Fact checked:
PEOPLE
1. Three generations of farmers
Aside from myself (Jerry Kitt) who has been selling organic meat from his Peace based farm into the Vancouver market for 25 years, my son Donovan and his wife Lisa who both grew up on organic farms have built a business of their own (The Homestead) which produces and sells organic meat, eggs, shoots, honey and vegetables into the Grande Prairie market. They have two children, Murray and his little brother Everett who get packed along to whatever is happening on the farm. They are the third generation.
2. Host farm to hundreds of volunteers from around the world
For almost 30 years we have opened our doors to hundreds of people through the WWOOFing program (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). The volunteers (ranging in age from 18 – 67 years) come from all walks of life and spend an average of three weeks experiencing what life is like on an organic farm. From doctors to detectives, musicians to mechanics, but most have been university students who have taken a year off to reassess their future. I feel this has been our greatest contribution to a greener future.
3. Mentor to regenerative agriculture students
With an average age of 55 years, the farmers of Canada are getting old. We offer apprenticeships to aspiring young agrarians who wish to learn in depth all that is involved in operating an organic farm. The training lasts for two to four seasons.
4. Global citizen –building schools in Africa and supporting environmental and social initiatives around the world.
Over the past 40 years we have made major contributions to a number of charities around the world:
Operation Eyesight – we have paid for a total of 40 cataract operations, $1000
Rainforest Protection – 5 acres in Costa Rica, $500
Fistula Foundation – $500 for an operation to repair a bowel and bladder rupture from child birth (Ethiopia).
Leprosy Relief – $500 for a shelter near Chennai in India for leprosy patients
Dhaka, Bangladesh – construction of a girl’s toilet at a school for street children
Hurricane Relief – purchase of $500 worth of seedlings and transplants to victims of Hurricane Irma in Cuba, 2017
White Helmets – donation of $500 to help this volunteer organization help victims in Syria
Beirut Explosion 2020 – $500 donation also matched by Government of Canada
Amatsiko School (Kabale, Uganda) – raised over $14,000 US through crowd funding and volunteer events to help purchase land for their school.
Built rabbit houses for three families to enhance their communities supply of protein.
Built raised beds, upright gardens and purchased seedlings, also compost bins and a water catchment system for the Amatsiko School in Uganda, 2017.
Helped to collect $1000 worth of cans and bottles plus donated $400 from the fridge to provide five fruit tree seedlings to each of 490 children at a school in Uganda
Red Cross – Ukraine – donation of $500 and matched by the Canadian Government = $1000
World Central Kitchen – $500 to help provide meals for the people in Gaza
Environment
Certified organic for over 32 years
First Certified organic in 1990 by the Peace River Organic Producers Association and now with Ecocert. Aside from organic pork the farm also produces organic beef, bison, chicken, turkey, vegetables (carrots, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, kale, garlic, etc.), shoots (pea, radish, basil) and honey.
Thousands of trees planted to restore riparian areas
With the help of Next Generation Reforestation thousands of conifers have been planted over the past 35 years. More recently we participated in a project to restore the traditional habitat of the Arctic Grayling by planting trees and fencing out livestock and building a bridge for livestock to cross without damaging the creek banks.
We also dug a 90 foot well and set up a solar water system to keep cattle from damaging the riparian area along Beavertail Creek.
Wildlife sanctuary to protect biodiversity From day one of our farm purchase we knew the one statement that would guide us in all our future decisions: To protect and enhance our natural biodiversity. That was in 1980. Fast forward to today and I can say we’ve worked hard to keep that promise. As a result our farm is rich in biodiversity from the grizzly bears and swans to the life in our soils. One benefit I didn’t quite realize at the time; rich, biodiverse soils produce nutrient dense foods. Even the predators like coyotes, wolves, bears, foxes, etc. that would normally cause problems with farm animals like chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows have not been a problem on our farm. In the past 42 years since we arrived on the farm I have never had to shoot a predator.
Powered by the sun
For the longest time the electricity that powered our farm was generated by the burning of coal. Although it was expensive, in 2020 we purchased solar panels, enough to generate
23.7 kW h of electricity.
Energy efficient building design
The passive solar home belonging to Donovan and Lisa Kitt.
Pigs – This entire website is devoted to pigs so check out firstnaturefarms.ab.ca
Fed local, organic, freshly-ground wheat, peas, oats, and flax
Raised in the great outdoors, not a barn
Freedom to express natural birthing instincts, no stalls
Organic straw bedding, not concrete
Free to explore, not caged
Fed organic milk as a treat
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