A Kenaston Farmer's Organic Journey

Farming isn’t just a job–it’s a way of life. For third-generation farmer Doug Taylor, it’s something he’s always known. Living on the farm with his wife, Tracey, and their 8-year-old dog, Lucky, Doug continues the family tradition of organic farming, something they’ve never strayed from.

I first met Doug on a sunny winter morning after driving 1 hour from Saskatoon out to his farm, in Kenaston. When I first arrived, I immediately noticed the 3,000 acres of land stretching out to the horizon surrounded by thick foliages of trees. Doug was very excited when our truck came onto the property, immediately introducing himself, and showing us the cows next door. Lots of cows. 

Doug has 80 cows that he raises for beef. As we approached the cows and started feeding them, he began explaining what the process of taking care of them is like. “We make sure everybody's good and they're [the cows] supposed to be where they're supposed to be and everybody's accounted for,” Doug said. Feeding them, making sure they’re where they need to be, and just checking on everything is part of the daily routine. This means walking the property, making sure fences are intact, checking water sources to ensure all cows have enough to drink, and keeping an eye out for any signals for illness and distress among them. 

A view of Doug's cows during the Canadian winter

In the relentless cold of the Saskatchewan winter, I asked Doug about how the cows kept warm: The cows are kept well fed, which helps them to stay warm. The natural trees also help to keep them sheltered. They have a large container that heats up their water which is connected to Doug’s house through a system of underground pipes. This means that Doug and his cows drink the exact same quality of water. However, the water doesn’t just magically appear in the cow’s drinking container. Their water source comes from the well on their property–which stretches 180 feet below ground. The water is pumped through the pipes directly to the water bowl which is heated in the winter to ensure it does not freeze. 

But farm work is not limited to just animals: Whether it’s paperwork, marketing grain, or fixing up things around the farm, Doug and Tracy always have something to do. “We're in the field early and work long days, long hours and long days in the summer.”

In winter, there’s more office work: This was the time for marketing grain, handling paperwork, and doing any indoor work when the temperature dropped too low. Chores usually start later in the morning, around 10:00 AM, but when the sun’s up and it’s warm, Doug tries to get outside as much as possible. It’s all about making sure the farm runs smoothly. 

Spring and summer, on the other hand, are much busier. Things pick up quickly in April, with preparing equipment, cleaning grain seed, and long hours in the field planting seeds. It’s also calving season, which means lots of baby cows are born. Maintenance jobs like fencing and haying take up a lot of time, too.

Caring for animals is a big responsibility, and keeping them healthy is a top priority. Most of the vet work is handled by Doug and Tracy on their own. The couple handles smaller issues, like minor things, routine health checks, or vaccines. For bigger issues, the vet comes to the farm: luckily, cows usually give birth naturally, but if there’s ever an emergency, like a cow needing a C-section during birth, Doug and Tracy know they can contact their vet. 

A view of Doug's cows eating hay

Over the years, Tracy and Doug made changes to keep things running smoothly. They became an organic-certified farm back in 1991, a big shift from conventional farming, which relies on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and spraying GMOs. Organic farming, on the other hand, relies on natural principles. One important thing Doug and Tracy do is rotate crops to keep the soil healthy. Growing the same thing over and over can lead to diseases or attract pests, so they mix things up by planting different crops each year. They’re always adjusting and looking for ways to improve.

Organic farming means being very careful about what crops are planted. Doug and Tracy grow organic gluten-free oats, regular organic oats, organic wheat, organic golden flax, organic yellow and green peas, and lentils. The process starts with field preparation in the spring, making sure the soil is healthy and ready for planting through tractor work and seeding. One thing they don’t grow? Canola. That’s because most canola is genetically modified (GMO) and requires a lot of chemicals, which doesn’t work with organic farming. Plus, it’s tricky to grow non-GMO canola because of all the spraying involved. Fun fact: Doug has never sprayed once in his career as a farmer!

With industrial farming getting bigger, staying competitive can be tough. But marketing has improved over the years, making it easier to sell organic products. Having a niche market helps, especially when there are international trade opportunities. “Our products go all over the world after it leaves here. So sometimes you load a truck and you don't even know where it goes to deal with the broker.” Doug explained that once the crops and livestock leave the farm, they go all over. The couple works with brokers who sell the products, sometimes without even knowing exactly where they end up. Grain gets sent across eastern Canada. Gluten-free oats go to Saskatoon, but since the company is based in San Francisco, the oats could end up anywhere. Finally, Beef and livestock are sold through Saskatoon and also shipped across eastern Canada.

Farming isn’t easy. One of the hardest things? Not having a steady paycheck. Unlike a regular job, farmers don’t get paid every month. That means budgeting is super important to cover expenses like mortgage payments and bills. Another tough part is how much they rely on the weather. A bad season can mean losing crops, which adds a lot of stress. “So budgeting, making sure you have money coming in when you need things coming in, that's probably the hardest part.”

At the end of the day, farming is hard work, but it’s also rewarding. This farmer has been doing it for years and has no plans to stop anytime soon. Whether it’s caring for the animals, planting crops, or fixing up equipment, there’s always something to do—and that’s just part of the life of an organic farmer.  But it’s not all work! When there’s some downtime, he enjoys playing the guitar, a small escape from the busy farm life.