I just bought a bag of local Jersey Mac apples from Gagetown Fruit Farm via Real Food Connections.

Finally local apples are back and fall is just around the corner. The apples were a bit on the small side but still sweet and tasty!

Interview with Francis Fenton who at 95 is the owner and still actively manages Sandy River Apple Orchard which is the last apple orchard in Mercer, Maine.

He discusses the uncertainty of the future of the farm and how family farms in the area have been disappearing over the last few decades.

Mercer’s Last Apple Orchard Faces Uncertain Future.

With the decline in the number of farm and farmers in the Maritimes, it is important to keep farms profitable and sustainable. In order to keep the sector vibrant, it is also important to attract new farmers to the profession including the next generation of current farmers as well as any others who might be interested in farming.

One approach that has not been targeted in the recent past has been attraction of immigrant farmers. Nova Scotia recently released a new program designed attract new farmers to Nova Scotia.

There isn’t a lot of details about the program but the aim is to attract and help people to immigrate in order to set up sustainable farms in the province.

This is a great idea in that there is a lot of great fertile land available to be cultivated but without the people willing to farm it, this prime agricultural land often lays fallow or underutilized. New immigrants bring with them ideas, innovations and expertise which can inject new vitality into the agricultural sector.

I hope that other Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island develop their own similar programs to attract new farmers to the area.

See also: http://www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca/Agriculture/2010-10-21/article-1868230/NS-encouraging-immigrant-farmers/1

Update: Apparently the program has some detractors.

Open Farm Day NB 2009 is set for September 20th.

As in previous years, the New Brunswick Dept of Agriculture, the Agricultural Alliance of NB along with Sobey’s present Open Farm Day 2009. This event, scheduled to take place September 20th, 2009, allows the general public to visit participating farms across the province.

There are several farms showcasing various forms of agriculture throughout the province. Participants range from U-Pick apple orchards such as Everett Farms near Fredericton to dairy and cattle farms such as Riordon Farms in the Acadian Peninsula and from wineries such as Magnetic Hills Winery just outside of Moncton to beekeeping/honey production at Miel-N-Bee Honey in Charlo.

See http://fermenbfarm.ca///uploads//Website_Assets/Open_Farm_Day_NB_Map.pdf for more details.

See also : Open Farm Day 2008 and Open Farm Day 2007

In late July, the New Brunswick government announced a large funding initiative for the agricultural sector. Totalling up to $850,000 the funds will be divided between several different programs in the following manner:

• Livestock genetic enhancement initiative – $300,000
• Honeybee expansion initiative – $150,000
• Apple development initiative – $100,000
• Organic development initiative – $90,000
• Strategic projects – $60,000

All of the programs aim to increase the competitiveness of New Brunswick farmers and helping them increase their productivity by either improving their land or their crops.

There are more details and application forms at http://www.gnb.ca/0027/0017-e.asp.

Combined with previously announced funding of agricultural initiative of over $750,000 it appears that the New Brunswick Liberals led by Shawn Graham are really looking to push agriculture forward in this province.

How much of the money that you spend at the grocery store ends up in the farmer’s pockets?

According to the article “Farmers’ Share of Food Dollar” on Envirovore, not much. The story claims that on average, 20% of every dollar goes to the farmer. Obviously, the percentage will vary greatly based on product and how much marketing, manufacturing and processing is required. For example, $10 worth of potato chips will bring less money to the farm than $10 worth of potatoes as the chips require additional processing and other costs.

Mind you, the volume of food and therefore the effort required by the farmer, needed for $10 worth of potatoes is much greater than for the potato chips. The processors of the potatoes do add value and in doing so raise the value of the final product.

All things being equal however, there is a large amount of additional mark-up that is consumed by middle men in the food distribution chain. The retailer, the distributor and the shipper all take a cut of each dollar that you spend on food at the grocery store.

How to maximize returns to the farmer?

