Norfolk Farms - Summer 2024

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Remembering our past

Driving down the roads of Norfolk County today, there is a subtle difference that many people don’t see – the backroads are almost all paved with tar and chip. This differs from much of Oxford County, for example, where the backroads are gravel.

Local lore is it was taxation money from tobacco farming that helped politicians from the former townships fund the paving. This is one of the many subtle impacts from “tobacco dollars” from days gone-by.

Tobacco took off as a crop after the first plants were planted in the Norfolk Sand Plain in 1920. The industry grew, farmers became prosperous, and as a result, the entire area prospered. Even teenagers growing up in the tobacco belt did well as they earned more money in roughly a month than their counterparts in urban centres. They bought cars, records, spent money and helped the local economy.

Then, when tobacco products started to be frowned on for health reasons, the industry started to slide. Many diversification projects were tried, and several took off.

Today, there are still about 130 growers, mostly in Norfolk County, who are growing 15,000 acres. Tobacco is not the acreage it once was, but it is still grown. Some frown on it, but others argue that as long as people smoke, it might as well be grown here.

So, when driving down the backroads this summer, and passing a tobacco field, pause to pay heed to the area’s heritage, maybe remember incidents of “tobacco poisoning” as a teen, and crank up Stompin’ Tom Connors’ Tillsonburg to recall the “back aches” associated with priming. 

Kim North of North Roots Herb Farm, St. Williams, says that she was always attracted to herbs. This self-described “traditional herbalist” vividly remembers playing with mints and similar herbs at her childhood home in Hamilton. “I was even caught eating boxwood from a relative’s hedge,” she said, laughing.

But her journey towards establishing her full time herbal teas and salves business and herb

crops didn’t start until age 19, when she left Hamilton for Norfolk County. Like many of that generation, North worked in tobacco for a living. She loved doing that -- especially weeding, hoeing and going barefoot in the sandy soils.

Today, North grows and wild crafts approximately 50 medicinal and culinary herbs on a friend’s nearby 100-acre property – a former

tobacco farm that has been chemical-free since 2007.

She dries, prepares, and crafts the harvested leaves, flowers and roots into loose-leafed herbal teas, salves and tinctures at her shop located behind her home of 36 years, on the East Quarterline Road. The products are sold on site, online and at some local businesses.

Youth volunteer-herb aficionado Patrick Sijs hoes the chamomile, mullein grows behind him Kim North in her “teaching garden” beside her farm store

North offers herbal workshops on herbs’ properties and uses, with titles such as “The Personality of Stinging Nettle and Plantain” using her backyard herb gardens as teaching aids.

North’s products are audited and certified by a third party organic inspection agency that is approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“I’ve always had a natural health background is science-trained,” said North. In addition to studying homeopathy, chiropractic and nutrition with friends, North took formal training in massage therapy. That program demands “intensive hours” in physiology, muscle groups and all bodily systems, she said.

But despite this scientific bias, it was an intuitive moment that veered North into herbalism.

She developed a health issue that was difficult to cure. Then she spotted a moth erwort plant growing beside her porch. She instinctively consumed it as a tea.

The condition cleared up almost imme diately, said North. Subsequent research revealed that her issue was one of several health problems that motherwort is reputed to treat.

The experience prompted North to study herbalism, the study of the nature and use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. She studied under registered medical herbalist Chris tine Dennis (MNIMH, MS) of Pt Burwell. “I already had my background in anatomy and physiology from my hours of massage therapy training.”

This, in turn, led to a joint partnership with Dennis called Herbal Posey in 2008. North grew and wild crafted the herbs and began to produce salves, tea blends and tinctures.

adopted a colourful logo designed by the late Lynnette Carrington-Smith.

The North Roots motto listed above the Carrington-Smith logo on North’s packages sums up her philosophy: “Nature’s wisdom in a teacup”. So does the logo, which depicts a colourful plant whose leaves and flowers merge with the heavens while the tap root grounds it into the earth.

“All living beings, including plants, have energy….Mint for example is there to help with your health, and when it’s done, the plant is composted and then it feeds the soil.”

“Herbs grow where they are needed,” add

salve for treating mosquito bites and removing shards.

Each plant has different preparations and uses, such as catnip and mints for teas, said North. Others can be chewed and applied to affected areas of skin; yarrow can be added to baths for other benefits.

Long, colourful rows of different herbs grow side by side on the farm’s main field. Pulled weeds and the unused portions of harvested plants such as comfrey are placed on the ground between rows to dry out and decompose into the soil.

North’s tea shop-herbal apothecary carries

Presently, North bought out her share of the business, initially using the name Herbal Posey-North Roots. She changed the business name to North Roots and

This statue is one of several that guard the teaching gardens beside North Roots’ tea shop-herbal apothecary

The logo designed by Lynnette Carrington-Smith depicts the energy radiated by herbs

Vanden Bussche Irrigation celebrates 70 years

When Gerard Vanden Bussche started the company that bears his family name 70 years ago, it’s safe to assume he never imagined the success it would be.

Gerard arrived in Canada in 1926, and initially settled in Chatham with other Flemish immigrants. He grew his first tobacco crop in 1928, and then bought and sold numerous tobacco farms. Gerard worked for the winter for another area farm dealer and was offered the contract to sell Wade Rain aluminum couplings when that dealer turned it down.

Together with his son Roger, they started the com-

[pany in 1954, retailing Wade Rain aluminum couplings, Rain Bird Impact Sprinklers and CMC pumps. The company was known as G. Vanden Bussche and Son in the early days.

Acquisition of other irrigation companies started in the 1980s and brought new product lines to Vanden Bussche

“That’s the coupling that got Vanden Bussche Irrigation to this spot,” said Marc Vanden Bussche, Gerard’s grandson and the president of the company today. “You can get pipe anywhere, but the coupling is so integral.” Big changes came in the mid to late 1960s. The first mechanically moving irrigation system, the Wade Rain Power Roll, was introduced in 1965. A year later, Rain

Bird Agriculture Guns were launched. The successful company moved to its larger, present location off Highway 3, south of Delhi, in 1967. A decade later, Vanden Bussche introduced the Bauer travelers to the North American market.

There was a shake-up in the family with the Roger’s unexpected death in 1979 while on a business trip in Oregon. His wife Theresa took over running the company with assistance from long-time employee Brooke Sowden. Acquisition of other irrigation companies started in the 1980s and brought new product lines to Vanden Bussche. These included Zimmatic Pivots in 1983 and a drip irrigation line a year later.

When Grainger Irrigation was purchased in Scarborough in 1986, it was the start of the expansion into golf and recreation irrigation and the opening of a second location. After Shemin Nurseries was acquired in 1994, further expansion into turf irrigation took place and a third location was opened in Milton. This purchase also gave Vanden Bussche Irrigation the rights for the Rain Bird golf line from Windsor to Kingston. The company started assembling Bauer travelers in Delhi in 1995, which still continues to this day. Marc, started working in the family business when he was a kid.

“Basically, so mom could get the kids out of the house, send them to work with dad,” he recalled.

When he was 18 in 1980, he started working in the company full-time, working in assembly, sales and shipping. He shifted into more of a sales role from 1984 to 1996. When Brooke started to cut back, Marc became vice-president of the company and has been president the last 10 years since his mother passed away.

One of the big changes he made was purchasing a 115-acre farm on Highway 3 between Delhi and Simcoe and turning it into the Vanden Bussche Irrigation Learning

The traveller, as it’s commonly called, has been one of the mainstays of Vanden Bussche Irrigation. Travellers were commonly used with a gun for tobacco irrigation. Today, many are still in use but are often used with a sprinkler boom instead of a gun.

Roger Vanden Bussche demonstrates the first Rain Bird Agriculture Gun after the new irrigation equipment is introduced to Canada.

Centre. This is used to train staff how to use the equipment and showcase new products. Marc fondly calls it the “world’s largest irrigation working showroom”.

Marc said Vanden Bussche Irrigation is now the leading irrigation company in eastern Canada. The company at one time had five locations, but a new business strategy cut that to three.

Today, the Wade Rain couplings are still a big part of the business, and are being installed on older irrigation pipe.

“They’re slowly getting converted over to the proper couplings,” he said. “We don’t sell a lot of new pipe anymore.”

Business has changed from the old days as far as how the water is delivered to the plant from the pipe. The big irrigation guns from the hey days of the tobacco industry are becoming fewer, with a switch to sprinklers.

“Everyone is realizing the energy and fuel you need to run that,” he said of the pump pressure to deliver water from high pressure guns. Wind was also mentioned as a challenge with guns as the water is more prone to being blown when moving a longer distance.

Driving the back roads of Norfolk County, there is a switch from tobacco to vegetables and cash

crops. Drip irrigation is big for vegetables as it can provide both water and fertilizer. Many of the travelers are still in use, although a conversion has been made to sprinkler booms as the energy use is lower and wind doesn’t have as big an impact.

Pivot irrigation, which is huge in the U.S. for many crops, has grown in Canada for potatoes, sod, and cash crop corn. Marc said potatoes are one of the large uses for this irrigation type.

Today, Vanden Bussche Irrigation is owned by Marc and his four sisters. His children, Gerad and Gillian, are company vice-presidents and are the fourth generation of the family involved in the company. The company still stresses integrity as it did the day the doors opened.

As the company celebrates its 70th anniversary, it becomes one of an elite few businesses reaching this threshold. Although Statistics Canada didn’t have recent data for the percentage of companies that make it to 70 years, it did find that, dependent on the sector, only between 19 and 30 per cent of companies make it to 19 years. Those numbers are sure to get a lot leaner past 40, 50 and 60 years. 

Vanden Bussche Irrigation president Marc Vanden Bussche, centre, is bringing a fourth generation into the family business with his son Gerad and daughter Gillian are both company vice-presidents.

Tobacco kilns the focus of photo exhibit

Tobacco kilns are the main subject of an exhibit at the Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Centre.

Larry Monczka, who is from Hamilton but is married to local Kathleen Pickard and retired to Port Ryerse 12 years ago, was struck by the tobacco kilns he saw scattered across the countryside.

“I had never seen anything like them anywhere on my travels,” he said. “I loved both their simplicity and their visual complexity. The sagging roofs, peeling tar paper and unhinged doors and shutters were interesting in terms of visual design while at the same time being a metaphor for the passing of time and its effect on these remnants of a culture and a way of life that was fading away.”

His interest in photography started in the 1970s when he was in New York City and saw an exhibit by Eliot Porter, a nature photography pioneer. He took several courses by Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson to further his photographic knowledge.

“Photography has been a serious hobby since those early days,” Monczka said. “My wife is also a photographer, and we’ve had numerous joint and solo exhibitions of our work over the years in the Norfolk Arts Centre and Lynnwood Arts in Simcoe, The Lighthouse Festival Theatre Gallery in Port Dover and the Old Town Hall Gallery in Waterford. We participated in the Norfolk Studio Tour for many years.”

When tackling the tobacco kiln project, he looked at through the lens of Japanese aesthetics. Wabi-Sabi, which he said “celebrates transience and honours those cracks, crevices and marks that are left behind by time and tender use.” Shibui, a Japanese concept that reminds us things improve with age, was also part of the image formation process.

While taking photographs for the tobacco kiln project, Monczka drove the roads of Norfolk County, looking for all the tobacco kilns he could find.

“I returned often during weather conditions that I imagined would express the Japanese aesthetics I had in mind for the project,” he described. “I was less interested in recording the

kilns per se than in photographing and presenting them in a coherent expressive way.”

There are more than 20 photographs in the current exhibit. The photographs were taken between 2010 and 2018, and since many of the kilns were torn or fell down since then, are now part of the historical record of these structures.

“Many of the photographs were taken during times of fog and falling snow. These conditions isolate the kilns from visual distractions in the background and give them a melancholy, romantic timeless quality that expresses the Jap-

anese concepts mentioned above,” Monczka said. “A number of images are close-ups that focus on elements of decay and deterioration such as exposed wood, peeling paint and missing doors and shutters in visually compelling ways that might go un-noticed by the average passer-by.”

The images are not highly manipulated in Photoshop.

“I photograph in the eye-witness tradition,” Monczka said. “That means that I don’t add or remove elements or alter the colours in post-production. I use weather conditions such as snow, fog and rain to increase saturation or soften details and present the kilns in ways most casual viewers may not have noticed themselves. That’s what makes these fine-art prints different from snapshots.”

