History
Discover The History
You wouldn’t know it to look at them, but organic cranberries are a precious treat! Organic cranberry production is extraordinarily difficult as farmers work with decreased yields and increased pests and disease. But to Larry Nason and his family, it’s well worth the struggle. “I wasn’t interested in continuing to spray chemicals by the calendar on food that I’m selling to my customers,” says Larry, owner of Springbrook Cranberry Inc. Rebekah, Larry’s daughter, had decided while studying agriculture at university that she was not interested in chemical agriculture, “I like the earth and I think organics is the best way we can enhance the natural environment while still growing food for our communities”.
Challenges With Organic Farming
Despite the challenges involved in organic cranberry production versus conventional production, both Larry and Rebekah are pleased with what they have seen over the course of their three-year transition to become certified organic. “We’ve seen the return of many native pollinators as well as an increased population of beneficial insects” (bugs that eat the pests that harm the crop) “and although our yield decreased during transition, we know our berries are healthier”.
Springbrook Cranberry is a traditional family operation with everybody pitching in; Rebekah and Larry tend to daily operations, while Kathy (Larry’s wife) and Elizabeth (daughter) fill in where and when needed. During early October through Christmas, evenings at the Nason’s have been spent preparing cases of cranberries for various local markets. Prior to cranberry production, Larry was a beef farmer, before that he kept sheep and he has also toyed with large-scale greenhouse production. Growing up on an “old time family farm” he seems to have farming in his blood and he aspires to keep that tradition alive by making a family career of farming.
Today
Their farm and home is situated within the village limits of Tracy, NB, approximately 30 kilometres South of Fredericton and 60 km North of Saint John. Their aspiration is to be able to supply the local market with all of their cranberry needs. They have begun looking into further processing materials for juicing, sweet and dried cranberries and other value-added products. Larry is also curious about using organic cranberry seed for oil production. Springbrook Cranberry Inc wants to diversify their production as well and they are exploring blueberries and strawberries as additional crops.
An organic family-run cranberry farm, Springbrook Cranberry Inc., is just as precious as the berries they produce. It’s a rare occurrence that an entire family decides to delve into farming for a livelihood, let alone one that decides to grow something as challenging and wonderful as certified organic cranberries.
