Farm Labour

Every January we start out the year with organizing our crew, by hiring 2-3 farm workers for the coming season. These positions are temporary (6 months) and low paying (in the realm of minimum wage), and we're always amazed by the number of qualified applicants. By that I mean generally ambitious, motivated young people with experience and university degrees, both farming-related or otherwise.

This interest in farming among the applicants is not really a surprise to us. These young people are drawn to agriculture for the same reasons we were; working outdoors, working with your hands, working in a way that is beneficial to the environment and local community- not to mention you get fit, get a tan (with albeit less than desirable tan lines), and you eat amazingly well! But another reason I believe we've had so many applicants is because we are offering a wage. It's not a good wage, but it is a wage, which is something many small-scale farms cannot afford to offer.

I don't mean this as a criticism of small-scale farms, I mean this as a criticism of a food system that makes it very difficult for small-scale farmers to pay their labour a decent wage (sometimes farmers can't even pay themselves a decent wage). It is common for small-scale farms to rely on volunteers or unpaid apprentices to get the hard work of producing food done. This is the same system that we trained in. In fact, I won't deny that there is a "got to put in your time" attitude among some farmers who also came up apprenticing and working for low to no wages. As the average age of farmers in BC continues to rise, there is no denying that we need young people to be entering this profession. So I am asking this question of society, not of other farmers: how are these energetic and inspired new farmers supposed to save up for that down payment or for that first piece of equipment if they're not even making minimum wage while they train and gain experience while working on other farms along the way? 

One of our past employees described to me an opportunity he was offered to work on another farm. Again, the pay was not high, but the expectations were. He would be working 50+ hours a week for a nominal monthly stipend. The farm would be supplying fresh vegetables to high-end restaurants in Vancouver. My worker pointed out that he didn't feel all that great about working so hard for so little, just so a stranger in Vancouver might enjoy a delicious local meal for a slightly lower price. It's a shame that most farm workers could never actually afford to eat in the restaurants that their farms supply.

There is much we can do. I would advocate all of the following: formalized apprenticeships on farms, where the government subsidizes the trainee (just as they do for various trades); grants for new farmers starting up (just like in Quebec where new farmers can qualify for up to $40,000 in grants); student loan forgiveness for new farmers just as certain public sector employees receive (farming is one heck of a public service too!); and a general awareness campaign about all those who grow our food- not just the farm owners, but the farm workers who are integral to our local food system!

Our hope is that we are able to pay our workers more and more with the coming years- enough that they will stick around and come back each season. Enough that they can save, so that one day when they're ready they can buy their own farm, and one day when we're ready to retire there's a young farmer both ready and able to actually buy us out.

Female Farmers Rock!

It's taken me a long time to feel comfortable telling people I'm a farmer. Despite the fact that I have a degree in agro-ecology and have spent over 10 years working on other farms, as a farm manager, and now running my own farm for the last four years, I always felt a little self-conscious about using this title. I know I don't look the part. For starters I'm a woman... I'm on the small side and so is my farm. 

At the farmer's market customers often comment on my "garden". They say things like, "Oh, you must have such a big garden." Well, yes, it is a "big garden" because actually it's a farm. I'm pretty sure my neighbour at the farmer's market (a big guy) never hears references to his "garden". 

Yet a recent survey of new farmers conducted by the National Farmer's Union found that 68% of new farmers in Canada are female. Another statistic I've come across for North America is 1 in 7 farm owners and managers is a woman. I'm not surprised by this though. Many of the most excellent farmers I know are women, we just don't seem to hear from or about them as often. This is evident in the "Rockstar Farmer" tours the Young Agrarians have facilitated, not one of the rockstars has been a woman.

If we take a step back and consider all farmers the world over, I would hazard to guess that the majority of our food is grown by women. I don't mean just the farm owners and managers, but also those in the field doing the actual work of planting, cultivating, and harvesting our food (through travelling and working in places as far afield as Thailand and Ecuador, I can attest to the number of female farmers I've seen working in the field). When it comes to squatting and bending low all day while pulling tiny weeds or harvesting neat bunches with fast hands, it's no surprise that women, who tend to be smaller, are good at this. This type of work doesn't require brute strength, but rather it demands strength in the form of stamina and speed, physical flexibility, attention to detail, and sometimes even a gentle touch ("that's delicate basil you're handling there!").

