In 1995, Don and Marie Ruzicka had a tough decision to make: reinvest in their small grain and beef operation near Killam, Alberta, or get out of the business altogether.
“We had a big mortgage, big operating loan, and they just kept getting bigger and bigger each year,” Don Ruzicka recalls as he sits at his kitchen table.
Instead, the couple took a course in holistic management, a practice that encourages land managers to mimic nature by fostering relationships among grazing animals, water and land. Although the two had long adhered to a more conventional model of farming, both were open to trying something new. “We became very excited about farming a different way,” Don Ruzicka says. “It taught us to work in harmony with nature.”
Today, the couple is an agricultural success story. With Ruzicka Sunrise Farm, they have found a niche in the organic beef and poultry market while embracing sustainable practices and increasing the biodiversity of plant and animal species on their land.
In addition to fencing off creeks to keep animal waste out of waterways, the Ruzickas have made a commitment to planting trees on their property every year instead of cutting them down. Prior to 1996, Don cleared dozens of trees each year to grow grains and graze cattle. “And that wasn’t working,” he says. “It just seemed the more land we cleared, the deeper in debt we got.”
Embracing holistic management has increased the long-term economic viability of the farm, and the couple now considers the health of the land when making business decisions.
The changes are noticeable. From the kitchen, songbirds can be heard – attracted, no doubt, by one of the 240 birdhouses the couple has installed across their 640 acres. An “eco-buffer” of plants, shrubs and trees grows two kilometres from their home, part of a strategy to draw birds and pollinating insects to the land. More than 80 bird species have been attracted to the property since 2004, including the endangered Sprague’s Pipit. The birds are another sign of healthy land management. “Wildlife has become a barometer for what we do,” Don Ruzicka says. “Nature has to be recognized as a full partner.”
Consumers are increasingly taking an active interest in how their food gets to the table. It’s a trend the Ruzickas are certain will continue, and one they expect will benefit smaller farms like theirs. It’s one reason they encourage customers to visit the operation. The tours give consumers an opportunity to see where their food comes from, plus learn why it costs more to farm organically. “I’m starting to realize that we have more and more of a responsibility,” Don Ruzicka says, “not only as farmers but as stewards.”
