About Oak Manor Farms |  Organic Pioneers |  Organic Certification |  Organic Award

About Oak Manor Farms

At Oak Manor Farms, our commitment to organic agriculture has enabled us to become a world-class processor of organic flours, cereals and grains. We are proud of our history and the tradition of excellence that has led to our success. Founded in Oxford County in 1943, Oak Manor Farm's roots began with a progressive farmer named Delton Reibling and 150 acres of land. The Reibling family was one of the first to bring electricity to the community for their dairy and seed cleaning farm. Pioneer's in farming techniques, they were also one of the first to introduce chemical farming, virtually unheard of in the 1950's. By the next decade, the farm grew to 1200 acres of land and benefited from the latest farm equipment. In 1963 the dairy barn burned down never to be rebuilt again. Fortunately, Delton and his son Dave continued their seed cleaning operations and cash cropping.

In the years that followed, Dave began to notice the soil was becoming sick from continuous chemical use. More specifically, he noticed there was a significant reduction in the amount of organic matter in the soil (fewer living organisms essential to good soil life such as earth worms, etc.) Dave also noticed increased soil erosion and the need for more and more chemicals year after year to achieve the same results. Clearly something had to be done.

After much soul(soil)-searching in the 1970's, a heart wrenching decision was made -- Oak Manor farms would return to its roots and to organic farming. This decision was not without controversy. Organic farming went against all major trends of the day, which led many people to question the determination of Oak Manor. Adding to the controversy was the fact that very little research and information about organic agriculture was available. The challenge! Go back to old-world farming methods while maintaining scientific principles. The farm's total acreage was reduced to 450 so it would be easier to manage. Because organic farming techniques were not incorporated gradually, consequently, the farm's soil went through withdrawal symptoms and weed control became a problem and yields went down somewhat. It took years for the organic matter to build back to healthy levels essential for quality food production. Fortunately, organic methods developed to the point where today they are much more of a science and these problems are less common.

In 1975, Dave decided to extend his commitment to organic agriculture by developing value-added products that consumers could purchase. Although few markets existed for organic products at the time, Oak Manor put in their first stone mill and started grinding flour. Gradually Oak Manor sourced natural food distributors and bakeries to carry Oak Manor's all-natural products. At the same time, Oak Manor Farms could not grow enough grain to meet their demand. Dave then started to source product from other Organic Farmers that began to spring up around Canada. Seeing the need to validate the authenticity of these Organic Farms, Oak Manor developed the first in-house verification process to guarantee the organic nature of the farmers products. Identifying the need for a third party independent verification, Dave helped form the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), a third-party organization that conducted inspections for organic verification.

Recognizing the need for a mandate that included farmers, manufacturers and processors in the organic certification process, Dave helped form the OCPP in the late 1980's. During this time, the Reibling farm went from 450 to 183 acres of land. Finally, in 1996 after much soul searching, Oak Manor made the decision to sell the farm and concentrate entirely on processing organic grains. The Reason! To begin with, Oak Manor only grew 5% of what they processed and could no longer devote the proper attention to both growing and processing. Instead of doing many things with 50% of the energy needed, the Reibling family decided to make organic processing its full-time devotion.

With the changing world and a focus on carbon impact, it naturally follows that Oak Manor Farms do its part by sourcing products as close to home as possible. Oak Manor believes that the environment is an important part of any Organic philosophy. Local and Organic has a double benefit on the environment.

Today Oak Manor farms continues to be a major player in the organic food industry, by manufacturing, packaging and marketing a full range of products, including, stone ground flours, hot cereals, whole kernels and seeds. At Oak Manor Farms, it is understood that to be successful, you can never stand still. The organic industry has changed over the past three decades. Oak Manor has kept pace every step of the way; and in many cases, has pioneered the change. In doing so, Oak Manor has remained faithful to a simple philosophy - a healthy soil yields healthy food and a healthy people, society and environment. What could be simpler!

About Oak Manor Farms |  Organic Pioneers |  Organic Certification |  Organic Award