You’re invited to a farm tour & potluck near North Battleford, Saskatchewan! Join us for an afternoon at Prairie Garden Seeds and meet Rachelle and Jim Ternier, the father-daughter team behind the operation. They have been providing well-adapted quality seeds to zone 2 and 3 climates since 1986, growing 95% of their catalogue on their family farm. Their catalogue includes an impressive collection of corn varieties, and Rachelle will share her tried and tested seed-saving tips for them and other field crops.
Stay for an enriching discussion on seed stewardship and seed-growing practices, while making new connections with fellow gardening, farming and seed-saving advocates.
This event is hosted in partnership with the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security and SaskOrganics. Read here to learn more about Bauta’s seed work on the Prairies or reach out to Sarah at sarah.preston@organicalberta.org.
WHEN: Thursday, August 22, 2024 | 3pm – 7pm CST
LOCATION: Treaty 6 Territory. Prairie Garden Seeds near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Google coordinates here.
DIRECTIONS: The distance from Highway 4 at Cochin to the farm is approximately 6 km. When approaching Cochin from the south, you will see the Cochin Bigway store on your left. Immediately before crossing the bridge take your first right turn. Follow this small road that goes east with the red-roofed buildings on your left. The road gets rough after that and turns to gravel. You will cross a small bridge over the creek, after which the road goes uphill. Once up the hill, you may see a large sign on your right saying ‘Welcome to Moosomin First Nation‘. Turn right/south into the centre of the reserve. On your left will eventually be the Band Office, an admin building, and a hall, on your right eventually is the school and the hockey arena. Follow the curve in the road by the arena and the community hall – you are now driving east between these two buildings and the road goes slightly uphill where you will see a row of houses to your right and then follow the road downhill.
At the bottom of the hill the road goes straight or curves right; take the curve right and keep following the gravel road through the bush. The road continues with a sharp left turn – (going straight would be crossing a texas gate and entering a farm where they have a no trespassing sign) – take the sharp left turn and follow this road. You are now on Hillside Road (sometimes there is a sign that says this, sometimes it’s knocked down). A little over 500 meters past this sharp turn left is your first option of a road to the right; turn right and cross the bright red Texas gate.
Drive straight on this road for about 2 ½ km. There will be a house with a blue metal roof on the hillside facing south overlooking the lake. Drive all the way down the hill and turn right at the bottom of the hill towards the Quonset (semi-circular steel) buildings. Parking can be found around the Quonset buildings and then follow the signs from there!
CARPOOL: If you are looking for or can offer a ride to or from the event, please use this Google spreadsheet to connect with others.
REGISTER: This event is free, but please register on Eventbrite as space is limited.
SCHEDULE (times are approximate):
3:00pm – Welcome and Intro circle
3:30pm – Farm Tour
5:30pm – Potluck Supper and Social
7:00pm – Depart
BRING: Dress for the weather and bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket and bug spray. If you are able, please bring a dish to share potluck-style! Include a little card with ingredients for folks with food sensitivities. A main meat dish, a couple of salads, plates, and cutlery will be provided. There is no running water on the farm, so please bring your drinking water.
SHARE: Planning on joining us? Invite your friends and share the Facebook event!
ACCESSIBILITY: If you have any accessibility needs, please get in touch with us at prairiesnetwork@youngagrarians.org
About Prairie Garden Seeds
Founded in 1986, Prairie Garden Seeds is a small, family-operated seed company based in Saskatchewan, Canada, operated by daughter-father team, Rachelle and Jim Ternier. Between the original family farm near Cochin, SK and St. Peter’s Abbey near Humboldt, SK, the Ternier family organically produce about 95% of the seeds offered in their seed catalogue. Included in that production is the many seeds grown by Rachelle’s Aunt Judy and farm partners at Largo Farm. The remainder of the seeds come from either a commercial seed source (about 4%), indicated with a (C) after each variety, or from a certified organic source (like the team at Wild Garden Seed in Oregon).
Website: https://prairiegardenseeds.ca/
Facebook: facebook.com/prairiegardenseeds
Instagram: instagram.com/prairiegardenseeds
Prairie Garden was recently featured in the National Farmer’s Union’s Depth of Field series! Check it out here.
About Bauta Family Initiative
The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, a program of SeedChange, is building a movement for resilient seed systems across Canada. Their mission is to create and support seed systems in Canada that promote agroecology and food sovereignty and are resilient in the face of climate change.
About SaskOrganics
SaskOrganics is a farmer led membership non-profit organization. They serve all certified organic entities throughout the value chain in Saskatchewan by advocating for a sustainable and thriving organic Community through leadership in research, market development and communications.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- This event is free and open to everyone! Supervised children are welcome
- Please leave furry friends at home.
- There are dogs on the adjacent property and at Prairie Garden Seeds, but they will be restrained
- There is a beach area on the farm and you are welcome to hang around if you like
- The farm is off-grid, so please expect rustic conditions and bring your water bottle
- There is an outhouse available for washrooms
- Please stay home if you have cold or flu symptoms
- Please wash your shoes before visiting the farm, especially if you work on or have visited a farm recently
- Please do not bring alcohol to this event
- Please share this event with anyone who may be interested!
Stay in Touch
- Sign up for our e-newsletter to get events and opportunities for your region delivered straight to your inbox
- We welcome cancellations at any time – you can do so through Eventbrite, through the link in your registration confirmation email, or by contacting prairiesnetwork@youngagrarians.org. Please let us know if you aren’t able to attend
- Questions? Email Lourdes at prairiesnetwork@youngagrarians.org