| Marysburg project expands with energy,crop alternatives |

The Humboldt Journal | August 26, 1999
By Maureen Latta

Visitors were impressed with progress at the Marysburg organic agriculture demonstration site during Earthcare Connections’ second annual open house on Aug. 20.

The 13-acre project models sustainable alternatives in agriculture, energy sources and building construction and is funded by the area’s three religious groups, the Orders of St. Benedict, St. Ursula and St. Elizabeth.

“I’ve been coming out here every year...there’s just enormous growth,” said Sr. Miriam Spenrath, OSU.

“It’s a really noticeable difference, no doubt about that,” said Abbot Peter Novecosky, OSB.

Spenrath praised the groundskeeper, Suzanne Evans, for her work at the site and also the Marysburg organic farmers for their donations of time and equipment. Gerard Draude is the project’s field technician.

The open house attracted 84 people and interest from the University of Saskatchewan as well.

“I think this is a great idea. I may learn a lot from them,” said Sakti Jana, a professor in plant sciences at the U of S agriculture department, after touring the site.

Jana teaches about biodiversity, sustainable farming, low-input farming and diversification of crops. He thinks what Earthcare Connections is doing is “very valuable.”

“This is part of the environmental amelioration – correcting the wrongs, the mistakes of high input, large-scale farming,” he said.

The project’s strawbale greenhouse is now complete and the 5,000 echinacea plants started three years ago will be ready for harvest this fall.

The plants will be sold as a medicinal herb for a profit of about $1 per root to Bioriginal in Saskatoon. Another 5,0000 echinacea plants are in various stages of development.

The site’s community shares produce garden has expanded this year to provide fresh vegetables for the Ursuline nuns.

Freshly weaned Katahdin lambs are being used to control weeds in the Saskatoon berry orchard. They are kept in a moveable pen that can easily be pulled to a new patch once the sheep have eaten their fill of grass and weeds.

Earthcare Connections just purchased and set up a $4,600 photovoltaic system at the site that generates electricity from the sun’s rays.

Earthcare Connections coordinator Duane Guina said the system generates 214 watts per hour when the sun is shining and the power is stored in six volt batteries. The system powers a circulating pump for floor heat, grow lights and a fan.

Guina said hooking up to the electrical grid would have cost $10,000 plus a minimum monthly charge of $22 per month, not including consumption.

Photovoltaic energy is free once the system is paid for.

“Plus we’re doing something totally environmentally friendly and we can expand as our needs expand,” Guina said.

Jana said small sustainable farms like the one that Earthcare is developing provide hope for the future.

“I’m not saying it from an idealistic point of view. I’m saying it from a practical point of view,” he said.

Guina said project plans for the next year include planting more varieties of medicinal herbs and getting some free-range chickens for the site.

“The goal is to generate $9,000 of income off it by the end of the year 2000.”