes of expanding it come the spring.
How the program works is that Schultz drops off a food-grade bucket (which was donated to her by Pembina West Co-op) in which participants can put their food waste into a container, which she supplies, and then picks it up about a week later.
She noted that almost any food waste item can be deposited in the container, except for citrus and meat.
The reasoning for those exceptions is that she uses the materials from the compost buckets to feed her chickens, ducks and pigs on her farm that also help the material break down.
Once the items have completed the composting process, Schultz said the material could be returned to "Mother Earth and used for gardens."
Schultz added that although she and her husband were both raised in the area — Nathan is from Goose Lake, near Fort Assiniboine, while she is from Barrhead — they are both relative newcomers to farming.
"We've been on the farm for about two and a half years. It was our dream to farm and to supply our own food for our family," Schultz said. “It wasn't until the last year until we started investing in animals and truly developing a passion for self-sufficiency and homesteading."
She added that they realize that they have decided on a difficult path, and many long-time farmers have told them that it is nearly impossible to succeed, starting from scratch.
However, Schultz said they are eager to prove them wrong. Currently, they raise pigs for meat and have set up butchering and breeding programs. She noted that they have similar programs for their chickens and ducks.
Originally, as a way to help them become more self-sufficient and do their part in helping to reduce greenhouse gasses, the Schultzes hoped to utilize Loop Resource.
Loop Resource is a company that helps connect charities, farmers with grocery stores in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan to divert unsaleable food away from landfills.
"But there is such a demand for it that it is difficult to get on," Schultz said, adding she has been on Loop Resource's waitlist for weeks. "With the price of animal feed being what it is, we can kill two birds with one stone. We can help farmers, our local communities and keep food out of the landfill, which is pretty cool."
For more information about her compost program, call or text her at 780-305-6345.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