His favourite images from the exhibit, and other photographs that were part of the project, were chosen to be part of the book Tobacco Kilns of Norfolk County. Waterford poet Amber Homeniuk wrote the text to accompany the photographs.

“She worked in tobacco on her family farm back in the day and writes about the hard work and nitty gritty details of life during the harvest,” Monczka said.

Copies of the book and the images are available at the exhibit. Greeting cards with the kiln images are also for sale at the tobacco museum. Monczka’s work is also available for sale at Cabin 519 in Port Dover, the Silver Sands Gallery in Port Dover and the artist co-op Capitol Arts Market in Simcoe, or by contacting him at raraavis.pix@gmail.com. He also has other books for sale, such as Sand Fences of Long Point Beach, Ice Huts of Norfolk County, Sandhill Cranes of Norfolk County, Herabouts, and Seldom Seen – Long Point in Winter. 

Robotic farming demo day coming

Imagine a future where robots will be in the fields pulling weeds. While this might seem like science fiction, it’s coming closer to reality every day.

Local farmers can get a preview of this technology at the AgRobotics Working Group’s Demo Days on July 4 and 11. Locally, July 11 will be the day at the Ontario Crops Research Station on Blue Line Road in Simcoe. Pre-registration is required and can be completed at the group’s web site agroboticswg. com

The event will showcase robotics from six different companies. These range from robots that can seed and weed, spray, mow in between rows of trees in an orchard, scout for weeds and estimate yields.

Kristen Obeid of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-Business was one of the founders of the group with Chuck Baresich of Haggerty Creek Ltd. She said initially the driver for starting the group was resistant weed issues in many horticulture crops resulting in the need for manual labour to remove them.

After Baresich approached the ministry in 2021, the group was formed and began to look into the possibility of using robots and artificial intelligence (A.I.) to solve many problems growers are facing. At the end of the first year, the group was working withfive different robots. That number has now grown to 20 robots working in the province, some on farms and others in research trials, with

TOPNOTCHSERVICE

a goal of reaching 30 by the end of the year. The group’s membership has expanded to over 180 people from all over the world.

The group now includes representation from: OMAFRA, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,

Municipal Governments, Haggerty AgRobotics, University of Guelph, McMaster University, University of Waterloo, Conestoga College, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA), Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario (FVGO), Holland Marsh Growers Association (HMGA), Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG), Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO), Nortera, Korechi Innovations (Oshawa, Ontario), Nexus Robotics (Montreal Quebec), FarmDroid (Denmark), Naio Technologies (France) and Raven Industries (Canada and U.S) and many more.

The group’s purpose is not to sell robots, but to provide input on how to improve the machines to work better in Ontario production systems. The group has been really successful at building cross functional teams and finding the right partners to solve important problems growers are facing.

“In the end, it’s all about helping the growers of Ontario remain sustainable, both economically and environmentally,” Obeid said. Be sure to register to see the robots in action. 

Torin Boyle

Butchers preparing for high-level competition

They aren’t athletes in the traditional sense of the word, but the team from Townsend Butchers is preparing for upcoming competitions like committed athletes.

Doug Easterbrook could be called the veteran of the competitive butchers at Townsend. He has spent most of his 14 years as a butcher at Townsend.

“I knew I wanted to be a butcher when I was in high school,” he said. “I was doing a lot of competitive barbecuing.”

Explaining further, he said he was doing competitive barbecuing with his father and a couple of friends while going to school in Brantford. He was exposed to the butcher trade during a co-op placement at Strode’s BBQ and Deli.

Competitive butchery is relatively new to Ontario and Canada. In fact, this is only the 10th year of the Ontario’s Finest Butcher competition. The event is hosted by Meat & Poultry Ontario, the industry association representing the province’s meat industry.

When Easterbrook heard about the competition, it appealed to him as a person who was competitive in sports. Butchers are judged on efficiency, craftsmanship, attention to detail and professionalism. They

are given a time limit to complete their task.

“You have to think on your feet what you’re doing with these

products,” he said. “I like the adrenalin of it.”

The final is completed in front of an audience and the competi]]

tors need to explain what they are doing. Easterbrook said this is the professionalism component of the judging.

Easterbrook first competed in 2017 and won provincially in 2022. Now, he can no longer compete at the provincial level, but is part of the national team.

Last year, Townsend Butcher’s Dylan Miedema competed for the first time in the provincials. He made the finals, but didn’t win.

“The torch has been passed on to him,” Easterbrook said.

However, Easterbrook is still affiliated with Team Canada and as a member competed in the World Butcher’s Challenge in Sacremento, CA in 2022.

“It was pretty tough,” he said of the competition. “It was tough when the butchers from some of the countries, they have been doing this all of their lives.”

He is now training already for competition in Paris next year. Miedema, who represents Canada on the young butcher’s team, is also practicing.

“We’re sharpening our skills, working on our creativity and broadening our knowledge,” Easterbrook said.

Their hopes, like an athlete’s, is to be in the winner’s circle. 

Flack appointed new agriculture minister

Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack is the new minister overseeing agriculture in a restructured and renamed Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness after a cabinet shuffle in early June.

Former Minister Lisa Thomspon retains the rural affairs portion of the former ministry as the new minister of Rural Affairs.

Flack comes to the new ministerial position with a background in farming and agribusiness. He began his career with Master Feeds and became the company president and CEO in 1993. On the farming side, he operates Flack Farms. Flack also has served in leadership roles with the Canadian Hereford Association and Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Board. 

The team from Townsend Butchers is now practicing for the World’s Butcher’s Challenge next year in Paris. Left to right are: Left to right are Jeff Miedema, Doug Easterbrook, Dylan Miedema, Steve Miedema of Townsend Butchers. Doug and Dylan will be the competitors.

Rob Flack

Tobacco board transitioning with times

Once a well-known entity in the hey days of tobacco growing, the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board has transitioned from a supply management organization, with board directors working to raised their profile again.

Commonly called “The Tobacco Board”, it officially came into being in 1957 after a provisional committee was formed. Growers worked towards the formation of the board in a time when contract buying was the only way to sell a crop. The board’s mandate was to control the production and marketing of flue-cured tobacco in Ontario. All growers had to be members of the board.

After quota buyouts in 2004 and 2008, the board’s role was diminished and it no longer was responsible for marketing tobacco. Contract buying returned and supervision of crop production went to the Ontario Ministry of Finance.

“There was a period after the Ministry of Finance took over where the board played a minimal role, taking care of old business, including the lawsuits against the cigarette companies,” said current chair Anthony DeCarolis. “In 2017, a lot of the old members resigned, new members came in and we became more active.”

Since 2017, the board has been doing more to assist growers. Growers were required to register with the board again and a fee was reinstituted so the board had money.

“At the beginning when I first came in, we didn’t know who all the tobacco farmers were and how many acres they were growing,” DeCarolis said.

Today there are roughly 130 growers and 15,000 acres, producing 46,000 pounds.

The board has become more active in the Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation and required all farmers to participate in research funding, has been more proactive in trying to entice new chemical manufacturers to come to Canada and advocates for growers with the Ministry of Finance.

“You think a meeting with government would be easy but it took years to get that,” DeCarolis said.

The CTRF, which used to have an office and “It stays in certain areas of the plant when

Ready to plant, Anthony DeCarolis holds a tray of plants in his greenhouse. The chairman of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board comes from a family with a long history in the crop.

Premium Early Sweet Corn Using Plastic Mulch

How Welsh Brothers Are First To Provide Fresh-Picked Flavour In Every Cob

Those driving down Windham Road 3 in Scotland, Ontario, may have noticed an unusual and progressive sight- corn under plastic sheeting, providing a ‘greenhouse effect’ to generate early crops. They do this by planting their corn into “biodegradable mulch covers”, also known as Ag Plastics or Plasticulture. Row covers, large cloth that blanket their fields to retain heat, combine with the plastic to obtain a very early start to their premium GMO-free sweet corn, for which demand is very high. “Simply put, the plastic mulch allow us to respond to consumer demand for our local, premium, sweet corn,” says President & Chief Farm Officer of Welsh Bros, Charles Welsh. Once temperatures rise, the corn, al-

ready off to a strong and early start, is freed of its row covers which are rolled up and reused for years to follow. The farm utilizes just over 500 acres to produce their premium flavoured, robust-sized sweet corn, with another 80 acres of land used for asparagus production. They also grow some hard corn, soybeans, and wheat for crop rotation purposes.

The production of these high-demand crops is completed by a local team with the help of offshore workers from Mexico, St. Vincent, and Jamaica, many of whom have been employed by the business for decades, totalling about sixty farm workers in all.

“Welsh Bros have been farming the lands of “Ontario’s Garden” – Norfolk County for more than 160 years, and during that time we feel we’ve learned a thing or two about growing Premium Fresh Produce.” says Charles Welsh. In fact, when the Ontario Food Terminal started in 1954, the grandfather of the brothers was there on opening day selling sweet corn. The brothers still continue to sell sweet corn, and premium asparagus, to independent grocers and markets throughout

the province via the very same Ontario Food Terminal their grandfather sold at from day one. Additionally, they have many restaurants and foodservice establishments as valued customers, who return year after year because Welsh Bros have extremely high quality standards consumers have grown to trust as reliable without fail. “We sell the majority of our sweet corn to local independent grocers throughout the province from our stall at the Ontario Food Terminal as well as at the Farm,” continues Welsh. “Whatever their need, be it a couple of bags or a full truckload, we are honoured to serve them!”

“What is most important to us is that we grow produce that delivers great taste,” says Charles Welsh, “a taste that has customers drive out of their way to find Welsh Bros sweet corn. One of my favorite comments from a customer is: ‘I prepared an incredible steak dinner for my guests this past weekend…and ALL they talked about was your sweet corn!’ This makes us very proud!” 

Mulit-generational farm, Welsh Bros, has been delivering premium produce for decades.

Welsh Bros grow over 500 acres of early sweet corn.

Innovative Corn Sheets Coming off this Scotland, ON Farm.

‘Hop” On Over to Ramblin’ Road Brewery

You don’t need to travel far in Norfolk County to find a specialty brewery owned and operated by local folks. On our travels through-

out the County, my husband and I have come across quite a few but, being non-drinkers, we’ve never stopped to check them out.

Recently I decided it was time to change that and learn more about them.

Travelling back roads to enjoy the beauty of local country scenery we have also noticed some interesting very tall posts with growing vines. What are they?

What are they used for? These are just a couple of questions I had so I decided to stop by and check them out and headed off to Ramblin’ Road Brewery to ask a few questions. I was directed to give Haleigh Picard Partington a

Hops Galore

Hops in Seed

call as she is ‘the lady with all of the

Started in 2012 by her Dad, John Picard Sr. and now operated by her and her brother John Jr., Haleigh explained to me that the posts I was enquiring about are actually the “garden” for their Hop crop. “There are 3 natural ingredients in beer – hops, barley and water. Hops, a perennial female plant, are the main ingredient and they started as a rhizome – an underground stem that grows on the soil surface. Haleigh added “We first planted ours is 2018. It was a very new agricultural crop for this area known for its tobacco and ginseng”. She added that the soil there is ideal for growing, animals don’t like them because they are bitter and they are also wind resistant.

[can grow 3 feet in just 8 days” adds Haleigh. “We take pics every week”. Haleigh describes hops as a green flower, ‘spikey’ thing that looks like a pine cone and has a yellow powder to it called Lupulin and an oil that is needed to flavour the beer. Hops will mature about the end of August and are then ready to harvest. “Harvest day always seems to be the hottest day of the year!” adds Haleigh. “We cut the vines down, strip the leaves and hops off the vine and the hops are then dried by fans into pellets. This takes a few days but the best way to store the hops is in pellet form.

Travelling back roads to enjoy the beauty of local country scenery we have also noticed some interesting very tall posts with growing vines.

At the end of a growing season the Hops are cut to the ground to winter out and begin growing again in May. “Growing them is very labour intensive. In May we tie up a string, on the post, and the vines are then hand-wrapped around the poles – always clockwise. It involves a lot of labour to start the vines in Spring but it is an integral part of the operation. We keep the vines about 18’ tall for convenience in picking. Mid June they start to flower and

There are a number of types of hops and Ramblin’ Road grows Sterling, Cascade, Fuggle, Willamette,

Zeus, Centennial, Nugget and Mt. Hood. “They each have three characteristics or jobs… Aromatics, Preservation and Bitterness or Acidity. “ Haleigh is most definitely well versed and knowledgeable in all aspects of the Brewery

If you are interested in learning more about the brewing process and Ramblin’ Road or would like to book a tour of the operation- weekdays only - give them a call at 519582-1444. They are located at 2970 Swimming Pool Road. 

