Do you want to learn more about how Nature's Path food comes to be? Are you curious about who grows and cleans the ingredients, how they are processed and then made it into delicious cereal, bars, crackers, cookies, waffles, toaster pastries, baking mixes and sprouted bread?
Have you ever thought about the journey your breakfast cereal takes in order to get to you? Or wondered how many people are involved in the process?
What kind of people are they?
Do they care about health the same way you do?
Scroll down or use the links below to explore each stage of our foods’ journey from Harvest to Home.
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1. Soil Preparation
Organic farmers are constantly thinking about and planning how to manage their land in ways that will leave the soil in a healthy condition to support the sprouting of seeds and the growth of plants.
Here are some of the qualities of well prepared soil farmers look for:
Soil
tilth
- Nice porous consistency (not hard packed), able to hold a lot of water (like a sponge) to provide the plants with water between rains.
Available nutrition. - Many minerals and nutrients are needed for plants to grow including: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus and micro-nutrients like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. There are many other nutrients and micro-organisms in natural healthy soil, some that we don’t even have names for yet, but we know they play some role in plant health. In a single handful of organic soil, there are billions of living micro-organisms!
Weeds under control – If there are too many weeds sprouting along with the crops planted, weeds will “compete” with the food crops, and literally crowd out the crop, stealing sunlight and nutrition. The result is that the planted crop will not produce a substantial yield as the weeds take over.
Healthy balanced population of soil micro-organisms - Organic fertilizers are made from the action of
bacteria and microbes
which break down plant material into their basic elements so the plants can use it.
Here are some of the ways that organic farmers prepare the soil for planting:
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1. Firstly farmers plant a cover crop and let it grow till it’s 8 to 10 inches high. They then disk it under to improve the soil quality
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| Legume cover crops, such are the one shown above, help to fix nitrogen into the soil.
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2.
Disk
,
harrow
and
cultivate
. This is the process through which farmers control weeds by killing them just after they sprout.
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| Weeds that came up in spring
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Freshly cultivated
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Harrowed after weeds died
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3. Spread composted manure. This helps to add nutrients, increases the number of healthy micro-organisms in the soil and improves tilth. Compost also adds water holding capacity which helps provide a sustained moisture level to the plants.
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Soil damaged by heavy rain followed by a heat wave. A hard crust was developed that prevents plants from thriving. This damage is exaggerated in soils with low organic matter and low micro-organisms activity.
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2. Planting
Now that the soil has been prepared, the farmer plants the seeds of the crop he or she wants to grow.
Large grain farms use equipment called seeders to do this. Seeders make furrows in the soil, drop seed in and then pack the soil lightly around the seed.
Seeders can be set to plant different depths of soil with different distances between each seed. For example, rows of wheat are typically 15 to 30 cm (6-12 Inches) apart, and each seed is 7.5 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) apart in the rows at a depth of approximately 4 - 8 cm (1.5 - 3 inches).
Names of different seeding equipment the farmer may use:
• Drill
• One way Disc Seeder
• Air Seeder
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Seeds are tucked into the soil where moisture and nutrition is available for it when it wakes up and begins the growth cycle.
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Arran Stephens, ceremonially planting Red Fife, Canada's oldest wheat variety. Earth Day 2004, RIchmond, BC
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3. Organic weed control
Even if the farmer has properly prepared the soil, there will always be some weed seeds that will sprout after the crop has been planted. Farmers have several ways of minimizing weeds. Here are a few examples of how:
Rod weeding – this is done by a
rod weeder
that has a rod that turns the opposite way to the travel just a few inches under the ground. This is done after the crop has been planted and just started to sprout, but not too late. This action when done at the right time kills the young weed sprouts, but does not kill the crop. Not all farmers use this method as it is difficult to do properly, and can be a little scary as after using it even the crop appears destroyed for a couple of days before it comes back.
Crop rotation – Some crops naturally chase weeds away. Buckwheat, Rye and Hairy Vetch are so good at this that they prevent the growth of weeds the next season or for the following crop. This is called allopathic weed suppression. For example, Rye, when grown, disperses a natural chemical into the soil that signals to other seeds not to germinate! The organic farmer takes advantage of this by planting weed suppressing crops the year before planting particularly weed sensitive crops such as flax. See more at:
http://www.auri.org/proproj/allelopa.html
Green Cover Crops – these crops cover the soil when the land is not used for production (such as after harvest, or when giving the land a rest for a season). Green cover crops are turned under into the soil, thereby providing nutrients as described under
Cover Crop
. If weed suppressing crops are grown as cover crops, this also helps control weeds in the next food crop planted.
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4. Growing
Farmers enjoy observing the magic of their crops actually growing. Many farmers are filled with a sense of awe when the seeds they planted start to grow. This process is Mother Nature at work. One of the rewards of being a farmer is the feeling of connectedness that accompanies this process of creation. To be an instrument for bringing this gift of nature to people in the form of food can provide an incredible sense of purpose.
