Ontario farmers say buying local food more important than ever amid various challenges

As Ontario continues to deal with the effects of inflation, hotter and drier weather and labour shortages, farmers say now is more important than ever to support the province’s agricultural sector.

“Supporting local supports our Ontario community as a whole,” Kelty Mackay, a co-owner of Willow Tree Farm in Port Perry, said during a tour of the property on Monday.

“We shop in our towns. Keeping that money here in Ontario, I think, is a really important way for the future for us to guarantee that our land and our people are able to enjoy fruits and vegetables for (the) future.”

Beginning on June 5, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture marked the beginning of local food week — an effort to promote buying food from local vendors and visiting one of the nearly 180 farmers markets in Ontario.

Willow Tree Farm has 150 acres of fields for growing various vegetables and fruits, all of which are handpicked.

“We grow everything from asparagus to rhubarb, green garlic, spinach, all the way through to tomatoes, peppers, radishes, strawberries. Raspberries are grown in high tunnels,” Mackay said.

“In the fall, we have pumpkin squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts — pretty much most of the fruits and vegetables you can grow in Ontario.”

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During the warmer months, Mackay, her family members and the employees take their fresh produce to markets across Ontario. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they visit the East York Civic Centre and North York Civic Centre, respectively.

“As we pick the crop, the next day it’s into farmers market,” she said while marketing the benefits of Ontario-grown fruits and vegetables.

“You’ll find it much fresher, much sweeter, and also because it’s not shipped often times we’re growing varieties for the flavour.”

Mackay said she and the other owners have tried to embrace sustainability into their farm while also innovating.

One of the newest areas involves high-cane raspberries under a tent, but embedded is a sophisticated network of irrigation and devices that can measure the exact amount of sunlight which in turn dictates the need for covering.

The first yield of raspberries in 2022 was deemed a success, resulting in more berries and a longer growing season. They’re hoping to repeat and expand on that success with blackberries being added to the tunnels.

When it comes to the work itself, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

“We’re very proud to be Ontario farmers and to grow food not only for our family but the families around us. It’s definitely a job that’s done because you love it,” Mackay said.

“It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle.

“Two weeks ago we’re up frost-protecting. Sometimes you’re out in the barn late at night lambing. Often times it means you’re missing like family events or other things to make sure that other people are eating.”

Adding to the everyday issues, Mackay said they, like so many other business operators, are having a tough time with labour shortages along with issues of not having enough rainfall when it’s needed as well as inflation.

“A lot of our input costs have doubled in the last couple of years, particularly fuel and fertilizer,” she said.

Mackay went on to describe how diversifying the crops across the property along with selling and dealing with individual customers directly have been ways to cushion issues that have arisen.

“I think the big difference between the tastes of [our] crop versus something else … if it’s picked in Ontario, you’re able to get something that is picked and eaten within a short period of time so you have that sweetness still in the plant,” she said.

Peggy Brekveld, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, echoed the concerns raised by Mackay.

“Some of the pressures that we have may be different than what other other industries do,” she said during an interview with CityNews.

“Things like having to deal with the weather on a regular basis. Dealing with livestock that can be healthy one day and not well the next and not because you did anything but because the virus went through the air and came into your barn. There are certainly challenges, (but) I also though say it’s a way of life and it’s a great place to live and work.”

Brekveld noted Ontario’s agriculture sector employs around 800,000 people and is worth approximately $47 billion “between your field and your fork.” She said with roughly 29,000 jobs forecast to be filled within the next few years, more needs to be done soon to address labour concerns and recruit various professionals into the industry.

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“We aren’t your pitchfork and shovel kind of people anymore, at least not every day. Lots of automation and technology and actually computer sciences and technicians are greatly needed, either directly on the farm or in our supporting industries,” Brekveld said.

“There’s room for accountants in rural Ontario and if you’re in human resources, greenhouses have a lot of employees and actually need some HR experience. Almost any job you can connect some way to agriculture.”

Another issue Brekveld said that poses a risk to Ontario’s agriculture sector is due to new construction.

“Only five per cent of the province actually is arable land, which means to be farmed, and from that most of it actually, just by the natural progression of how we came to be in this province, is located around the cities. So your best farmland is around actually the GTA,” she said.

“We actually lost between the last two censuses 390 acres a day to development of different kinds, including houses, and that’s significant. It’s like suddenly a million carrots. We can’t continue that way. I think it’s 1.2 million bottles of VQA wine, and if that’s how you’d like to end your day that’s significant.”

As the renewed push comes to buy local goods, Brekveld encouraged people to do so beyond just local food week.

“Look for the Foodland Ontario Logo if you’re in a store. Look for the farmer’s markets, which are great places even just to walk around and smell and look at all the colour and variety of food.”

Meanwhile, back outside the Port Perry farm, Mackay said she’s thankful her young children have shown an interest in the family business despite the challenges.

“After school, first thing they do is get on their bikes and go down to the raspberry patch. They’re very proud to tell you that they are farmers. They’ll come out and pick,” she said.

“My son was excited to be a farm ambassador, to be part of the farm tours that we are doing.”