Building on the presentations and conversations we held in Ontario this past February, the Bionutrient Food Association is proposing a three-year certificate program for crop producers in the Holland Marsh region and beyond.
This isn't a classroom exercise. Certification is earned in the field — specifically, by achieving excellent Brix readings in the consumable portion of five different crops grown on your farm. You demonstrate mastery by actually growing more nutritious food. That's the bar.
Structure & Logistics
Duration: Three years
Cost: $10,000 per farm for the full program — every farm staff member who wants to participate is welcome at no additional charge
Location: Holland Marsh area; producers farming at scale from outside the Marsh are welcome
Minimum enrollment: 50 farms required to launch
Proposed start: April 2026
Year One In-Person Sessions:
2 days in April
2 days in June
2 days in September
Between sessions, BFA staff and contractors will provide comprehensive in-season support — fertility decisions, strategic prioritization, field management guidance — so producers aren't navigating this alone.
Faculty
The program will be led by Dan Kittredge, founder and Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association.
Guest instructors will include:
Greg Patterson — founder of A&L Canada and A&L Biologics
Rachelle [last name TBD]
Spencer Zehr and John Slack — Natur-Al Solutions
What Farmers Will Learn and Accomplish
The core objectives are practical and measurable:
Soil literacy — Learn to read and act on soil tests in ways that optimize whole-farm soil health and nutrient sufficiency, not just chase numbers on a report.
On-farm trials — Implement targeted recommendations in trial plots to see firsthand how soil health connects to profitability, yield, shelf life, pest resistance, and reduced need for chemical intervention.
Grounded confidence — Develop a real working understanding of how your soils function, what they need, and how to prioritize decisions that move the needle.
Measurable quality improvements — Experience the market and sensory difference that comes with genuinely nutritious crops: better flavor, longer shelf life, and the premiums buyers are increasingly willing to pay.
Documented soil improvement — Track increases in soil health and nutrient reserves over the program through A&L Canada Lab assessments.
A lasting community of peers — Build genuine, trust-based relationships with neighboring farmers who are working toward the same goals. Producers at scale share more in common than they often realize. The relationships formed here — around shared data, shared challenges, and shared wins — will matter long after the program ends.
Data Sharing & Collective Learning
Each participant will be asked to share soil test results, tissue tests, fertility and chemistry application records, yield data, and quality metrics from their trial plots. This shared pool of information — anonymized by default unless a farmer explicitly opts to be identified — allows everyone to learn from what's happening across dozens of fields in the same bioregion.
Farmers will be encouraged to form sub-groups with others who have similar crops, soil types, and growing conditions. These cohorts deepen the learning and build the kind of working trust that outlasts any formal program.
Recommended Tools & Testing
To ensure a common language and maximize the efficiency of the teaching, we strongly recommend:
Comprehensive soil tests through A&L Canada Lab, including soil health scoring
In-season tissue testing
Geochemical soil assessments through Natur-Al Solutions
The goal here is simple: healthier soils, more nutritious crops, and a farming community in Ontario that's genuinely stronger together.