Three N.S. Farms featured in Depth of Field: Films About Farming

Nova Scotia, Canada—Nova Scotia’s stunning, sustainable farms take center stage in the upcoming short documentary series Depth of Field: Films About Farming. These beautiful films showcase the stories of three remarkable, family-owned and -operated farms, each exemplifying sustainable, environmentally-conscious practices. Spring Tide Farm, TapRoot Farms, and Knoydart Farm share their farming experiences and their vision. From 3:00 am to well after sunset, they center environmental stewardship and community engagement in their work.

“The topography of Nova Scotia, combined with the charm of the Maritimes, made for a memorable filming experience. The three farms captured in different areas of the province showcased the variety of food being produced locally and sustainably,” say award-winning filmmakers and co-producers of Depth of Field, Sarah Douglas and Tamer Soliman, March Forth Creative.

Spring Tide Farm

Spring Tide Farm is owned and operated by sisters and first-generation farmers Jessie and Rebecca MacInnis. They are based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada and focus on mixed vegetable and cut flower production, growing in fields and greenhouses. They are certified organic, practice low-till agriculture, and adhere to the principles of agroecology, which is defined by the National Farmers Union as a holistic approach to food production that uses—and creates—social, cultural, economic and environmental knowledge to promote food sovereignty, social justice, economic sustainability, and healthy agricultural ecosystems.

TapRoot Farms

TapRoot Farms is owned and operated by Josh Oulton and Patricia Bishop. Their farm employs people who live in Nova Scotia, people from Newfoundland, and migrant workers from Jamaica. Many of the crops TapRoot Farms grow are certified organic. They see organic farming as the best way to protect the environment while feeding themselves. Protecting and honouring soil, water, air, biodiversity and caring for people and community are central to their way of farming.

Knoydart Farm

Knoydart Farm is the Maritimes’ only grass-fed certified organic dairy farm, owned and operated by Angela, Adam and Frazer Hunter and overlooks the ruggedly beautiful coastline of the Northumberland Strait, near Merigomish in Nova Scotia, Canada. Over the years they transitioned the farm to organic and added a cheese-making facility in 2009. This charming family story will touch even the crustiest among the audience.

Stay tuned as we launch each short film over the coming months. Films will be released online and shown via local screenings by community members and other farm organizations during the winter of 2024.

To organize a local screening – use the free Community Screening Guide available at www.nfu.ca/filmsaboutfarming/, or email Nasseem at hakimian@nfu.ca to inquire.

Depth of Field: Films About Farming is a series of short documentaries produced and presented by the National Farmers Union and March Forth Creative. The films will showcase Canadian farmers and farm workers, and their sustainable farming practices on and off the land. Rotational grazing, seed saving, building healthy soils, and working for social justice–different farmers highlight their own priorities and, together, these films tell the story of farming practices that would create the local food system we all want. The National Farmers Union hopes to reach millions of Canadian food consumers to let them know that, to have a thriving localized food system, one thing they can do is start buying directly from their local farmers–like the ones featured in Depth of Field.

The National Farmers Union is a farmer-led, democratically-directed farm organization representing Canadian farmers and farm workers, and advocating on issues of importance to us. NFU members believe that the problems facing farmers are common problems, and that farmers producing diverse products must work together to advance effective solutions. The NFU works toward economic, social, and environmental policies that promote economically- and environmentally-sustainable farms and strong farming communities.

March Forth Creative (MFC) is a renowned producer of award-winning documentaries that explore meaningful and timely topics. Their films have been screened across Canada through multiple municipalities and non-profit organizations, and internationally through distribution companies.

We thank our project partners March Forth Creative, Young Agrarians, Régénération Canada, National Farmers Union-New Brunswick, National Farmers Union-Ontario, Organic Alberta, Sustain Ontario, National Farmers Foundation, Canadian Organic Growers, Farmers’ Markets Ontario, SaskOrganics, Small Scale Meat Producers Association.

We are grateful that funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the AgriCommunication Program.

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For more information:

Nasseem Hakimian, Communications and Project Manager, NFU: hakimian@nfu.ca, (647) 624-6278

Mara Shaw, Executive Director, NFU: shaw@nfu.ca, (613) 217-9404

Jenn Pfenning, President, NFU: president@nfu.ca, (519) 502-2582

Tamer Soliman and Sarah Douglas, Filmmakers, March Forth Creative, info@marchforthcreative.com , (613) 794-0314

Resources:

Visit the website

Explore complete list of featured farmers: see profiles here or review full contact sheet here.

Amplify the Organize a community film screening (PDF)

Use this Press Kit for photos and bios, and more