A trio of farmers in the Midale area took a look into value-added processing and what opportunities they could explore, and have now turned their idea into a company that grows, processes and bottles camelina oil that is distributed across Canada.
The farmers include Colin Rosengren, Dan Vandenhurk and Ron Emde, and they are partners in "Three Farmers" who bottle their own oilseed oil used primarily in cooking.
Camelina is an ancient oilseed that originated in parts of northern Europe and Central Asia that had been used as a culinary oil up until the 1940s before it fell out of use. The oil has been rediscovered and is being hailed for its health benefits as a source of Omega-3, and is stable due to high levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant which allows for a long shelf life.
Rosengren said he first learned about the possibilities of camelina while attending a conference in Saskatoon on value-added processing.
"I heard about different oilseeds and the different uses for them, and we looked into camelina. There was research being done in Montana with potential uses for it, and it seemed to be a good fit for us. We decided to give it a try," said Rosengren.
He added it took a little while to work out the economics of it, as well as the best way to process it and bottle it, using a cold-press method that minimizes the use of heat to extract the oil out of the oilseed.
"We're still learning some of that kind of stuff," he said of the learning curve, adding that in the processing, they contract parts of the processing and bottling to smaller Saskatchewan companies. They are also going to start next week bottling a new version of the oil that is more ready to use and may find a wider market of appeal, and other products are in the developmental stage for production further down the road.
"From a farm business perspective, it's a different way of mitigating risk. Many farms are getting larger and larger," he said, adding that larger producers "don't have personal knowledge of their fields, and definitely don't have any personal knowledge of who is consuming the product they grow."
The three farmers wanted to get back to where they know exactly what they are growing, and who they're growing it for.
Part of the marketing is the traceability of the oil they produce to the point each bottle can be traced back to the fields that produced it, "so that our customers can find out who we are and how their food was produced."
With the pending dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board, he was asked if this makes the concept of value-added farming even more important to the farmer of today.
"Most farmers have 70 to 80 per cent of their produce selling on the open market already. They're familiar with how to market their grain that way, so I don't think it'll make much difference," said Rosengren.
Asked how they weathered the flooding and wet weather of this past year, Rosengren pointed out they usually seed camelina in the fall, so they were able to plant the number of acres they wanted to. The problem came with the excess moisture of the spring, which led to a reduced yield in the 2011 crop.
This was supplemented by some held-over crop, which ensured they had enough to meet the demand for their product. There was enough warm, dry fall weather they were able to get the 2012 crop in the ground.
"It's established and is in good shape, and it looks all right," said Rosengren of the next crop.
As far as how the three farms work, they all operate independently, with each of them growing what they want on their farm operations.
Both Rosengren and Emde use zero tillage on their fields and grow a variety of other crops on their own, where Vandenhurk uses direct seeding and continuous cropping.
Distribution is one of the next big things to improve, said Rosengren, noting the "Three Farmers" brand of camelina is now sold as far east as a limited distribution in Quebec, with most of their product being sold in the Toronto area, in certain stores across the prairies, out to Vancouver, Victoria and Vancouver Island. In Weyburn, the oil is sold at Pharmasave.
Asked if the product might be sold outside of Canada, Rosengren replied, "That will depend; we have to look distribution. We're in negotiations with distributors. So far, we've done all the distributing ourselves; it's a very closed do-it-yourself business so far."
Rosengren added they weren't really that surprised at how widely their product is going, noting it's a very unique product in Canada. The next big step to its continued success, he said, is distribution: "that seems to be the key to this kind of product."
Known for its unique flavour and golden colouring, camelina can be used for cold applications, such as in salad dressings, marinades, spreads or dips, and can be used in cooking, with the ability to handle high heat with a smoke point of 475 degrees F.
The vitamin E content gives it a long shelf life of 12 to 18 months without refrigeration; it can be refrigerated to extend its shelf life.