Signage for Ramblin’ Road Brewery

MPP Bobbi-Ann Brady happy to speak in support of emerging hazelnut sector at summit

Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi-Ann Brady comprehends the battles newcomers face when altering the status quo.

“I understand that well,” she smiled. ”When you’re told not to do something, go and do it.”

And so, Ontario’s lone Independent member of the provincial legislature was happy to comply when asked to speak at the Ontario

Hazelnut Summit Tues., May 28 at The Arboretum, University of Guelph. She drew on her own experience in supporting an emerging sector which has already taken root in Norfolk.

“We can grow anything,” said MPP Brady. “And of course, we’re always looking to diversify.”

She understands a large amount of hard work lies ahead, however she was impressed with the quality of presentation during the daylong event, and the skillsets and networking opportunties among both presenters and participants.

Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi-Ann Brady (left) shares a laugh with Ontario Hazelnut Summit organizer Jonathan Parkes (centre) and Dr. Kalinga Jagoda of the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics.

Ontario Hazelnut Summit organizer Jonathan Parkes (far left) along with a panel of hazelnut end users who provided invaluable insight into the emerging agricultural sector, including (in order from Parkes) Busra Bardallo from Esta Chocolates, Elisabeth Burrow from Jewels Under The Kilt, and Jeff Swann of Coppa gelato and sorbet.

“That’s extremely important to not only identify the challenges but how you move forward to meet them.”

The summit was organized by Jonathan Parkes, Ph.D. Candidate and Sessional Lecturer with the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics under professor, Dr. Kalinga Jagoda. Its objectives included identifying approaches into the marketplace, understanding customer expectations, and network building.

“This was a great event,” summarized Parkes. “I am thankful for everyone’s enthusiasm and participation

“Upward and onward!”

Guest speakers included Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs John Kelly, marketing and communications specialist Christina Crowley-Arklie, Ontario Hazelnut Association Administrative Coordinator Amanda Pilot, workshops on value creation and fostering meaningful relationships and partnerships, ‘Ontario hazelnut value creation’ co-presented by Dr. Kalinga and Parkes, and an end-user panel discussion and Q&A, whose common message focussed on the importance of raising Ontario hazelnuts’ profile.

It’s not as simple as ‘grow them and they will come,’ cautioned Fergus-area Jewels Under The Kilt founder Elisabeth Burrow.

She believes it’s important to understand different hazelnut varieties have different flavour profiles and physical properties, some better suited for snacking, others for oil or flour production.

Burrow’s superpower may arguably be roasting hazelnuts plain, salted or in uniquely delicious naturally-sourced flavour combina tions, however promotion ranks a close sec ond. The previous week ‘The Nut Lady’ had doubled online sales through an unplanned but very welcome publicity hat-trick, product placement on CTV’s The Good Stuff with Mary Berg via friend Pay Chen, a full spread in an e-wellness magazine, and a TikTok star opening a box of her nuts.

“The trifecta - and all on the same day,” smiled Burrow, fully aware of social media’s ability to multiply impact through popular platforms’ users.

It’s vital to be authentic says Burrow, whose ‘just a little bit nuts’ personality is reflected in her company name, 14 distinct tartans for 14 varieties of boxed nuts, and promotions including ‘Jewels Under The Kilt’ bamboo undies. Manufactured on-the-spot at ‘The Royal’ by a friend, Burrow quickly sold out of an initial run of 30 pairs, addi tionally leaving them later with CEOs as a memorable pitch meeting memento.

“I say, ‘You won’t forget me.’”

Burrow believes in a ‘main street’ versus big box approach, starting small, hustling with many members of the sector metaphor ically knocking on many doors in order to ‘jumpstart’ hazelnuts, extend their ‘season’ beyond Christmas months, and additionally, explore an extended range of products.

“People have to know we’re here.”

Hazelnuts are a high-profile flavour choice internationally says Jeff Swann, co-founder of COPPA Inc. with wife Viviane. A 20-year-old gelato manufacturing company employing 30 including the couple’s two sons (James and Matthew).

hoping to enter similar territory for many Ontario fruits and nuts.

“Hazelnuts are definitely a strong candidate,” he added.

Hazelnut gelato is one of 12 Coppa options currently, however Swann estimates it occupies roughly only five per cent of Coppa Inc’s Ontario market sales compared to potentially 50 or an even a greater percentage reflective of its global demand.

“But you can overcome it,” he said, emphasizing the importance of positive exposure in the public space to grow domestic profile and demand. “It only has to happen a few times and it gets out there.”Busra Bardallo understands the challenges of creating a new business from the ground up. Her parents Abe and Ebru founded Kitchener-based Esta Chocolates after emigrating from Turkey, a four-generation family chocolatier operation also involving Busra’s brother John. They produce around 40,000 signature truffles daily, including some with hazelnut centres, which are currently not

one of their top-selling flavour combinations, but growing in popularity.

Customer satisfaction, being authentic to who you are and transparency are keys to success, says Busra.

“People are going to come to you with questions,” she said, echoing an emphasis on ‘local’ identified earlier by Jordan Toscan from Guelph’s Market Fresh gourmet grocery store.

“We’re seeing that too, people want to know where the ingredients are from and if things are made here.”

There are no shortcuts to growing something new says Busra, all four family members involved ‘all day every day’, up to six or seven days a week.

“To love something so much is both good and bad,” she smiled, comparing Esta’s development to the ‘teenager’ stage at this point, well beyond birth if not yet fully mature.

“It gets easier as you go, you learn how to deal with it a little better,” she concluded. “But it still takes a lot of your passion, your care.” 

Legal Solutions for

Anecdotally, Swann understands their 15,000-square-foot London-based facility is the largest single consumer of Ontario-grown raspberries following grocery stores. He’s

Nature-based solutions a sustainable alternative to costlier agricultural improvements for Kyle Hiebert

Anyone who wonders how land restoration fits in with one’s overall farm production plan should chat with Kyle Hiebert.

Hiebert, 29, of Hiebert Farms, is a third-generation “junior partner” in a cash crop farm operation near Port Rowan. Alongside of his father Barry; his uncle, Dan; and cousin, Justin, he grows nearly 2000 acres of cash crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, asparagus, black beans and rye) on owned and rented land. Heibert Farms also builds and installs precision upgrades on farm equipment – planters, combines and sprayers. They gain additional income through a lease agreement with a company that installed wind towers on their land.

Hiebert is this year’s recipient of the Long Point Region Conservation Authority (LPRCA) Conservation Stewardship Award.

The LPRCA created it to recognize individuals or groups who made a commitment to environmental sustainability and conservation.

In Kyle’s case, this commitment recognizes his ongoing conservation work with ALUS Norfolk, which nominated him for the award.

ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) is a charitable-based organization that provides communities with a turn-key program that engages farmers and ranchers in creating nature-based solutions to protect, enhance and increase natural capital on their farms; that is wetlands, forest cover, hedgerows, native

grasslands and pollinator habitats. ALUS Norfolk was the first ALUS community to launch in Ontario in 2007 and is the longest continuously running ALUS community.

The program targets marginal land or low-yielding fields to restore ecosystem functions that improves water and air quality, pollination, erosion control and long-term biodiversity. Projects can include creating wetland areas in wet spots; retiring field edges situated near water courses; or re-establishing dee p-rooted perennial grasses (tallgrass prairie) as buffers on high, sandy knolls or other erosion-prone areas.

The LRPCA’s official statement about Hiebert reads: “Kyle … is committed to positive environmental actions … through his stewardship at his own farm and the family farm. Kyle has participated in tree planting and wetland conservation projects … with LPRCA and other partners. His future plans for the farm include grassed waterways and a tallgrass prairie project to minimize erosion.”

“Kyle is definitely a promoter of ALUS,” said Stephanie Giles, the general coordinator of ALUS Norfolk. “ALUS Norfolk worked with Kyle to establish 0.9 acres of reforestation projects, and a 0.1 acre of grassed waterways to mitigate water erosion on Kyle’s fields, in addition to planting 2.75 acres of native tallgrass prairie.”

Hiebert centred his ALUS projects on his personal farm, a 75-acre site with 45 workable acres that he purchased in 2017. Located three kilometers north of Lake Erie; the farm abuts his grandfather’s original farm, purchased in 1968.

“The farm had a one-acre isolated field and several other fields that were too small to work with,” said Hiebert. Therefore, in 2018, he partnered with ALUS Norfolk to commence the restoration work.

The resulting benefits impressed Hiebert so much that by 2020 he joined the ALUS Norfolk Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC is the governing body of the local ALUS program and consists of community stakeholders, including 50% farmers and ranchers, who are responsible for deciding which ALUS projects will proceed in their community.

Hiebert said that the tree species planted in his land improvement included “a good mix” of white pine, red oak, burr oak, shagbark history, butternut hickory, American sycamore

Kyle Hiebert is the 2024 recipient of the LPRCA Conservation Stewardship Award

Kyle Hiebert standing by his grassed waterway, with tree plantings nearby. The background wind towers provide additional farm income through the leasing agreement.

and tamarack. They went on clay land, some of which is sloped.

The grassed waterway also went on sloped clay with plans to expand it because, “land is too expensive for it to wash out into the lake.”

The original tallgrass prairie that Hiebert planted was on a one-third acre site where he intended eventually relocate a neighbour’s home for himself, his wife Alicia, and their four children. The house has since been moved to his farm.

“The nice thing about ALUS is that property owners have a say and some control over use of the land compared with some other programs. Another nice thing about ALUS is that it is flexible.”

Hiebert rejected pricier options for managing unviable farmland, such as installing tile drainage or removing hedge rows to create larger fields. “My suggestion to landowners is that it’s better to fill in with something more ecological. Often the cost is shared through ALUS – although they run on donations.”

Both Hiebert and Giles stressed that participating farmers commit to a long-term management agreement with ALUS once they agree upon a suitable project. Farmers prepare the sites and then manage them under ALUS supervision for approximately five years.

“Resilient land use practices deliver the most benefit through a long-term commitment for man-

aging the projects for the intended ecological services,” stated Giles. “ALUS contributes a unique … model of support that provides the farmer both establishment costs and an annual payment per acre for the management and production of the ecosystem services…. This model helps to ensure the longevity of the established environmental projects.”

ALUS Norfolk participants receive a $150 per acre annual payment over five years, said Giles.

Hiebert’s upbringing, Mennonite faith and farm experience grounded him in environmental and social sustainability values. His family’s cropping practices include using strip tillage with GPS lines for corn and no-till for wheat and black beans. Their rye serves as a cover crop. They use aged manure hauled in from local feedlots because, “it provides better gains for us than with other agricultural products.”

Hiebert trained as a heavy equipment mechanic and worked with earth movers in local construction prior to joining the family operation as a full-time partner.

The ALUS.ca website states that approximately 10 percent of Norfolk farmers have enrolled in the ALUS Norfolk program, with nearly 200 farm families and more than 1,600 acres (6,475 ha) of marginal farmland rebuilt into a natural environment. 

ALUS Norfolk planted seven native tree species on this grassy clay field at Kyle Hiebert’s farm.

Flowers, heritage vegetables, RVs and music coexist at Walsingham’s Dancing Pig Farms

Contrary to its name, Dancing Pig Farms of Walsingham does not have pigs.

But the former 93-acre tobacco farm produces a plethora of pick-your-own vegetables, flowers, herbs and garlic. And it is evolving into an intriguing agri-tourism destination.

“It was named after an old, local ‘wink-name’ for Walsingham –‘Waltzing Ham’,” explained Gordon Chinnick, who co-owns the farm with his wife, Socorro. “It was available when we registered our farm business -- and we love it – it gets chuckles, groans and ‘ah-ha!’ quite often.”

The couple’s story begins at university, where they studied engineering: Gordon trained in systems design at the University of Waterloo while Socorro pursued industrial engineering at the University of Toronto. They met through mutual friends who insisted on match-making; they married and raised two children, now both adults.