"To grow a blade of grass is more than a patriots work" - Kirpal Singh
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| Field Peas used in rotation fixes nitrogen
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Kamut® field two weeks away from harvest
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"Across the plain, my yellow grain, lies restless as the sea. How could this all be given to a guy like me?
To fill my need, I sowed the seed, and now repaid I'll be.
How could this all be given to a guy like me?
The seasons change with splendor, my ceiling is the sky;
The Earth my master, cruel & tender,
Happy man am I! "
— Rupert Stephens(From A guy like me)
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5. Guarding against weather and pests
Most of the work an organic grain farmer can do to guard against bad weather and pests’ attacking their crops has already been done. They have:
All this adds up to strong plants that have healthy immune systems which give them the best chance of surviving any attack. While non-organic farming systems rely on an arsenal of chemical sprays to kill insects and diseases, we believe that building the strength and immunity of the plant is the healthy and logical choice for both the environment and people.
Here are some addition methods organic farmers can use prevent against damage by weather and pests:
Plant pest trap crops nearby – this can attract insects like grasshoppers to leave the organic food crop in favour of the trap crop.
Hand weeding, or cultivating between rows – this is not usually practical on large grain farms.
Provide hedge rows to encourage insects and wildlife that forage on crop pests. Hedge rows also provide the crops shelter from intense weather conditions.
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| Field with hedge-rows providing beneficial bird and insect habitat
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In the end, organic grain farmers know that all farming is risky, but they prefer to have known risks of weather and pests - and not to put at risk the health of their families, employees and the environment though the use of toxic chemicals and genetically engineered seed.
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6. Harvesting
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| Spelt grain ready to harvest.
Picture by: Tony Meggait
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Harvesting wheat with a combine.
Picture by: Steven Snider
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Organic farmers harvest grain much like any other farmer, except that they pay special attention not to spill any fuel or oils onto the land during the operation.
Harvesting grain can be done several ways:
• Straight combining – that’s when a big combine cuts the grain stalks about half way up and sucks it into the combine machinery that threshes the grain to separate it from the chaff (the rest of the plant). After the holding tanks on the combine are full, the grain is then transferred over to trucks to be moved into bins on the farm for storage.
• Swathing and combining – sometimes farmers prefer to cut the grain first to let it dry a bit more on the ground in swaths, then later come along with the combine and pick it up and thresh it the same way as described above.
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| Swathing Spelt.
Picture by: Tony Meggait
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Typical Farm Grain Bins
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7. Transportation
After the grain has been harvested it's either stored in bins on the farm to be cleaned at a later date, or transported directly to seed cleaning plants on semi trucks.
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8. Seed Cleaning & Milling
The grain that the farmer stores in bins still has lots of little pieces of dirt and straw in it. It also may contain weed seeds from weeds growing alongside with the grain, as these are often mixed in with the harvest. The seed cleaning plant is used to separate out the grain from debris, weed seeds and broken grain kernels. Cleaned seed is destined either to replant crops or to use as food.
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| Traditional elevator Bins
constructed of wood.
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Typical grain unloading pit and elevator legs (A+B), used for transporting grain into bins. The trucks drive over the grate and dump the grain into the pit, from there it goes into the bucket elevators inside the legs, moving the grain up to the top of the elevator where it is distributed by gravity and pipes to the proper bin or seed cleaning equipment.
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Seed cleaning plants may use a number of steps to clean seed. The following are examples of equipment typically used in plants:
Air-screen machine: Makes separations based on differences in size and weight of seeds. A combination of screens with different size holes, and a stream of air accomplishes the separations.
Indent: Used to remove weed seeds or broken seeds Separates sizes by length or shape. Small indents or cups are present on a cylinder or a disk that will allow seeds of a certain size to enter, but larger or longer seeds are rejected.
Gravity table or density separator: Used to separate similar-sized seeds on the basis of their weight or density. For example removing light immature or empty seeds that are the same size as mature seeds. The deck or bed of the machine is perforated or made of cloth to allow air to be forced through it from below. In addition, the bed is tilted and oscillates back and forth. Since light material will remain in the air longer while denser material will tend to remain in contact with the bed, the denser material actually “walks” to the upper side of the tilted bed as it oscillates while the lighter material “floats” to the lower side. The discharge area is divided into a number of separations to obtain precise and uniform grading.
Spiral separator: Used to remove flat or irregularly shaped materials from spherical (round) seeds. For example, it can remove broken seeds from soybeans, or oilseeds like canola. The seeds roll down a spiral inner path. Spherical seeds gain speed and fly off the inner spiral into an outer spiral, while the other objects slide down the inner spiral and out a separate discharge separately.
