In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with John and Katy Ehrlich at Alderlea Farm in Duncan, British Columbia. For more than 20 years, they’ve been growing vegetables on their 10-acre farm, running a CSA, and building a community around local food. Right on the property is the Alderlea Farm Cafe, where food grown on the farm makes its way directly onto the menu.

John and I get into biodynamic agriculture and some of the ideas that have shaped the way he farms. We talk about Rudolf Steiner, burying manure in cow horns, planting with lunar cycles, biodynamic preparations, soil health, pest management, and the importance John places on simply observing what’s happening on the farm.

Katy also shares the struggle they’re facing over agricultural water access in the Cowichan Valley. We talk about water licensing, restrictions on farmers, the decisions being made around water use, and the larger questions those decisions raise about local agriculture and food security.

It’s a conversation about looking at a farm as a living system, paying attention to the land, and what it takes to keep a small farm viable when some of the biggest challenges are coming from outside the farm itself.

Alderlea Farm & Cafe: alderleafarm.com

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