Farmers making the switch to organic are finding it to be a little bit easier than once thought.

Laura Telford, organic specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, says controlling weeds isn't that big of a deal anymore with proper cultivation and crop rotation . Another concern in the past was keeping detailed records, however Telford notes that now applies to all farmers, not just organic. She adds one of the big challenges for organic producers is developing contracts and connections in the industry.

Telford says the consensus right now seems to be that the market in Manitoba for local organic products isn't quite there yet.

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Laura Telford was a keynote speaker at the Manitoba Direct Farm Marketing Conference held in Morden earlier this month

"They're not saying that they're losing money relative to mainstream farming, they're just saying that the premium may not be there in the Manitoba market yet," she commented. "There was also general consensus that no matter where you are in the world, the organic market is going up, so if you hang in there in Manitoba and educate consumers, we think that that markets probably going to develop and these people might have an advantage getting there first."

Telford says the market for organic is shifting in Canada from export to domestic, adding that Canada is now the world's fifth largest consumer market for organic food.

There are about 150 primary producers growing organic grain right now in Manitoba.