Thank you!!!!

Last night we had a small gathering to celebrate our first anniversary here at the farm.  At least, that is how it was billed.  In reality, it was a party to acknowledge our surprise at surviving year one.

There was a speech I wanted to make, but I didn't.  It was sitting inside me.  I knew what I wanted to say to the people around me last night, but didn't know how to articulate it.  Plus, circumstances which I will touch on in a moment, changed the nature of how I wanted to give my message.  So let me try here to cleanse myself of this message here.

The people who came last night, and many that didn't, are supporters of the farm.  From our farming neighbours who have shared their wealth of knowledge, to the people who battled with building the poly tunnel in a hurricane, the people who helped us untangle the mess & rebuild the collapsed fruit cage, the people who volunteer to help us weed, pick and plant, and the people who buy produce or invest in livestock.  If you fall into any of those categories, then you are part of our farm family.

The plot of land here has built both a working farm and an extended family over the last 12 months.  People that come here, fall in love with the beauty of the land and begin to feel invested in the farm.  Fortunately, we love to share the farm with our friends and community, and so relationships evolve.  Without you all, this life choice would have been dull, unenjoyable and unachievable.  Ian and I want to thank you for your investments of time, thoughts, emotions and money.

Part of our farm family were unable to join us last night.  The Sullivan family.  Juliet is woven deep into our farm tapestry.  She is our long suffering Realtor, she thought of the name for the farm, she lifts every social event and she purchases produce from our farm weekly.  Juliet and her family are great supporters and advocates of the farm.  On Saturday morning, Juliets' Father-in-Law, Bill Sullivan, passed away.

We've seen a few of our friends experience loss during 2014.  Shenade Ingram lost her Father this year. The Ingrams have supported us in practical ways....they're always here when we need them the most and we are forever in their debt for their contribution.  Ian's work colleague Jason Gallant lost his Father-in-Law recently too.  Jason and his wife Kerry were here at the housewarming party and have purchased produce.

Our thoughts go out to these families.  We have some empathy as we have experienced grief ourselves. Both of my parents have passed away and Bill's passing gave us another chance to reflect on what they would have thought of our farming venture.  My Dad was from 'farming stock' and would love the idea of me returning to my roots.  Not that he or I ever farmed before but he would have waxed lyrical about how it was in my blood.  My Mum, who died 2 years ago, always said Ian and I should pursue some sort of venture together.  She always talked about something in hospitality; a B&B, hotel or pub.  Well a farm perhaps wasn't what she had in mind, but it certainly offers us hospitality opportunities thanks to the very active social scene here.  I am certain that she would have loved this and often think about her sitting in the Tiki hut, drinking wine and shouting orders at us.

So I'd like to invite you to join me in raising a virtual toast to Bill.  For those of you reading this who knew Bill, a moment to reflect on his life and know that you are part of our farm family and we are with you.  We'll toast Bill but we also think about the other members of our ever growing farm family who have lost loved ones.  We'll acknowledge celebrations and opportunities.  Let's give a nod to the cycles of fun, grief, happiness and sadness that ebb and flow.  We raise our glasses to celebrate people lost to us and adventures that are just beginning. Cheers!

To Bill Sullivan

Self Worth

Ok, I admit it.  You were right & I was wrong. Wrong and over-ambitious. And zealous. And possibly naive.   We've done too much, too soon.  There I've said it!  We now have a 5 acre, fully operational farm that is abundant with produce; and we can't keep up.  Or at least I can't keep up.  Ian's project at work was suppose to be complete at the beginning of June and we envisaged him having more time during the summer.  However, it's mid-July and the job still hasn't been handed over.  The end of any construction project is always a busy and stressful time and for us, that sees Ian working 7 days a week and more hours than I care to mention.  The offset is that I'm here 'farming' alone.  I say farming but in reality, I'm harvesting, selling and delivering.  Aside from that, the only thing I achieve is animal care.  So, the weeds have taken over, the tomato plants are spilling over the sides of the beds, the peas have sprawled out and tangled themselves up, the squash are moving into the salad bed and the poly tunnel looks like the Amazon rain forest.  We're in the midst of a heat wave and we are running out of water.

All this has got me thinking about the rewards of farming as a life choice.  I refuse to call it a career or job.  Those words imply it is something that has structure; hours, pay, vacation.  Farming is all-consuming.  Not only in the hours and workload but also it dominates your thoughts, your social life, and your very existence.

David, our farming Guru neighbour from Glorious Organics, asked me how I am pricing our produce.  The truth is that I'm winging it.  I generally try to price our produce just under supermarket prices.  I've been aware that we are first year farmers and we are trying to build a client base and so, we're keeping things cheap.  David told me NOT to undervalue our produce.  Our product is bigger, better and fresher than you get in the supermarket.  Not only that, but our farms are more ethically managed than the big, commercial, mono-culture farming operations.

David's words stayed with me.  They echoed through my head when I was shoveling the entire 1 tonne of wet brew mash that we feed the pigs at 10pm on Friday night.  They reverberated around me when we discovered mites in the chicken coop and spent an entire day treating the coop and chickens in 35 degree heat; an activity that has cost more that we'll take from egg sales in 3 weeks.  They niggled at me when I knelt on raspberry thorns at 5am this morning while harvesting.

More wise words from Glorious Organics effected me this week.  I saw a video clip of Susan speaking at a conference.  She talked about how they price their product.  Susan explained to the audience that, even with her seniority, she was only paid $12 an hour.  Not greedy at all when you consider the average wages in this part of the world:

Canadian Average Hourly Earnings 2013

Earnings Classification	Average Hourly Earnings 2013	Average Hourly Earnings 2011	Average Hourly Earnings 2009
Males	$25.96	$24.66	$23.87
Females	$22.31	$21.29	$20.23
Full Time Employees	$25.75	$24.49	$23.53
Part Time Employees	$16.95	$16.32	$15.53

Susan said they priced their produce in order to pay their farmers this wage.  That's how they justify their prices to their customers, and I really don't think anyone can argue with that.  But how do we, as farmers, justify low income to ourselves?  

Farming has a benefits package that is unique.  Farming gives satisfaction.  We enjoy our job and avoid much of the angst that can come with a workplace.  We do not have to commute to work, or sit in traffic for hours, spewing fumes from our car into the environment.  We are not required to buy a uniform or a suit. We eat the best food in the world for pretty much free most of the year.  And, for farm folk in BC, we're lucky enough to have a temperate climate and, in my opinion, the most beautiful surrounding in the world.

Ian and I will catch up; or not.  Either way, it'll be ok and I still wouldn't swap my overgrown fields for an office desk and a salary, even in the midst of my current stress.  But I ask you to consider this; your local farmers deserve your support.  They deserve your loyalty, your patronage and your help in making ecologically-sound decisions.  In return, you deserve the best we can possibly give you in high quality, fresh, organic produce and environmental stewarship.  And from Laurica Farm, Glorious Organics and a myriad of other local farmers, you'll get exactly that.