The Chinnicks worked in Toronto and Mississauga. However, Gordon, who grew up on a family farm near Chatham, longed to buy his own land.

“I was always looking to buy a farm,” he said. Then Gordon’s brother invited him to share crop in Chatham-Kent. Therefore, from 2008 to 2016, the Chinnicks grew corn, wheat and soybeans. During the growing season, Gordon would commute three hours each week once a week while Socorro worked as an IT consultant in Toronto and their children finished school in Mississauga.

The commute and the couple’s desire to be centrally located between family in Chatham-Kent and Mississauga prompted them to resume farm-hunting. The Chinnicks found their farm, located on the sixth concession of the former South Walsingham Township, in 2018, moving there in time for the 2019 growing season.

Dancing Pig Farms has 40 workable acres of sandy loam. The remaining acreage consists of Carolinian tree species and tallgrass prairie. The prior-prior owner, ACORUS Restoration, planted native species throughout the farm. The couple delights in the resulting numbers of beneficial insects and wildlife, including bluebirds.

Today they rent out most of the workable acreage to the previous owner, who grows organic popcorn, rye and soybeans. They use the remaining two acres for their own market garden.

The Chinnicks similarly use sustainable farming practices and materials, including crop rotation, organic mushroom compost and seeds. They also belong to the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.

Practices include crop rotation to reduce disease risk, companion planting to discourage certain insect pests, using no-till as much as possible. They use nursery weed cloth for weed suppression while allowing transplants to grow; the cloth is reusable, with some now in their fourth year of use.

The hoop house uses a heated sandbox table and cold frame with heat mats. The thermostats and soil probes in foreground are set at 20C, which activate the mats when temperatures fall.

Their preferred irrigation is drip, using lightweight drip tape. The couple said the tape is flexible, lighter for moving, and easy to connect to other lines and to the tap. Wobbler irrigation sprinklers handle the remaining crops, spreading water uniformly with low operation pressure.

Says their webpage: “Our philosophy is sustainable and ecological farming. Our mission is to inspire the community to eat healthy, love Mother Earth, spread peace, justice and kindness.”

Socorro handles the seeding, planting and separating the flower bulbs. Plants requiring early germination sprout in a hoop house that uses a heated cold frame and a heat mat, which is set at 20C.

Gordon prepares the garden beds, handles the manure and compost, and manages their weed suppression tasks, such as placing tarps on future garden beds and installing row covers to deter flea beetles.

Their gardens produce multiple varieties of squash, eggplant, salad greens, tomatoes, beans, peppers, Asian vegetables, cabbages, bitter melon, sugar baby watermelon and other produce. The flower harvest includes sunflowers, snapdragons, zinnias, dahlias, gladioli and ranunculus. Haskaps and strawberries constitute the farm’s first fruits.

New plantings still being established include elderberries, blackberries, hazelnuts, and willow.

The Chinnicks’ specialty is garlic – they planted 6,000 bulbs last autumn. They currently grow 10 varieties including Duganski, Music, German Brown, Spanish Roja, Newfoundland Heritage, Portuguese Azores, and Asian Tempest. This summer they are test-growing a Mexican variety.

Harvested garlic is strung up and air dried in an old tobacco kiln. Much of it is sold by variety, and some are packaged and marketed together as “World Garlic”.

The couple also produces black garlic. This value-added garlic is

slow-cooked under controlled, high-temperatures, high humidity for seven days at 75 degrees Celsius through a process called “the Millard reaction”. The Chinnicks said that the cloves eventually blacken, producing a mild sweet flavour, sticky texture similar to tamarind.

Black garlic reputedly has higher health benefits than regular garlic –such as more antioxidants, reduced risk of certain cancers, and better regulation of blood pressure, heart and brain health.

They have sold the garlic alongside of their other produce at the Port Rowan and the Ancaster Farmers’ Markets; this year they will try the Horton’s Farmers Market in St. Thomas. Dancing Pig Farms promoted and sold their black and regular garlic at the 2023 Stratford Garlic Festival, and intend to return to it this year.

The farm initially operated a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in addition to the farmers’ markets, but discontinued it because, said Socorro, “It was too much work for just two people.”

The pick-your-own (PYO) vegetable and flower sales began three years ago as part of Dancing Pig Farms’ agri-tourism initiative.

“We want to attract people who are going to the cottages at Turkey Point and Long Point – Lake Erie is a 12 minute drive away,” explained Socorro.

Dancing Pig Farms is trying to attract tourists travelling in RV or recreational vehicles (motor homes, camper vans and trailers). The farm is registered with Harvest Host – a North

America hosting site that invites self-contained “RV’ers” to free overnight stays at farms, breweries, wineries, distilleries, nurseries, and related attractions. Participants must bring self-contained vehicles because host sites do not offer garbage, sewage or hydro services.

“It provides a family farm experience to give them the lay of the land,” said Gordon.

Harvest Host expects RV participants to reciprocate in exchange for these Park and Stays by buying products and “experience” from the host. At Dancing Pig Farms, guests sample, then harvest vegetables or flowers.

The Chinnicks recently registered with a second farm host network for self-contained RVs, the Montreal-based Terego.

The farm provides an ideal setting for hosting events such as “Date Night at the Garden”. Guests sip farm-picked tea while being serenaded by Socorro -- who plays and composes music. She posts original songs about dahlias, Mother Earth, farming and gardening on You Tube and on their social media.

Inspired by an Asian cooking workshop that Socorro and Gordon took during a family holiday in the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia – they are exploring the possibility of offering cooking workshops using ingredients sourced from their farm, including black garlic.

“The possibilities are endless with what we can grow or do here,” concluded Gordon. 

Socorro Chinnick with fennel

the farm’s logo

Abandoned Works Program offers funding to plug oil, gas wells

Old wells ‘can present significant environmental and public safety hazards’

Do you have an abandoned oil or gas well on your property? You may be able to access funding from the province to plug it.

“The Abandoned Works Program is available to Ontarians to cover the costs associated with oil and gas (petroleum) well plugging, should a well be hazardous to the public and or the environment,” explained Sarah Fig, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

It may be tempting to just ignore an abandoned oil or gas well, but that could be risky.

“An unplugged well, when not actively in use and maintained safely, can present significant environmental and public safety hazards,” Fig said.

“Without proper plugging, wells can release methane, a potent gas, and other harmful substances into the atmosphere, as well as nearby soil and water sources, including highly toxic gases like hydrogen sulphide. This may cause air and water pollution, contaminate drinking water, and pose risks to human life, including the potential for explosions or fires.”

According to the Province of Ontario website, signs to identify a leaking well include:

Fluid – You may see soil staining and damage to vegetation caused by pools of liquid.

Hydrogen sulphide – If you notice a rotten egg smell, that could be hydrogen sulphide

being released from the well; this is a poisonous gas.

Sinking ground – If you notice the ground dipping or sinking over or around a well, that could indicate something’s amiss.

Fig explained that any oil or gas well may qualify for the Abandoned Works Program, so long as an active operator cannot be identified for the well (other than the landowner) and the applicant hasn’t used, benefited from, or intentionally tampered with the well. However, even if a landowner doesn’t qualify for the Abandoned Works Program, they’re still required to plug the oil or gas well(s) on their property, under the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act.

“The well should be plugged immediately. The landowner can apply for a well licence for the purposes of plugging the well,” Fig said.

It’s important to note that not complying with the regulations regarding decommissioning oil and gas wells can lead to penalties; these might include fines and court-imposed orders for any environmental damage or public safety hazards stemming from an unplugged well.

Nevertheless, it’s also important to note, “Before these actions are taken, the ministry makes every effort to work with landowners cooperatively to address these issues,” Fig said.

As important as it is to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, it can be dangerous work.

“A resident should not do work on a well on their own,” Fig said. “The process of capping a well in Ontario requires a rig to enter the well for cleaning out and pumping in cement plugs from bottom of the well to the top. It is a specialized process requiring trained crews and suitable

Letter to the editor

Our Norfolk Sand Plain … stretching into Brant, Oxford and Elgin … is home to some of the most productive, well-managed specialty crop land to be found anywhere in North America.

Of course we locally have always known this.

We, and our ancestors, have worked to protect it … whether it be from wind erosion or the encroachment of a railway or power towers or, more recently, urban sprawl.

Our reputation as Canada’s banana belt … the Golden Garden … is built not only on our inheritance of rich and varied soil types, a Carolinian microclimate, and bountiful groundwater, but also on the hard work of our forefathers, sophisticated management of farm labour and the most up-to-date application of on-farm production, processing, packaging, shipping and marketing.

Beyond 100 years of growing tobacco, we are positioned to continue to compete with anyone to put the most diverse selection of fruit and vegetables and other specialty farm product on the market … a happy circumstance well worth defending and fighting for!!

But there is a threat to our Norfolk Sand Plain … to Ontario’s Garden!

Canada’s population skyrocketed by 1.24 million people last year with 98 percent of this explosive growth attributed to permanent and temporary immigration.

These people have to live somewhere, however ill-advised government policy is being influenced by organized special interest groups who have no knowledge of or appreciation for agriculture and our natural world.

Land speculators and property developers know how to make a lot of money by manipulating the rules on the use of land, and then pave it over with urban sprawl.

Those of us who live and work in farm country must continue to guard what we have … speak up and advocate for responsible development.

Toby Barrett M.Sc.

Toby is a life-long resident of Norfolk and the former MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant.

Abandoned Works Program

equipment due to hazards with working around petroleum wells.”

While a number of abandoned oil and gas wells have already been plugged, province-wide, there are still 11,837 known abandoned wells, Fig said.

Just under a fifth of that total are in Haldimand County, which has 2,572. Across the rest of the region, Norfolk County has 1,386; Welland County, 890; Lincoln County, 218; Brant County, 175; and Brantford, 18.

More information as to where these wells are located is available on the public version of the province’s petroleum well spatial dataset, on the Ontario GeoHub website at geohub.lio.gov.on.ca; this is updated weekly.

The Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Library, which according to its website (ogsrlibrary. com) “is a not-for-profit resource centre for the study of the subsurface geology, petroleum, salt and underground hydrocarbon storage resources of Ontario,” is also a resource the public can access.

For more information about the Abandoned Works Program, including how to apply, visit ontario.ca/page/abandoned-works-program. 

Injured temporary foreign workers to receive improved benefits

Changes came from a foreign agricultural worker review launched by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Temporary foreign workers who get hurt on the job will no longer have unfair deductions to their income replacement payments when they return to their home country.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board announced the changes in a press release issued May 15. Under the new rules, deductions will take into account the injured worker’s home job market.

“These are some of the most vulnerable people working in Ontario today and we owe it to them to be there

[if they get hurt on the job,” said Jeff Lang, president and CEO of the WSIB in the release. “These are people who come to work our farms, grow our food, and contribute to our economy. If they get hurt while they do it, our responsibility does not end when they return to their home country.”

WSIB launched a review of foreign agricultural workers last fall, which has led to these changes.

WSIB launched a review of foreign agricultural workers last fall, which has led to these changes. The new Foreign Agricultural Worker Strategy covers income replacement changes as well as an

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emphasis on recovery and return to work in Ontario.

When a person is hurt on the job and can return to work, but not to the same job they had at the time of the injury, WSIB is required to adjust their income replacement payments to reflect suitable and available work. Before the changes, WSIB interpreted that to mean work available here in Ontario. For workers who had to return to their home country, that often meant deductions that weren’t realistic to their local job market.

“I can’t say to an injured farm worker who was sent back to Jamaica that we are deducting the equivalent of an Ontario salary that is impossible for them to get. It’s not fair, it’s as simple as that. I know that’s what was happening and I’m sorry it did. We’re fixing it,” Lang said.

Under the new rules, WSIB will interpret that to mean suitable and available work in the person’s home job market.

In addition to making the changes going forward, more than 50 claims filed since 2007 will also be reviewed. In June, WSIB will begin contacting people with a claim under review.

“This is about doing the right thing,” said Lang. “As a first priority we’re going to work with Ontario farming employers to help get more injured farm workers back to work. In cases where that is not possible and they return to their home country, we are going to treat them fairly.”

Each year thousands of workers from Mexico and the Caribbean arrive in Ontario to work on local farms, providing a crucial labour resource for farms who struggle to find local help. 

