NW Michigan Food and Farming Network Report to the Community 2015 Report to the Community | Page 42

Food and Farming network

Canola Fields Thrive
in Northern Michigan
B&B Farms presses
200 bushels into oil
By Tricia Phelps
Michigan Land Use Institute
Dan and Bonnie Blackledge own
more than 500 acres of land in Marion, Mich., known as B&B Farms,
just 70 miles from Traverse City.
That contiguous acreage includes 40
original acres that have been in Dan’s
family for more than 100 years. In
2007, B&B Farms began working
with Michigan State University to
plant 20 acres of canola for a bioDan and Bonnie Blackledge own over 500 acres of land in Marion, Michigan.
fuels project.
(Photo: B&B Farms)
From the beginning, B&B Farms
is very high in the healthy unsaturatthe initial research with Michigan
has worked closely with the MSU
ed fats including omega-3, omega-6,
State University, B&B Farms began
Extension and the Crops & Soil
increasing canola crop production by and omega-9, which are very imporScience Department to experiment
20 acres a year. Today, B&B averages tant in a healthy diet because your
with canola seed variety trials and
body cannot produce them.
about 40 bushels of canola per acre
soil fertility. It turns out that the
The canola grown at B&B Farms
on 100 acres, totaling just over 4,000
sandier soils of northern Michiis rotated with wheat and alfalfa
gan are very favorable for growing bushels of canola annually. They
crops helping to eliminate pests and
cold-press about 200 bushels per
canola. Although B&B continues
disease. Dan and Bonnie have come
year into oil in an on-site, licensed,
to test varieties of canola seed, they
to understand that the oil mildly
commercial kitchen facility.
have settled on a non-GMO seed
fluctuates year to year due in part to
Canola oil is sought after because
that flourishes in this area.
of its proven health benefits. Experts the length of growing season, perThough canola oil is a familiar
haps even the terrior of the land. In
say that by changing your diet and
product in the United States, Dan
the past year, their sales have more
eating fewer saturated fats, you can
often looks to Canada for insight.
In 2012, about 21.2 million acres of significantly lower your risk of heart than doubled as they find that their
customers appreciate a locally grown,
disease—one the top five leading
canola were grown in Canada comcauses of death in the United States. cold-pressed, non-GMO canola oil.
pared to less than 2 million acres in
You can find B&B Farms all-natuCanola oil has 7 percent saturated fat
the United States. According to the
ral, cold-pressed canola oil, distributcontent, the lowest when compared
Canola Council of Canada, about
ed by Cherry Capital Foods, at local
to other commonly consumed oils
85 percent of the canola grown in
retailers including Oryana Natural
like sunflower oil (13 percent satuCanada is sold to markets around
Food Co-op.
rated fat) and olive oil (15 percent
the world, and the United States
www.canolaoilproducts