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.