rural ontario

WEEKS 21-24: Working for a radical; other thoughts and news

With the season winding down and the workforce dwindling, farmer Chris has been spending more time out in the fields with us- guaranteeing a stimulating dialogue. While mulching the garlic (10 000 cloves planted with the help of some able volunteers from the garlic-savvy Cutting Veg Organic Farm in Toronto) we got to talking about charity and "the system", and I realized I was working for a true radical. Having left a career in social work for charitable organizations to farm, Chris is convinced that charity is a feel-good formula for propagating the dysfunctional system we live in. He argues that "progressive" ideas that have farmers growing food directly for food banks are missing the mark, and adamantly opposes cheap food of any kind. Farmers need to make a good wage, allowing them to employ people locally, supporting a vibrant economy and community from the ground up, instead of trying to bandage it from the rich top down. Food for thought, that is...

Visitors, volunteers, and events around here have provided other food for thought. 20 Hamilton highschool students were here for a week of their Social Justice class, hearing farmers lecture, touring other farms, and working alongside us. Field time is a great occasion for disussing social justice in an informal setting, of course.
It was a lesson in youth management, which turns out to be quite a bit harder than just doing the work yourself... Despite some inefficiency, they got a lot more than we could have done, and a lot of the big fall tasks got crossed off the list: potato harvest; black mulch take-out; and tomato trellis take-down.

Chef Ken Lefebour came out twice to gratify us with his gourmet meals, once as a gift of gratitude from the farm family to the interns, and once to celebrate the bounty of the farm with our CSA members and the public. It was inspiring to see what he could produce with a bar-b-cue and a wood-fired oven.

Field trips have led us to some great farms, like the first Ontario C.R.A.F.T. farm that operates at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre and Retreat, neighbouring Fenwood Farms, a large scale organic poultry farm, and Richardson's Farm, a conventional but sustainably-minded fruit and vegetable farm outside of Dunville with lots of value-added products and promising touristic and educational components.

Members picked up their final veggie shares this past week, and our markets will wrap up this coming week. David is gone back to New York (and married! Congrats David and Marissa!) and Jocelyn left us just yesterday. Next weekend we aim to be closed down for the winter (although winter shares are likely on offer), and the farm family will have no more interns traipsing through the house until spring.