Injured temporary foreign workers to receive improved benefits

Changes came from a foreign agricultural worker review launched by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Temporary foreign workers who get hurt on the job will no longer have unfair deductions to their income replacement payments when they return to their home country.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board announced the changes in a press release issued May 15. Under the new rules, deductions will take into account the injured worker’s home job market.

“These are some of the most vulnerable people working in Ontario today and we owe it to them to be there if they get hurt on the job,” said Jeff Lang, president and CEO of the WSIB in the release.

“These are people who come to work our farms, grow our food, and contribute to our economy. If they get hurt while they do it, our responsibility does not end when they return to their home country.”

WSIB launched a review of foreign agricultural workers last fall, which has led to these changes. The new Foreign Agricultural Worker Strategy covers income replacement changes as well as an emphasis on recovery and return to work in Ontario.

When a person is hurt on the job and can return to work, but not to the same job they had at the time of the injury, WSIB is required to adjust their income replacement payments to reflect suitable and available work. Before the changes, WSIB interpreted that to mean work available here in Ontario. For workers who had to return to their home country, that often meant deductions that weren’t realistic to their local job market.

“I can’t say to an injured farm worker who was sent back to Jamaica that we are deducting the equivalent of an Ontario salary that is impossible for them to get. It’s not fair, it’s as simple as that. I know that’s what was happening and I’m sorry it did. We’re fixing it,” Lang said.

Under the new rules, WSIB will interpret that to mean suitable and available work in the person’s home job market.

In addition to making the changes going forward, more than 50 claims filed since 2007 will also be reviewed. In June, WSIB will begin contacting people with a claim under review.

“This is about doing the right thing,” said Lang. “As a first priority we’re going to work with Ontario farming employers to help get more injured farm workers back to work. In cases where that is not possible and they return to their home country, we are going to treat them fairly.”

Each year thousands of workers from Mexico and the Caribbean arrive in Ontario to work on local farms, providing a crucial labour resource for farms who struggle to find local help. 

Purple Haven

which are lavender

Purple Haven is located on Hwy 3 near Canfield. The primary focus of the enterprise is lavender, with over 200 plants in nine varieties. Three of these are available for sale, as they are most suitable for this area. During the blooming season, which peaks in July, owner Kim Drew

offers picnics and high teas amongst the lavender.

Kim also grows various herbs and vegetables from which she makes jam and jelly preserves to sell in the on-farm store.

On the May long weekend each year Kim offers plants for sale. Lavender, herbs, tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, zucchini and squash are among the plants available. 

Kim Drew stands in front of some of the items available in her store – pickles, jams and hot sauces, some of

infused.

Lavender plants show the first hint of bloom in a field at Purple Haven.

Norfolk Attracts Buyers

It’s been said that Norfolk County is #1 in agriculture in all of Ontario. We are the leading growers of such crops as asparagus, tart cherries, peppers, ginseng, pumpkins, squash and zucchini…among other vegetables. Farmer’s Markets are a common sight throughout the county with a huge selection of fresh produce in all ‘corners’ of the County. Our soil is conducive to growing a varied selection of products. All of this makes owning a farm here in Norfolk very attractive to many buyers.

In speaking with local realtor Adam DeGroote, I learned some interesting stats on farm listings and sales.” According to the statistical data prepared and provided by the Brant and Norfolk Real Estate boards, there have been 11 Norfolk farms sold through the open market in 2024 so far. The average acreage of these sold farms is just over 67 acres, the average sale price is $1,485,000, and the average days on market is 74. This time last year, the average sale price of farms sold was almost $100,000 higher, with the exact same average of 74 days on market, which does align with my own findings that the farmland market in Norfolk has softened a bit over the past year.”

DeGroote’s experience has shown him that there are a number of Buyers waiting for the “right farm” to come up, with financing arranged and ready to deploy. “The issue I am seeing is that the properties that these buyers are searching for, generally high quality sandy-loam soil with access to water, nice straight lines and expansive acreages just aren’t coming on the market very often.” He went on to add that much of what we see lingering on MLS are the hobby-type farms with smaller workable acreages, a home and older infrastructure which were all the rage two or three years ago… during Covid times. Now those farms are more difficult to finance and pay for and not as well suited to today’s professional farming operations.

In Norfolk, DeGroote is mostly seeing farmers looking for land for veggies, tobacco, ginseng, and cash crop use. “Most farmers are middle aged and

looking to help expand their families’ operations and grabbing

One can never fully predict the real estate market but, at present,

‘roots’ here in perhaps the most beautiful place around. 

NORFOLK COUNTY - ONTARIO’S GARDEN

Not in my back farm

Nestled on the outskirts of Norfolk County, Schuyler Farms is well known for its apples, cherries, sheep, and now, Controlled Atmosphere Storage turning a family farm into a large business that employs over 100 people at any given time. Family-owned and operated for generations, Schuyler Farms is an essential part of Norfolk County’s agricultural community so it was exciting to hear Brett featured as a guest speaker on the Mayor’s brand new podcast, Folklore.

Prime agricultural land, specialty crops, severances, urban boundary expansions, immigration and seasonal farm workers coupled with growth, and development were all up for discussion. A timely discussion in

Norfolk, as Council just passed their urban boundary expansion adding more lands into the urban boundary for growth. This growth will include housing, parkland, industrial land for job creation, a special provision for a health care campus and even land for new schools that will see an organized and methodical plan for development over the next 25 years.

As an agricultural advocate of Norfolk County, Brett emphasizes the quality of its produce, noting that the county grows over 80 million pounds of apples. With this agricultural abundance comes the importance of economic growth. “I like growing food, Please turn to page B2

Brett Schuyler and Norfolk County Mayor Amy Martin discuss farm land in Norfolk.

and I need people to sell it to,” says Brett. He highlights that while agricultural land is crucial to Norfolk’s heritage, so are the people who help farms, farm stands, and small businesses thrive.

In their discussions, Mayor Martin and Brett touch on the two types of land in Norfolk County: hazard land and prime agricultural land. Both are important and serve multiple purposes. When it comes to land

use, Brett questions what matters most and how Norfolk can make the best use of its land. He emphasizes finding common ground to ensure that Norfolk County grows more than just produce. Mayor Martin noted that so long as Norfolk is a rural community and so long as the powers that be suggest that all of Norfolk County soil is either hazard land or prime agricultural land, urban boundary expansions will go

forward adding in prime agricultural land into the mix.

“We need to preserve that high-value land with essential soils that can grow almost anything” states Brett, while also understanding, that despite classification as prime agricultural land, not all farms in Norfolk are and if they are, mostly likely not the entire parcel is. “Land is important, ag is important, people are also important.” Brett mentions when explaining how none of these things work without the other. Farmland and growth can co-exist.

With roughly 395,368 acres of land in Norfolk County, 218,100 of that is agricultural farmland, the urban boundary plan would develop roughly 1,350 acres over the next 25 years, a reduction of only 0.34% in what is considered agricultural leaving 54% of Norfolk as agricultural.

Until now, Norfolk County has never had a comprehensive growth plan. Over the years, it has grown exponentially but in a piecemeal fashion. Currently, Norfolk County is allowing for continued growth but in a much more organized manner. This plan not only controls population density and the geographical development of homes but also aims to improve infrastructure, parks, schools, and job development, all while preserving our valuable soil.

“Canada is a story of immigration and growth,” states Brett noting that he wouldn’t be here today to advocate for agriculture if his family didn’t come to Norfolk from overseas. Brett and the Mayor discussed immigration as a factor for growth and the need to create housing for all members of our community but it needs to be smart and measured. They both agreed that Norfolk officials and community members need to deal with the facts at hand and make decisions based on what we can control- the growth boom not being one of those factors.

The podcast discussion concluded with exciting opportunities for Schuyler Farms, including the popular use of sour cherries in ‘sleepy girl mocktails,’ a trend made popular by social media, a niche market requiring juice cherries. Other exciting opportunities include the Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage plans, which can extend the shelf life of produce. Brett also shared his favorite pie, which, to no surprise, is apple pie—without the added sugar.

You can listen to the latest episode, “Not in My Back Farm,” of Folklore podcast on Spotify or Apple podcast. This episode includes Brett Schuyler’s conversation summarized above, along with a few other great episodes that highlight Norfolk County as the humble community we all call home. 

Medicinal herb farm brings health and education together

Could an Apple Hill visit a day keep the doctor away?

Melissa and Jennifer Schooley opened Apple Hill Apothecary in Niagara-on-the-Lake last May. Their family has long run a lavender farm of the same name in Norfolk County and were approached with the idea of opening a similar lavender farm at the Niagara Stone Road property. However, Melissa had other ideas. She’s studied the benefits of medicinal herbs, completing her Medicinal Plant certificate from Cornell University. She’s also currently working her way through a Practical Herbalist diploma from Wild Rose College. With that background, she and Jennifer decided to start a medicinal herb garden with a focus on raising awareness and understanding.

“We really wanted a space that could showcase education because we really wanted to teach people,” said Melissa.

Her interest in medicinal herbs came partly from her mother Janice, who was the first ginseng and medicinal herb specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and partly for her own benefit as she looked for ways to improve her health, sleep and reduce the issues “women of a certain age” experience, as she put it.

This summer the farm will have 43 different plants growing that the Schooleys say can help with all sorts of issues, from stress and anxiety to digestive issues, sleeping problems to hot flashes.

They recently gave a tour to a group that took part in a fundraiser for the Niagara Bee Group where they received a collection of native plants to take with them for their home gardens. As part of it master gardener Mary-Lyn Hopper gave a presentation and the Schooleys provided some info on the herbs they grow.

The plants can be used in a variety of ways. Some are used to make teas, others tinctures.

Melissa recalled a few years ago a friend caught COVID-19 and had a brutal cough. She rolled up some dried mullein leaves and told her friend to smoke it. The friend was understandably hesitant, but followed the directions and within minutes Melissa said the cough eased.

However, Melissa stresses they’re not anti-Western medicine, and instead offer an additional way to get and stay healthy.

While Melissa knows what to do with the plant once it’s harvested, her sister Jennifer is the growing guru, taking care of the planting and growing.

“I love the challenge,” she said of growing such a wide variety of plants. Coming to Niagara has presented its own unique challenges, as the soil and micro-climate are both different from what they’re used to over in Norfolk.

As part of their commitment to being an educational experience, Jennifer said they offer tips to visitors who want to grow their own medicinal herbs at home.

The fundraiser for the Niagara Bee Group fits in with Apple Hill’s support for sustainability, where they sell other health products with a focus on women-led businesses and businesses that contain a strong sustainability component. All of the proceeds from the sale went to the Niagara Bee Group, which works to promote biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem in the region.

Apple Hill Apothecary is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The Schooleys invite visitors to take a tour of their herb farm and learn more about what’s offered. Jennifer and Melissa both said people seem more interested in understanding where their food and medicine comes from, and Apple Hill can do its small part to provide that information.

To learn more about Apple Hill, visit applehillapothecary.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. 

Melissa and Jennifer Schooley opened their health store and medicinal herb farm, Apple Hill Apothecary, last year in Virgil.

Garlic Takes Norfolk by ‘Storm’

Norfolk is a county of family farms that offer a wide variety of field to table crops from fruits to veggies and everything in between. Visiting these farms and chatting with the owners has afforded me the opportunity to learn so much about some hidden gems. On a recent visit to Simcoe Farmer’s Market, I came across two

young ladies who were tending their stand… Stormin’ Garlic.

Stormin’ Garlic is a family operation, run by the Thiessen family, that was started in 2011 by two brothers. The business was actually named after these brothers Storm and Jesse. One is now a Mechanical Engineer in Tillsonburg

and the other a reno and handyman who works local and still lives on the farm. With the help of Mom Susie and Dad Abram, Tobermae, Jolnie, Théoden, Acacia and Temiah now run the farm and see the crop through from planting to production. The girls, all in their 20’s, are more into the farming and garlic while the younger brother Théoden does a lot of the field work.

They planted their first crop, just 1 acre, in 2011with a large vegetable garden as well. Garlic is planted deep-in late October early November-and then hilled to help winter it. Hoeing starts in May -with no chemical spraying - in preparation for the harvest season in July. “We’re not certified Organic but we are 100% chemical free” adds Jesse. “We rotate the crop through three fields”.