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| Modern Elevator and Seed Cleaning Plant
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Link to actual seed cleaning plant with detailed explanations:
http://waltonfeed.com/elevator/stirseed.html
For an amazing collection of traditional grain elevator pictures see:
http://www.grainelevatorphotos.com/gallery.html
The seed cleaning operation leaves the following by-products:
Aspirated grain fractions: consist primarily of plant parts other than the grain.
Grain screenings: consist of light weight and broken grains, and seeds other than the ones wanted (used for animal feeds).
Chaff and/or dust: consist of dirt or sand and may include hulls, stem joints, elevator dust, sweepings, grains, or other seeds.
TRANSPORTATION
From the Seed Cleaning Plant, the clean grain is transported to the milling plant in semi trucks or on rail cars.
MILLING
A milling operation turns organic grains into flour, flakes, meal or bran. Different equipment is used to accomplish this, and some processes produce several finished ingredients such as flour, gluten, and bran, while some produce only one finished ingredient such as rolled oats, or whole wheat flour. Certain organic agricultural products can be used as ingredients straight from the seed cleaner, such as flaxseeds when they're added whole in a recipe, and whole soybeans which are used to make soymilk or tofu.
Here are some examples of processing equipment that are used in mills to make different types of ingredients
Hammer mill: Smashes whole grain into flour that is further sifted into different grades.
Grinding mill: Grinds whole grain between two moving surfaces (stone or steel) into flour.
Cutting mill: Cuts whole grain at high speed with sharp cutter blades, into flour, or larger particles.
Groat mill: Cuts or crushes whole grain into groats.
Steam flaker: Softens whole grains with steam, and then rolls between two hard steel surfaces to produce a flake.
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| Milling Machine
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Vibrating sifters hanging from ceiling
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Shaker sifter sorting grades of flour
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To get the ingredients from the mill to the processing plants, they are packaged in bulk containers, or in bags that are transported by truck to the processing plants.
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9. Processing into cereal
There are many different types of ready-to-eat cereal; flakes, shapes (like O's), shredded, puffed, granolas, and mueslis. These are all made using different equipment and techniques. Here are some of the ways cereals are made:
Extruded: Makes flakes, shapes, and shreds by putting a “dough” under high pressure and temperature for a short space of time, and extruding a pellet which is then formed into a shape or a flake.
Mixing: Many cereals are made through a carefully monitored process of mixing ingredients by a certain method and order.
Puffed cereals: These are made similarly to how you would pop popcorn on the stovetop where heat is used to explode and cook the kernel. Our Puffed cereals are the purest form of cereal, as they contain only one ingredient; whole organic grains.
Nature's Path Granolas: are made from a base of whole oats and other grains, such as whole grain rice, kamut, millet etc.., mixed with a sweetner and blended with other ingredients.
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| Blending conveyers
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Distribution to packaging weigh-scales
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10. Packing
After cereals are made, they need to be carefully packaged to preserve their taste, texture and nutrition. Cereals are packaged into an airtight plastic barrier and then some are also put in a cereal box such as the ones you see on the store shelves. Many of our customers prefer our Eco-pac’s® which are a larger bag of the airtight barrier without any extra cardboard. This is one way we cut down on the use of cardboard packaging. We have also recently reduced the size of all of our flaked cereal cartons by 10% while maintaining the same amount of cereal. This not only reduces cardboard, but fuel (energy) as more cartons can be packed on a truck.
There are then 12 cartons or 6 eco-pacs inserted into a cardboard shipping case. Cases are then stacked on a pallet and are ready for shipping.
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| Pallet of product ready to ship.
Sometimes we don't use cardboard
outer boxes to save on forests.
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11. Storage and shipping
All our products are made to order. From our production facilities the products are transported to our distribution warehouses, and shipped directly to our customers (wholesale buyers and distributors). One of our warehouses (in Richmond BC) moves over 200 pallets of product each day.
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12. Brought to you
Through our warehousing and distribution, finished Nature's Path foods end up on store shelves.
When you're home you may snack on a granola bar, or a yummy frosted toaster pastry with a cup of coffee or tea. Eating a healthy organic nutrient-packed cereal is a great way to start your day. It both tastes great and leaves you feeling full of energy to carry you through your morning.
Understanding the life cycle of food; that our food didn't start at the store or manufacturer, but began even before seeds were planted, helps us choose to eat healthy and organic. We know that knowledgeable people have paid special attention to grow naturally strong and healthy plants from healthy organic soil, protecting it from harmful chemicals along the way.
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| Retail display
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Fun shopping
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We've given you an inside glimpse into the whole process that grains take to get to you in the form of delicious breakfast cereal, waffles, bars, toaster pastries, cookies, crackers, and baking mixes. Thank you for joining us on this journey from harvest to home.
For a description of organic terms used please also see our
Organic Glossary
.
