PRODUCT OF SAINT MICHAEL FOODS
A CANADIAN COMPANY
FARMING COMMUNITIES
OUR MISSION INCLUDES SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS THAT WORK THE FIELDS AND FORM THE BACKBONE OF AGRI-FOOD SECURITY. WE'RE WORKING TIRELESSLY WITH LOCAL FARMERS AND FAMILY BUSINESSES WHO SHARE OUR VISION FOR CREATING A BRIGHTER FUTURE. THE IMPACT IS TWO-FOLD: NUTRITIOUS, DELICIOUS PRODUCTS AND SUSTAINABLE THRIVING BUSINESSES HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD. OUR BIGGEST DESIRE IS TO CREATE PRODUCTS PACKED FULL OF GOODNESS SO THAT YOU, OUR CUSTOMER, CAN TAP INTO YOUR INHERENT GOODNESS AND EXPAND THE BEAUTY IN THIS WORLD.
WE BELIEVE IN SOWING SEEDS OF GOODNESS IN ALL THAT WE DO, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH BUCKWHEAT FARMERS IN MANITOBA.
THE LEGACIES OF THESE CANADIAN FARMS HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH SEVERAL GENERATIONS, KEEPING THE BUCKWHEAT FARMING TRADITION ALIVE THROUGH HARD WORK AND HARVESTED LOVE FOR NOURISHING THE WORLD WITH QUALITY INGREDIENTS.
WHY FARMERS LOVE BUCKWHEAT
BUCKWHEAT BELONGS TO A GROUP OF FOODS COMMONLY CALLED PSEUDOCEREALS. PSEUDOCEREALS ARE SEEDS THAT ARE CONSUMED AS CEREAL GRAINS BUT DON’T GROW ON GRASSES. OTHER COMMON PSEUDOCEREALS INCLUDE QUINOA AND AMARANTH. DESPITE ITS NAME, BUCKWHEAT IS NOT RELATED TO WHEAT AND IS GLUTEN-FREE.
COMPARED TO OATS AND OTHER CROPS, BUCKWHEAT PREFERS DRIER CONDITIONS AND NEEDS LESS WATER TO GROW. BUCKWHEAT IS EASY TO GROW, AND IS MUCH MORE RESISTANT TO FROST THAN CANOLA. IT WILL SURVIVE A FALL FROST AS LONG AS THE SEED PODS HAVE AT LEAST PARTIALLY DEVELOPED, COMPARED TO CANOLA WHICH IS NOT SALVAGEABLE IN ITS EARLY STAGES.
BUCKWHEAT GROWS QUICKLY IN ITS FIRST STAGES, AND IT WILL OUTGROW WEEDS, CREATING A CANOPY WITH ITS LEAVES WHICH DEPRIVES THEM OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS. FOR THIS REASON, BUCKWHEAT NATURALLY MITIGATES WEEDS AND DOES NOT REQUIRE HERBICIDES.
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WHAT'S MORE, BUCKWHEAT CAN ACCESS THE SOIL'S PHOSPHATES THAT MOST OTHER PLANTS ARE UNABLE TO OBTAIN. WHEN USED AS A COVER CROP FOR WEED SUPPRESSION AND GREEN MANURE (PLOWED DOWN RATHER THAN HARVESTED, TO ENRICH THE SOIL), IT MAKES THESE PHOSPHATES ACCESSIBLE TO THE FOLLOWING CROP AS THE BUCKWHEAT PLANT AND ROOTS DECOMPOSE.
BUCKWHEAT DOES NOT CARRY ANY KNOWN DISEASES, SO IT DOES NOT REQUIRE FUNGICIDES OR INSECTICIDES. IT CAN BE GROWN BACK TO BACK WITHOUT THE FEAR OF INFECTION, UNLIKE OTHER CROPS.
THIS PLANT CAN SERVE AS A BRIDGE TO TRANSITION FARMERS TO MORE REGENERATIVE PRACTICES BY DECREASING THEIR CHEMICAL INPUTS AND WORKING WITH NATURE, RATHER THAN AGAINST IT.
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​BUCKWHEAT FARMERS AND LOCAL APIARIES WORK IN TANDEM. BUCKWHEAT REQUIRES BEES FOR POLLINATION, AND BEES LOVE BUCKWHEAT! BUCKWHEAT IS A FAVOURABLE CROP. UNLIKE OATS, CANOLA AND OTHER CROPS IT DOES NOT REQUIRE GLYPHOSATE OR NEONICOTINOIDS (I.E. ROUND-UP AND OTHER CHEMICALS). THESE CHEMICALS ARE DETRIMENTAL TO THE LIVES OF BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS. BUCKWHEAT IS BEE FRIENDLY. BEEKEEPERS LOVE BUCKWHEAT AS IT HELPS TO PRESERVE AND EXPAND THEIR BEE POPULATION.
PEOPLE. PLANET. FOOD.
THE COMPANY BEHIND THE BUCK™ BRAND, SAINT MICHAEL FOODS LIMITED OF CANADA, IS BUILT ON A 3-PILLAR FOUNDATION: PEOPLE - PLANET - FOOD. IT IS IN PEOPLE, OF THIS GENERATION, THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO MAKE THIS PLANET A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN.
FOR CENTURIES, FARMERS (PEOPLE) FROM THE WORLD OVER CHOOSE BUCKWHEAT FOR ITS FUNCTIONALITY AND VERSATILITY BOTH AS FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS.
BUCKWHEAT IS AN EXCELLENT NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTHY FOOD, CONTAINING ALL 9-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS THAT THE HUMAN BODY CANNOT PRODUCE FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY BODY. BUCKWHEAT IS ALSO KNOWN TO HAVE THE HIGHEST PROTEIN SCORE COMPARED TO OTHER PLANT BASED PROTEIN ALTERNATIVES.