Reflect on cost of food this Thanksgiving, local farmers urge

As loved ones gather around the table for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend, local farmers want people to reflect on the story behind the food in front of them.

Three businesses in the greater Ottawa-Gatineau region say those working on the farms and in fields are dealing with highercosts associated with grain andlabour, while competitionremains high.

"We should be thinking about the origin of our food and being grateful for the people that work really hard to get it to your table,"said Jess Weatherhead, who works at the organic vegetable farm Roots and Shoots in western Quebec.

Sylvain Bertrand, owner of a farm in Val-Des-Monts, Que., said the demand for turkey is comparable to what he expected pre-pandemic, but the margins are narrowing affected by factors such as the war in Ukraine, which has increased the costs of grain by about 50 per cent.

"Farmers, right now, their margins [are getting] smaller [as] price of inputs [go] quite up," he said.

But his farm, Ferme aux Saveurs des Monts, has only increased their prices by a few percentage points, with Bertrand blaming steep competition.

"This doesn't cover the cost of our inputs, but if I increase more than that, I lose customers."

Organic vegetable farm sees decrease in sales

Weatherhead said wholesale numbers are down for their small operation. Retail sales from the store located on their farm have also dropped.

During the pandemic, small farms like hers saw a boost in sales thanks to a captive audience a boon that has since faded, she said.

Still, competition remains steep and supporting a farm is nearly always less convenient than buying one's veggies at a big-box store.

"We're really finding that there's been a lot of new farmers in the past few years, which is awesome," Weatherhead said. "But the market the demographic of people who are buying directly from farmers hasn't really gone up."

Overall, costs have increased, whether it's related to crops or labour, she said. Still, Roots and Shoots has kept prices low, selling kale for $3 a bunch since 2010.

Don't forget the wine

According to Aaron Dobbin, president and CEO of Wine Growers Ontario, grape crop yields in the province are down about 50 per cent from last year due to the challenging winter. Sales for the year are also down.

Conversely, Janet Moul of Jabulani Vineyard & Winery, located west of the village of Richmond on the outskirts of Ottawa, said they've had an abundant yield this year. She called the bumper crop the best they've had over a six-year period but other difficulties, like the cost of labour, also remain challenging, Moul said.

She's unsure how others in the region have fared.

"I know there's one up near Peterborough, that he had a very bad year," Moul said. "Soit comes and goes basically with whatever you've got frost-wise."

"If you don't get a good start in the spring, it's pretty hard to come back."

She hopes people choose to support local, and echoed Weatherhead's wish that people reflect on where their food comes from this Thanksgiving.

"[People] should be very grateful for farmers that we keep on going. Even though, as with a lot of the other industries, we've had a rough time trying to get labour to help," said Moul.