By mid July the crop is ready to be harvested, or taken out of the ground, by hand. This takes them about two days to accomplish. It is then hung for two weeks and from there the busy season starts. There is even a scaping season when the seed head on each plant is snapped off, by hand, and from there they are pickled. “There is little to no waste with our garlic crop… we use everything” adds Jesse.

Their family is a ‘community’ to them. Dad keeps busy working away on farm chores, upkeep, maintenance...wherever his skills are needed. The children are all home schooled by Mom and they credit her with accomplishing all of their goals. “She works behind the scenes and keeps it all together for us”. Mom spends a fair amount of time in their cool, dry, temperature controlled, health approved commercial kitchen producing a wide variety of garlic products. “The Health Unit inspects it on a regular basis. We are also all Certified Food Handlers”.

Stormin’ Garlic considers Simcoe Farmer’s Market their home market but, on occasion, have also travelled to other venues. “We started in Simcoe in 2013, then took a break but have been back full time six years now and always in the same

From left, Tobermae, Jolnir, Theoden, Acacia, Temiah

The Thiessen Family

From left, Jolnar and Tobermae

spot” adds Jesse. “Every summer is different because we also like to do a lot of special events. Last year we were at St. Elizabeth’s Village, Hamilton about once a month”.

They offer a wide variety of their garlic products at these markets and some of these goods include fresh garlic, garlic powder, smoked bulbs, smoked powder, jellies, organic nuts, about 60 spices and herbs. ”You can stock your spice cabinet with the about 60 spices and herbs…Mom mixes some of them herself. It’s one of her favorite things to do because she enjoys working together with all of us”.

With most of the children still at home there is always an extra set of hands to help out with just about anything and everything. “We’re a family community and it all stems from our faith in God” adds Jesse. While some farmers continue to expand their choices of crops the Thiessen family has opted to focus on a crop that they excel in and have mastered due to their team work and dedication. Much continued success to them all. 

Busy In The Kitchen

OFA to Queen’s Park regarding proposed urban policy changes:“Farming is the best use for farmland”

Any changes to provincial planning policies must prioritize long-term preservation of prime agricultural land, including Norfolk’s “specialty soils”, says the Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk representative for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).

“The Ontario agri-food industry generates $47 billion per year and employs 10 percent of Ontario’s workforce or 750,000 jobs,” said Davis recently. “I assume that Norfolk’s food and employment rate is above the Ontario average. Norfolk has Class One, Two, Three and specialty soils which produce high-value vegetables, tobacco and ginseng.”

Davis discussed Bill 185, currently known as the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024. It proposes amendments to various Acts with the aim of accelerating the development process to create 1.5 million new homes in Ontario by 2031. After passing its second reading this spring, the Standing Committee on Finances and Economic Affairs adopted the bill for a third reading on May 29.

Bill 185 aims to streamline 15 Acts with varying amendments in order to clear the “red tape” which the Province alleges slows down new housing starts and commercial developments.

Critics argue that the bill, particularly the parts related to the Planning Act concerning farmland, and new proposed powers for the Ontario Land Tribunal, seemingly favours developers and lower levels of government over the protection of prime farmland, and could permit low-density residential housing in any location.

They allege that the “red tape” is the voice of landowners, farmers, community groups and various government protections that were put in place to protect farming and food.

The OFA issued its own submission to the Provincial Planning Policy Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on May 10. With farmland being a “shrinking resource” constituting less than five percent of Ontario’s

land mass, the federation concludes that “farming is the best use for farmland”. They advocate that any changes to the provincial land use policy framework must ensure the protection of agricultural areas across Ontario.

The organization supports future growth within existing urban areas “in the context of complete and livable communities” through infilling and densification within existing urban boundaries before expanding municipal boundaries or building houses or factories on prime farmland.

“The big thing is that farmers produce food, fiber and fuel,” said Davis. “There is good quality farmland in Norfolk County. No matter where they expand, it will be on arable farmland; if you expand for a new landfill, it will be on arable farmland. And gravel pits are located under prime farmland.”

“Yesterday a Norfolk farmer, who is third generation with a fourth entering, told me that the new settlement boundary line (for a nearby town) was drawn right onto the farm,” said Davis. “He told me, ‘I don’t know if we can keep on farming now.’”

Davis added that farmland offers multiple ecological goods and services such as carbon sequestration which benefits all citizens.

“People have to live somewhere. I know people are envious of those of us who farm, with only one or two houses on the property and surrounded by space, but it’s a business.”

The OFA encourages the regeneration existing urban communities with an ideal density of 85 people per hectare, said Davis.

“Most cities have plenty of room downtown for denser building. Developers should be encouraged to develop and rejuvenate urban

cores while keeping downtown economies going,” said Davis. “I assume there are lots of people who would love to live in a place where they don’t have to worry about cutting the lawn and weeding the flower beds.”

Similarly, new industries need to be properly located, preferably on low-quality soils that are “not conducive to farming” either within or near existing cities, said Davis. “That would provide workers with more immediate recreation and lower commuting levels which are good for lifestyle and lower carbon levels.”

“Some say that moving agriculture up north is the solution,” said Davis. “We don’t have the Norfolk County climate, sunshine and soil anywhere else in Ontario -- that cannot be repeated anywhere.”

“There is only one Ontario landscape. The full range of urban, rural, agricultural, natural heritage, cultural heritage, and mineral extraction land uses must coexist across this landscape. Intensification of residential development within the existing urban footprint, in the context of complete and livable communities, along with the distribution of economic development province wide, addresses housing needs. Intensification will boost economic growth, create new jobs, provide new affordable housing options, support municipal infrastructure systems, ensure food security, and contribute to environmental stewardship.”

-from the OFA May 10, 2024 submission to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 

Haldimand Antique tour 2024

Lineup of Case tractors.

The Haldimand County Vintage Farm Equipment and Collectibles Tour took place on the May long weekend, featuring The Walpole Antique Farm Machinery Association museum in Jarvis, Dave and Mike Doughty’s collection (also Jarvis), the Sitter Massey Memories Museum in Hagersville,

Jim and Guy’s Hart Parr Haven at Nelles Corners and the Drilling Rig Museum at Selkirk.

As always there were lots of interesting items on display for people to view, from vintage tractors to small tools to an old wooden cement mixer dating back to the late 1800’s. 

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Understanding and Protecting Against Avian Influenza

By Dr. Joyce Lock, Medical Officer of Health for the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit

Avian Influenza, specifically Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1, is a virus primarily infecting domestic poultry and wild birds like geese, ducks, and shorebirds. Recent developments have raised concerns about its spread and potential impact on human health.

What is HPAI H5N1?

HPAI H5N1 is a highly contagious virus affecting avian populations for decades. In March 2024, it was discovered in livestock in the United States, indicating it had adapted to infect terrestrial and aquatic animals. Two human cases have since been reported throughout the States.

Present Situation

Currently, there are no confirmed HPAI cases in Canada. However, HPAI has been detected in US dairy cattle herds and milk supply. Although not found in Canadian milk, the risk of transmission through unpasteurized milk is uncertain, and its consumption is discouraged due to other potential diseases. To manage HPAI in Canada, the Government of Canada is expanding surveillance by:

• Requiring negative HPAI test results for imported lactating dairy cattle.

• Conducting enhanced testing of retail milk for HPAI viral fragments.

• Facilitating voluntary testing of asymptomatic cows to improve biosecurity.

Protecting Yourself from Avian Influenza

The risk of HPAI transmission to humans is low, but preventive measures are essential:

2. Vaccination: While the seasonal flu vaccine doesn’t protect against HPAI, it reduces the risk of co-infection and virus adaptation.

3. Protective Gear: When dealing with potentially infected animals, wear heavy-duty rubber gloves, impervious disposable gowns or coveralls, and protective shoe/boot covers or rubber boots.

Signs and Symptoms of HPAI in

Humans

Human HPAI symptoms include:

• Fever

• Cough

• Shortness of breath

• Wheezing

• Sore throat

• Malaise

• Conjunctivitis

• Acute respiratory symptoms

Seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms after contact with birds or animals.

Signs and Symptoms of HPAI in Birds and Livestock

Birds:

• Drop in egg production, soft-shelled or shell-less eggs

• Coughing, sneezing, diarrhea

• Hemorrhages on the hock, high mortality rate

• Quietness, extreme depression, swelling under the eyes

• Swollen, discolored wattles, and combs

Livestock:

• Decrease in milk production, thicker milk consistency

• Decrease in feed consumption

What to Do If You Find a Dead Bird

Avoid handling live or dead wild birds and take precautions with sick animals. Report sick or dead wild birds to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at 1-800-567-2033 or visit cwhc-rcsf.ca.

Caledonia 22 Caithness St. E 905-765-4071

Simcoe 440 Norfolk St. S 519-426-5930 libro.ca/ag 1-800-361-8222

Cayuga 18 Talbot St. E 905-772-3376

Hagersville 15 King St. E 905-768-3347

1. Avoid handling wild birds: Avoid handling live or dead wild birds. If unavoidable, wear gloves or use a doubled plastic bag to avoid contact with blood, body fluids, and feces. Wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

Producers can protect themselves and their herds by monitoring cattle for signs of HPAI, contacting a veterinarian for suspected cases, practicing good biosecurity measures, and staying informed on biosecurity protocols. Staying informed and proactive helps manage Avian Influenza risks and protects our communities’ health.

Creekside Growers Flourishes

If you take a drive and just look around, you can find so many hidden gems right here in Norfolk County. Located on Conc. 11, Creekside Growers is a refreshing spot and good flower ‘therapy’. Specializing in Dahlias they offer so much more in their Flower Shack and in the talents of Hilary VanderHeide. Hilary and her husband Nick have built more than just a business on their farm…they have created an experience.

“I have a BA in History and had a construction company for a few years then changed to farming in 2011. We had a 6 acre flower farm in Hartford until 2017 when we decided to expand and moved to our present location.” adds Nick. For Hilary she has a BA in Child & Youth studies and a Bachelor of Education. “We built Creekside Growers from scratch. We were helped by some knowledge from Hilary’s parents who grow peonies in Niagara”.

Right now, Nick spends much of his time tending the Dahlias in the 55,000 square foot greenhouse, the 15 acres outdoors and the 3 acres of peonies. “We ship a lot of flowers… we’re one of the biggest dahlia growers in Canada. The cut flower industry is a very close community and between myself and another good friend who is also a commercial grower we supply a good percentage of the dahlias sold in Ontario. It’s a good relationship and we serve our different customers needs well.”

Hilary devotes her time to the retail sales through The Flower Shack which they estab-

lished during the spring of 2020. It’s located on their property and is dedicated to on farm sales, floral work for corporate events, weddings, Christmas parties, every major holiday, urns, wreaths…her talents are limitless. “We open daily from Mother’s Day weekend and are open until the end of Thanksgiving weekend. We open again after Nov. 11th. and close again Dec. 24th”. Hilary adds “I get to breathe in January”. Hilary is also available year round for special events and requests and will create whatever you need even if The Flower Shack isn’t operating on its regular hours.

Creekside Growers employs 3 to 4 employees year-round and 10 on a seasonal basis. They start in the greenhouse in January and begin cutting mid April and produce cut flowers until mid November. Their children, aged 15,14,12 & 9, are also intricately involved in the business. They are home schooled by Hilary in all her “free time” and are learning a life lesson in business first hand.

“The floral industry is pretty amazing” adds Nick. “We pick in the morning, ship in the afternoon and truck that night…Mostly it’s a one day transit from our greenhouse to customers”. Their customers are located in Toronto, St. Catherine’s, Northeastern USA and Thunder Bay to PEI.

With event business growing they decided to give Hilary a new, bigger and more organized space to work in. They are currently working on her new Studio…the space will be 24’x50’ and

will have the full nine yards with an area to meet and plan with clients, a space for storage and work, and a full size walk-in cooler. Weddings and events are becoming quite popular for Hilary and keep her very busy. Hilary’s partnerships with local venues have really helped streamline the local wedding experience for the customers. Their hours are Monday thru Saturday 10 am to 4 pm and closed on Sundays. Labour Day weekend (Sunday included) they will be holding their 7th Open House when they will open the Dahlia field to visitors for the 2nd year in a row. ”We just started the u-pick and field experience last year and the turnout was great. We’re going to promote it more this year. There’s lots of room for everybody out there. The past 4 years we did a ‘wall of flowers’ and it was a hit for picture opportunities so we will be doing it again this year” adds VanderHeide.