A fellow female farmer pointed out the new "caution tractor sign" that was recently put up on one of our rural roads might need updating already; rather than a guy in a cowboy hat, ought not the image be of a girl with a ponytail? Like other professions where woman have fought for and achieved equal recognition and compensation, isn't it high time that farming acknowledge the "better half" of its work force. And by that I don't mean farm wives, I mean women farmers (who could sure benefit from having farm wives- male or female- as well!).

Oh the Squashes We Grow!

Buttercup

Acorn

Butternut

Winter Sweet

Delicata

Sugar Pumpkin

Carnival

Sunshine

Carving Pumpkins

The cost (and benefits!) of joining a CSA

A common refrain about local, organic food is that it's expensive. I don't believe this to be true for two reasons. First, as an organic vegetable farmer selling most of my produce through local farmer's markets, I pay extremely close attention to what vegetables cost in the grocery store (probably much closer attention than the average consumer). It's my conclusion that our prices are often on par with the organic produce aisle, and sometimes even lower, while our freshness and quality is always far superior to that of grocery store vegetables. Second, our prices reflect our true costs of producing this food. We set our prices in a way that allows us to do the hard work of growing food and stay in business over the long term. When we see cheap food coming from Mexico, China, Argentina, and so on, it's because someone else (or some place else) is paying the price for us in form of low wages, human rights abuses, and social and environmental degradation... All so the grocery stores here can sell green onions for $0.99/bunch.

For conscientious consumers (or folks who simply value the taste and quality of good, fresh food), one solution that has arisen over the past couple decades is the "CSA". This acronym stands for "Community Supported Agriculture" and has come to represent a range of pre-paid subscription programs for farm produce, for everything from fruit and vegetables, to meat, grains, cheese, eggs, and even fish. These programs might vary in some details, but they all typically serve customers who pay in advance for an agreed upon amount of farm product to be distributed over the course of the season.  While CSA programs are a service provided by the farmer or fisher, sometimes we forget that CSA's are also a partnership.

Community members participate by supporting their local farmer with a commitment at the start of the year, paying for their produce in advance of the season.  Most farmers, especially vegetable growers, incur the bulk of their expenses early in the year when there is very little farm revenue coming in and so CSA programs originated to help farmers with this challenge. The early season income from CSA customers is incredibly helpful to the farmers at a time when they need it most.

Later in the spring and throughout the harvest season, the farmer then reciprocates by providing fresh, local produce to the customers each week. Most farms go further though, many include a newsletter with farm updates, recipes, and cooking tips, as well as hosting on-farm events like tours and potlucks. In this way CSA programs offer supporters of local agriculture an opportunity to really connect with a local farm.

CSA's are also a great way to learn about seasonal eating, as customers discover new foods they might have overlooked (and realize they love!), try new recipes, and learn new ways to prepare some of our “every day” vegetables. Another benefit is that farmers usually prioritize their CSA customers. On our farm we offer a CSA as well as going to farmer’s markets, but if we only have enough of favourite items like peas or strawberries we put these in our CSA box first, only sending the extra (if any) to market. Joining a CSA program is a great way for customers to ensure access to the best local produce all season long.

Some customers might not be able to afford making one lump sum payment at the start of the season though, so talk to your farmer as some will offer payment plans. While it’s helpful to receive the full payment up front, farmers don’t want to be exclusive; they want everyone to be able to enjoy their produce. Another way to afford joining a CSA is to save your change! At the start of this year one of our CSA customers began saving all her pocket change each week. Over the course the winter and spring she had saved up enough to pay for the CSA in full prior to the program starting. She paid us in neatly rolled toonies, loonies, quarters, and dimes (which come in handy for making change at the farmer's market!). She said it felt like she wasn't paying anything at all, as normally small change goes unnoticed. You see, local food is not necessarily more expensive and it definitely doesn't have to feel expensive! 

One of our CSA customers paid for her Harvest Box, as we call it, by saving her pocket change. Starting in January she set aside all her coins and by May she had paid in full for the season's box... And we didn't mind receiving the payment in rolled coin at all- we always need change at the farmer's market.