One approach to increasing the percentage of your money getting back onto the farm is to purchase products directly from the farm. Many farms now how retail stands and many more have a presence at local farmer’s markets. By buying directly from the farmer, the middle men in the food distribution chain get bypassed and replaced by the farmer as they are providing the packaging, the transportation and retailing to you directly.

Community Supported Agriculture

Another option which allow you to buy directly from farmers is a Community Supported (or Shared) Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA programs allow consumers to “subscribe” to a farm and get a periodic (often weekly) delivery (or pick up) of food from the farm when the produce is ready.

Unfortunately CSA programs are not always widely available. For example, in New Brunswick, the only CSA farm that I am aware of is the Bantry Bay Farm which is located near St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

Buying locally

Even when buying food from the large supermarket chains, it is possible to increase the percentage of your food dollars ending up on the farm. By buying locally grown and made products, you minimize the amount of money being spent on transportation and shipping. As addition to buying locally produced foods, buying less processed foods will also increase the amount of money being sent to farms and farmers as there less middle men in the food distribution chain and there is also less money spent on processing food. Besides, buying less processed foods is probably much healthier for you too.

Earlier this week, the provincial agriculture minister Ronald Ouellette and Fundy Royal MP Rob Moore announced an initiative directed at New Brunswick’s orchards and vineyards. Up to $772,680 ($309,000 provincial – $463,680 federal) will be made available to fruit tree and vineyard owners across the province who wish to transition existing grape vines and fruit trees to new varieties.

Adapting to a changing marketplace

As in fashion, food trends flourish and fade out. Apple varieties such as McIntosh are no longer as popular as they once were while new varieties such as Honeycrisp are in high demand and can extract premium prices from consumers and retailers. By removing rejuvenating orchards with newer crops, growers are able to keep pace with market demand and thus are more likely remain competitive and to be able to make a profit.

Ripping up old fruit trees and vineyards however is a costly endeavour. Not only is the labour required to remove old trees and vines needed but the is a considerable cost and effort to replant and to tend for new vines and trees as they grow and mature. There is also an added cost of land that is not producing fruit for at least a few years while the new varieties develop.

Encouraging new varieties

In an effort to encourage farmers to adapt to changing market conditions, the provincial and federal governments have combined to fund up to $4000 per hectare of land that has been ripped up and replanted. It is not clear if there are restrictions on what varieties can be replanted but it would definitely be in the farmer’s best interest to replant varieties that are in high demand.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the government program, farmers must have at least 0.25 hectares (or 0.60 acres) in production. In addition, farmers must commit to keeping the land that is being replanted in agriculture for at least 5 years. I doubt that either of these conditions to be an issue as newly planted orchards and vineyards will take some time to establish themselves and produce.

Apple growers only?

Is this program only for apple growers? The only significant industry for fruit orchards in New Brunswick are apples and while there is a growing grape growing industry forming, since it is still in its infancy in New Brunswick, it is unlikely that farmers will be looking to replant vines anytime soon. By including all fruit orchards and vineyards, the government is being inclusive and ensuring that no group feels excluded but I would be very surprised if more than 5% of the money spent on this program is given to non-apple growers.

This is a new blog dedicated to food and agriculture. As the blog is based in Fredericton, New Brunswick the blog will cover some local and regional issues and stories. The Food, Food, Food blog will also examine agriculture and food related issues across Canada and around the world.

Some of the issue that I intend to cover include :

• Trends in agriculture including the rise of the ethanol and biofuels industry and its impact on farmers
• Trends in food retailing practices and their impacts on farmers and family farms
• Consumer movements such as the eating local movement and changes in nutrition fads
• International food activities including the rise of the Chinese food processing and exporting market, the recent changes to the Asian diet and the discrepancies in farm subsidies amongst various countries
• Industry profiles such as the dairy industry in New Brunswick or the cranberry industry across Canada
• Company profiles and their impact on the agriculture and food industries

I hope that I can provide valuable information and generate some interesting discussions and ideas and if you have any suggestions for discussion or topics to post, please feel free to contact me or post a comment on the blog.