“We see new customers every day…some even come from such places as Toronto, Cambridge, Woodstock and Aylmer” adds Hilary. Business is steady but not overwhelming and they always have time to chat with their customers.

My motto in life, over the years, has become ‘One can never have too many flowers’ so visiting Creekside Growers was a pleasant treat for me and good therapy for a bad day…even if you’re not having one. So be sure to take a drive and search them out at 692 Windham Road 11.

Hilary & Nick VanderHeide

Framed in Flowers

Framed in Flowers

Dahlias Galore

Framed in Flowers

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For The Love of Farming

Regardless of how many hours in a day a farmer spends ‘working’, he will be the first to tell you that the work is never really done. For J P Gural his days are long, his chores constantly changing and there is no need for a watch… if it needs to be done he just gets it done. As a third generation of farming heritage, farming has been his long-time passion, with little time to stop and visit, so you just go with the flow, follow along and you’ll soon learn just what is involved in running the operation.

When I visited his Boston,Ont. farm, I found J.P. and his crew …Sandesh Acharya and Niraj Gajurel, both from Nepal… working out the logistics and challenges of erecting a 75’ long and 24’ wide greenhouse from the ground up while fighting the wind. While they weren’t able to complete the project that day they persisted and had it up and standing in just a matter of a few days.

Gural’s main crop is his garlic. He first incubates the seedlings at his other farm location on Conc.5, under lights, then transfers them to the protected greenhouse where they will remain until they are ready to be replanted in the adjacent fields. In total he will have about

9 acres of garlic in 2024. Other crops at Gural’s farm will include Tiger eye beans, scapes and fiddleheads. When the crops are ready, they will be harvested and prepared for sale in their certified kitchen, located at their Conc. 5 farm.

“I rotate my 9 acres of garlic every 4 years between potatoes, tomatoes, corn, spinach, kale, sweet chard…just a few of the alternate crops. Heirloom tomatoes are a popular choice of market shoppers largely because of their many shapes and colors. Last year I planted 25 varieties and have done as many as 90”.

Gural’s real love is working the farm as it is absolutely blue collar. “It grew out of a family’s commitment to preserve a farm after witnessing global food shortage, conflict and poverty” adds Gural. “It has been 14 years of challenges but you just breathe deep, figure it out and keep on going. We also produce fermented, canned and freeze- dried products that are popular sellers at not only Simcoe Farmer’s Market but the Good Bread Company (now in Port Dover) as well as Evergreen Brick Works, Bayview Ave., Toronto.“ Gural went on to explain that Brick Works is ‘a place where nature and community come together…a place where the world can

experience sustainable practices that enable thriving cities of the future. ‘

For Gural his philosophy for his farm is seeds + dirt + water + light + time + love to community and Farmer’s Markets. “It’s been a journey of learning, growing and sharing for me” …and one he truly loves. He provides some of the most unique heirloom varieties of local produce such as vegetables, grains and preserves. It’s been said that Gural will introduce customers to anything related to garlic.

Samsara Fields grew out of a family’s commitment to preserve a farm and it became a path of healing and love in return. Gural continues to do his part to provide heirloom fresh food throughout the growing season and provide local food security.

You can follow Gural on Facebook under Samsara Fields Organics. You can check out Samara Fields Organics every Thursday at the Simcoe Farmer’s Market, from 8 am to 3pm. Not only can you purchase from Gural you can also shop other vendors for everything needed to tease your tastebuds while shopping fresh and local. 

Left : Niraj Grajurel. Right : Sandesh Acharya

A Sampling of Stormin’ Garlic products at Simce Farmer’s Market

Survived the winter in ground!

A Sampling of Stormin’ Garlic products at Simce Farmer’s Market

Ryan Heeg Found His Calling In Farming

We can only hope that, in our working lives, we find a

or profession that we are compassionate about and love doing. That doesn’t always happen for many but for one local man he is ‘living the dream’. Ryan Heeg found his calling while still in school and has been pursuing his dream since then. From milking cows after school to helping on his Dad’s

chicken farm Heeg developed a love of farming early in life. He grew up in the hamlet of Renton and began as a chicken and turkey farmer just outside of Waterford. Before Heeg even married he had worked as a hired hand on a dairy farm and had even bought his own dairy farm in Brantford. When Ryan met and married his wife Lexi he knew he wanted to

operate his own dairy farm, here in Norfolk County, but had to wait for five years before he could move his milk quota here from his Brantford operation. Heeg bought on Conc. 13, Townsend in 2021 and worked on a dairy farm as a hired hand until such time that he could move his milk quota over. Heeg’s barn was built first and their house was purchased about a year later. By Sept. 2022 Heeg could officially start milking here with only about 2 months to get things up and running.

Heeg’s farm was 55 acres of bare land when he purchased it and built the free style barn. Heeg put younger cows here and his Grandpa and brother helped feed them until he could move the other cattle over from Brantford.

“There were lots of ups and downs for about 1 ½ to 2 years and lots of labour seven days a week. I was getting burned out but I haven’t looked back”.

Heeg’s barn is what you call ‘free stall’ and uses the Parlour milking system. The milking

cows have a collar on their neck with an ID # that identifies each cow. Each cow must have 1 calf before they can give milk. When they are ready to produce, they are introduced to the milking system

The cows sense when it is time to be milked and they will enter the stall on their own. Once in there the milking machine does the rest. Heeg adds there are brushes that

Feeding the Herd

The Heeg Clan

clean the udders pre milking and an iodine wash after they are done. All in all, the entire milking process takes about 4 to 7 minutes per cow. The tank will hold 2,000gallons of milk. “It’s definitely crazy technology” adds Heeg but it is a labor and time saver for him. “There’s no more of having to get up at 4:00 am and no having to miss parties”.

The barn is 122’ wide and 220’ long with the milk house, milk tank and offices occupying an area 40’ X 40’. There is also an area for hay storage of 60’X100’. The free stall barn gives the cows some freedom, per say, and they do not have to be tied down. They are fed hay, corn silage and alfalfa that is grown by Heeg and mixed by him as well.

“You have to have the right balance for feed”.

“I like the lifestyle “adds Heeg. “I’m here for the kids and they love being out at the barn They would be out there all day if they could”. Heeg does like the flexibility the new barn offers him. ”I like to help other people as well and I have some flexibility to do that”. While

Heeg admits his farming operation is a long time investment it is one that he is certainly glad he made. Having great family support has helped Heeg build his dream and live it every day and the support he receives from them has been overwhelming. They say ‘It takes a village’ and Heeg and the success of his farm are proof of that. 

Up Close and Personal

Ryan &Lexi Heeg with their sons Seth & Bowen

AWO’s mental health programs gaining acceptance in ag community

Only a few short years ago, the hesitancy to talk about mental health in the farming community was so strong that Kristin Wheatcroft coined a term for a phenomenon she’d routinely experience at industry events.

“I feel like even two years ago when we were out at shows we’d experience what I like to call the banana, where people would see the booth and do a banana around the table,” the director of Agriculture Wellness Ontario said. Many were so reticent to talk about mental health that they’d avoid the table altogether and keep a wide berth.

But thanks in part to the program run through the Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario that stigma is evaporating.

“I really do have hope that it’s becoming a more comfortable conversation in the ag community,” Wheatcroft said.

There are three main programs run through AWO, beginning with the In the Know program, what Wheatcroft describes as a “Mental Health 101” workshop. It sees trained staff sit down with a group of farmers or people in the agriculture community to go over some of the basic topics surrounding mental health.

neighbours if you’re concerned about them,” Wheatcroft said.

“It’s where people can get to know the key concepts around anxiety, depression, substance use and suicide and how to start a conversation with friends and

The program’s foundation came from a 2016 University of Guelph study that showed farmers have higher stress levels and are more susceptible to chronic stress, anxiety and depression than the general population. It provided academic research to issues many in the industry had long known anecdotally, Wheatcroft said.

Lill Petrella is the team lead, mental health promotion for

CMHA, covering Haldimand, Brant and Norfolk. She received training to lead the In the Know workshops three years ago, and said it’s led her to learn just how much stress many farmers carry on a regular basis.

“You think of farmers as salt of the earth and they’re very strong, and they are all of that. But I guess I didn’t realize the extent of the stress and worry that farming can be,” Petrella said.

With so many things out of a farmer’s control - from weather to global commodity marketsstress is often an inescapable part of the job.

Petrella will lead a few workshops a year and she said they’re usually well received. Often she’ll see light bulb type moments as participants realize things they’re experiencing or things they know their peers are experiencing are common. They’ll also go over some case studies of real situations (with names and specifics altered to protect confidentiality), which Petrella said are usually a big help.

“It really stimulates discussions,” she said.

More recently, AWO has added two other programs to further support the ag community. In 2022 they launched a free counselling helpline for farmers to access any time of day or night. It’s since expanded to include an employee of any farm operation in Ontario. People on the other end of the line are specially trained to understand the issues of farmers, Wheatcroft said, and can deal with a farmer who’s looking to set up planned or preventative care, as well as those who are in more of a crisis situation.

“By far the No. 1 thing people are talking about is managing chronic stress,” Wheatcroft said, adding anxiety and depression, as well as managing family relationships as other recurring topics.

The third major arm of AWO is the new Guardian Network, which encourages those in the agriculture community or those who have common contact with farmers to undergo training to recognize and support people who may be struggling.

“If you run into someone you’re concerned about, knowing how to have the conversation around ‘hey, are you thinking about hurting yourself’ and feeling confident in what words to

use and you practice doing it, it can literally save someone’s life,” Wheatcroft said.

With farming often being a solitary and isolated job, the Guardian Network helps connect farmers to supports. Other farming-adjacent people like agronomists, vets, and dairy truck drivers can help bridge that gap.

Petrella said she hopes more people sign up to be Guardians because when it comes from a family member or peer it can often have much more impact than when it comes from a stranger who works in the mental health field.

“People always listen to their peers and it hits home more often,” Petrella said.

Wheatcroft said they’re also looking at increasing their training opportunities to respond to the needs of the ag community as they learn more.

“We hope to build that toolbox more as we grow,” she said.

As for those in the farming community who remain hesitant about looking after their own mental health, Wheatcroft said it’s not just about them.

“Trying out counselling is looking out for yourself, but it’s also looking out for your farm and your family,” she said.

Petrella said the general public also needs to appreciate farmers for what they contribute.

“They’re very tough and they do an amazing job, they’re very dedicated. But their physical and mental health kind of comes second to their work and we’re helping them to realize that that should be first and foremost on their plate,” she said.

For more information on the AWO and its programs, visit agriculturewellnessontario.com or call 1-866-267-6255. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988. 

Kristin Wheatcroft, director of Agriculture Wellness Ontario. Agriculture Wellness Ontario photos

Lots of growth at Van Raay Farms Ltd.’s garlic growing operation

tally we are building value for the farmers of Canada. That means we (farmers) are part of conversations we haven’t been part of for a long time. Farmers realize they are part of the solution to a lot of things, like climate change mitigation, biodiversity, species-at-risk and flood control.”

One of the offshoots of Norfolk’s initial efforts occurred after Prince Edward Island environment George Webster attended the pilot launch in 2008. The island was having an environmental issue at the time and ALUS quickly became the solution and a well-funded provincial program.

‘There’s always something we can improve; we can always do something better.’

One of the things that Dean Van Raay appreciates the most about farming is its dynamic nature.

Bryan Gilvesy, now CEO of ALUS Canada, started his involvement with the program when he signed up as a participant to the program and then became a member of the Norfolk Partnership Advisory Committee. Bryan and wife Cathy raise Texas longhorns on the YU Ranch, south of Tillsonburg.

“You’re always learning. It’s not cookie cutter. There’s always something we can improve; we can always do something better.”

Van Raay grew up on the family farm, Van Raay Farms Ltd., helmed by his parents, Martin and Teresa, just outside of Grand Bend.

Besides raising hogs, the farm also grows cash crops – wheat, corn and soybeans. The whole farm is about 600 acres.

Today, nationally ALUS is approaching 1,000 farmers participating through 27 different community based programs in six provinces. Together they have enrolled 27,183 acres in the program.

“One day, I’ll be the tractor operator, one day I’ll be the irrigation guy, one day I’m the trimmer working in the plant … it’s a good variety,” he said.

“In the cash crop world, that’s fairly small,” Van Raay said.

While he worked a few years off farm in construction, an off-season slowdown saw him return home and to his roots – quite literally.

With Van Raay’s brother, Phil, helming the hog raising side of the operation, the family had to decide how they would grow the farm together – whether they would buy or rent more land to expand their existing operations, or if they would try growing a higher value crop on the land they already had.

They decided to go for the latter, and in 2014, they planted their first garlic crop on two acres, which they harvested the following year.

Garlic, Van Raay explained, is a very labour-intensive crop. Initially, the family was doing the bulk of the work by hand, but soon decided they wanted to invest in the operation – which was also automatically a decision to expand.

“If you’re going to buy all this equipment, you’d better put in enough acres to justify buying

In many ways, the garlic growing industry in Canada is in its infancy.

Officially, ALUS Canada’s mantra now is: “ALUS Canada makes it possible to offset your environmental footprint through agricultural stewardship. ALUS invests in farmers and landowners who are producing acres of clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and other ecosystem services in communities across Canada.”

Around the year 2000, the market was flooded with imports, which caused the prices to drop drastically; many Canadian producers got out of growing garlic at the time.

“We’ve slowly been building it back up,” Van Raay said.

Over the past decade, he said, the family farm’s garlic growing operation has done their best to lean into the concept of ‘work smarter, not harder.’

Credit was given to some of the programs largest advocates by Gilvesy. Local MPP Toby Barrett has been a large ALUS proponent since the early days, and introduced a Private Member’s Bill promoting the concept. Wishart is now a MLA in Manitoba, and promoting it there. Bob Sopuck, who was Delta Waterfowl’s western vice-president of policy was an early advocate and became elected as an MP and was the program’s champion on Parliament Hill. Dave Reid co-wrote the ALUS concept documents with Dr. Bob Bailey, Delta’s eastern vice-president of policy.

the equipment,” Van Raay said. “We’ve been slowly growing since then. This year, we have 80 acres to harvest.”

He added with a smile, “It was supposed to be a little side business, and then it slowly turned into my full-time job over the years.”

“There’s a lot of room for innovation; there’s a lot of processes that we’ve improved,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot. We’re still learning at lot about growing a better crop, a healthier crop, a cleaner crop … It has been fun, don’t get me wrong; it’s just been a pretty steep learning curve.”

Over the years, Gilvesy has talked to thousands of people about ALUS at hundreds of speaking engagements across Canada. Recognition for the program has included a Premier’s Ag Innovation Award

Gilvesy is proud ALUS is a farmer-led program and farmers fell they are the program owners.

Tweaking their process has been an ongoing necessity.

Each day brings new tasks and challenges, Van Raay said.

“People feel they are partners in ALUS,” he said. “It’s the value of developing a grassroots program that recognizes the value of community.” 

“There really hasn’t been a year where we’ve gone, ‘We have everything; we’re done, let’s just

Dean Van Raay with Van Raay Farms Ltd. said their current cold storage can hold 300,000 pounds of garlic, but they’re hoping to build a new, larger facility soon.

run this out.’ There’s always something more (to do),” Van Raay said.

One of the things they’ve been actively working on improving is lengthening the storage time of the garlic.

Right now, they start to plant around September or October. Van Raay said runs a similar cycle to wheat in that it gets planted in the fall, sleeps through the winter and wakes up in spring. The research being done now is showing that when it goes in earlier, the plants end up doing better. The garlic is generally ready to harvest starting in July.

Improvements to the cold storage facility could possibly stretch the garlic’s post-harvest life out longer; the Van Raays are also working on making sure their crop has the best start.

“A healthier crop coming out of the field will store better, which will lengthen the season and provide a better start to the next season,” Van Raay said.

That’s why the Garlic Growers Association of Ontario is a valuable organization to belong to. The association runs the Garlic Clean Seed Program, where members are able to purchase roundels, or clean seeds, on a yearly basis that were produced through the University of Guelph’s Ontario Crops Research Centre in New Liskeard.

“We’ve been growing out the clean seed to have healthier seed – disease free, virus free seed. And hopefully that will help increase our yield,” Van Raay said.

Not only that, but the association is a great way for garlic growers to connect with each other, share knowledge and tips, find out what’s working and what’s not, and sometimes find partners to more effectively get their garlic to market.

When the Van Raays decided to increase their number of acres planted early on in their garlic growing journey, they also had to start processing their own crop for market.

Van Raay explained that they went from having around 8,000 pounds to process to having over 250,000 pounds over the course of just a few years.

“There was nobody able or willing to take our garlic at that point, because there was too much for them to add to their operation,” he said.

By getting their garlic ready for market themselves, they’ve now been able to partner with a number of smaller garlic growers to assist in their processing as well.

“I’ve got a couple of growers that bring garlic to me; they started off with a one or two acre plot, and now they grow upwards of 20 acres … that’s exciting for me, watching somebody grow a new business,” Van Raay said.

When the garlic comes in, it’s brushed, sized, and put into storage for a few weeks to cure it. After that, it’s brought back out and the roots are trimmed; it’s also brushed and inspected again. At that point, it’s either put back into storage for later sale, or it gets processed to ship out for fresh market.

The Van Raays have invested in a lot of equipment on the processing side of their operation; these include an optical sorter, which gives them a 360 degree view of each bulb to help with sorting and picking out any defective ones, as well as an automatic bagger to help get the garlic processed faster for market.

Garlic growers and those who are considering getting into it will have an opportunity to see the Van Raay’s set up at the

Garlic Growers Association of Ontario’s 2024 Field Day event on June 1.

This is the second time the farm is serving as the venue for this annual gathering; the last time was when the Van Raay’s garlic growing operation was just a few years old.

“We were still fairly new to the industry; we (just) had the foundation for the new shed up at that point … anybody that’s been to the last field day, the place looks a whole lot different than it did then,” Van Raay said.

Besides seeing firsthand how one of the province’s larger garlic growing operations is run, both in the fields and processing plant, guests to the event will be able to see equipment displays from Ontario vendors, as well as attend various information sessions to learn more about garlic, growing the crop, the industry, etc.

Van Raay noted that the Field Day events – like the association itself – “(Is) supposed to be for everybody, from the small acre grower – somebody that’s just trying to learn how to grow garlic – to the large producers.”

While there is a set schedule of events for the day, there’s also “a lot of tailgate conversations that goes on, what’s working for one grower to the other,” Van Raay said.

That spirit of collaboration is one of the things he appreciates about the local garlic industry, Van Raay said. While sometimes producers can be hesitant to share their trade secrets if they find a clearer route to success, Van Raay said that’s less of a concern with garlic, because there’s so much opportunity in the market right now for Canadian growers.

“We are proud that all of our crop is sold in Canada, and we are looking forward to being able to supply further into the year,” he said, adding that there is room for the Ontario garlic industry to grow, due to consumer demand for high-quality Ontario garlic.

For more information on the association, or to register for Field Day, visit garlicgrowersofontario.com, or email garlicgrowersofontario@ gmail.com. 

Family matters

The agriculture specialists at Millards will help you pass along your family business, assist your children or grandchildren with the financial operations, and make sure the transfer is fair to your family members who aren’t continuing with your farm business. Tax

The agriculture specialists at Millards will help you pass along your family business, assist your children or grandchildren with the financial operations, and make sure the transfer is fair to your family members who aren’t continuing

ranked one of

FAMILY MATTERS

The Millards team has farm tax expertise to guide you through the changes to the small business deduction as well as advising you on issues that affect your lifetime

The Millards team has farm tax expertise to guide you through the changes to the small business deduction as well as advising you on issues that affect your lifetime capital gains exemption when it comes time to sell or transfer your farm.

The agriculture specialists at Millards will help you pass along your family business, assist your children or grandchildren with the financial operations, and make sure the transfer is fair to your family members who aren’t continuing with your farm business.

Specialized expertise

TAX ADVISORS

Specialized expertise

The Millards team has farm tax expertise to guide you through the changes to the small business deduction as well as advising you on issues that affect your lifetime capital gains exemption when it comes time to sell or transfer your farm.

at

The farm specialists at Millards have a long history assisting clients with government farm programs and accounting software, enabling you to focus on managing your business.

SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE

The farm specialists at Millards have a long history assisting clients with government farm programs and accounting software, enabling you to focus on managing your business.

From Condiment To Weapon Against Pests

How Mustard Biofumigation May Revolutionise Pest Control

For centuries, many gardeners have implemented the use of marigolds, chrysanthemums and petunias to control garden pests naturally. Now farmers, seeking alternatives to chemicals used to control pests and pathogens, are turning to plants from the Brassicaceae family as biofumigants with notable success.

Brassicaceae plants include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and mustard, which can release inhibitory chemicals containing fungicidal as well as nematicidal components, so it is reasonable that more widespread research of mustard as an alternative to heavily regulated and environmentally damaging chemical treatments is on the rise.

Just over a decade ago, for example, maritime potato farmers began planting thousands of acres of brown mustard because of the

biofumigant contained within its roots which aided them in the fight against wireworm. It became so widespread that many assumed the mustard, which didn’t in itself provide revenue, was actually a

surge in canola growth sweeping the province’s fields with a yellow hue.

Although biofumigation of this nature does require the adherence

to a specific set of procedures, the concept itself is simple: Specially potent varieties of mustard is grown, chopped with a flail mower before flowering, and immediately turned into the moist soil to promote the release of the component “isothiocyanates”, which not only gives the vegetable their spicy or bitter taste, but also combats many nematodes, wireworm, common scab, and a long list of fungi. When possible, the field is then covered with tarps to contain the gases while the plant materials break down and biofumigation takes full effect.

In addition to being a useful biofumigant, mustard also provides farmers the typical advantages of cover crop usage such as the prevention of soil erosion, as well as improved soil nutrients. 

Maintain “barrier-free” rural well water testing for better public health, LPRCA advises the province

The Long Point Region Conservation Authority (LPRCA) is asking the Minister of Health not to act upon a recommendation to gradually phase out free rural well water testing within Ontario.

The proposal appeared in the 2023 Auditor General’s report, recommending the phase-out by Public Health Ontario (PHO) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, as part of the streamlining efforts public health laboratories throughout Ontario.

In response, the LPRCA board sent a unanimously-passed resolution in a letter to Sylvia Jones, the Minister of Health asking that PHO reject the proposal in order to keep the testing service free.

“The Long Point Region watershed has a total population of approximately 100,000 people. Of those, approximately one-third rely on private water sources for their drinking water supply,” reads the letter, dated on May 2. “These private wa ter sources … are not actively monitored. With the recommendation to discontinue free water testing, we fear many residents will not undertake regular testing and will be put at risk.”

Calling for “barrier-free access for well water testing”, the resolution stated that “private water systems (eg. wells) are not protected through legislated requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act 2002 and the Clean Water Act 2006, but are more likely to contribute to cases of gastrointestinal illness than municipal systems.”

Chambers, whose Burford Township farm lies near the Big Creek watershed headwaters. “What would you sooner have to drink – good water or bad water?”

Chambers, who is also a 40-year veteran of Brant County Council, said that an estimated 20 to 30 percent of rural Brant residents found “adverse effects” after testing their wells. “We should encourage water to be tested as any percentage is too high. You want safe water, if we’re concerned about health of rural residents.”

On May 10, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady sent her own letter of support to the Minister of Health. ”May I remind

Copies of the resolution went to area MPPs, and to the ministers of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Environment, Conservation and Parks, as well as to Conservation Ontario, and the province’s 36 conservation authorities.

These conservation authorities in turn circulated the resolution to the individual municipalities within their watersheds for

[Chambers expects that the province will reconsider the proposal: “I think resolution will have an impact if the government is concerned about the health of rural people because everyone drinks water.

consideration, said LPRCA chairperson Robert Chambers, who signed the letter. Many of them are endorsing the resolution in their own communication to the province.

“It’s a free service, but it’s for the purpose of public health and the best way to achieve that is through water testing,” said

you that this water not only services rural residents but is also used in farming operations,” the letter stated. “Would Ontario residents not want the security of knowing that water that washes their asparagus, their potatoes and other food have been tested as much as possible?”

Chambers expects that the province will reconsider the proposal: “I think resolution will have an impact if the government is concerned about the health of rural people because everyone drinks water.” 