Know Your Farmer / Beekeeper

My dad was a farmer, the old fashioned kind of farmer who did a little bit of everything. We had crop land that was planted primarily with cereals (wheat, oats, barley), some cows, pigs, and chickens, a menagerie of wild cats, and, Rusty, the farm dog. And, yes, we had the odd horse but dad really never considered them farm animals: they were a luxury item used for entertainment purposes. Mom was a fabulous gardener having inherited her father’s green thumb. She had a massive fruit garden, a vegetable garden, and flowers everywhere.

My siblings and I grew up in an agricultural area and knowing where our food came from was as natural as breathing. Our food came from the animals we raised and the garden we helped plant and weed which was located right outside the front door. We were intimately acquainted with the hard work a farm required and the devastation that could result from a hailstorm or a badger in the chicken coop. The majority of the food we ate came from our own farm.

Fast forward way too many years and I can still proudly say YES, I do know where most of my food comes from and I know the farmers. We purchase our beef from Steve and Connie at Triple Hill Farms, our pork comes from Gruenthal Valley Meats, Rachael delivers farm fresh eggs every week, the chickens and turkeys come from the Beechy Hutterite Colony. I’ve been to all of these farms. I’ve spoken with all of these farmers and I trust how they are growing and raising their animals.

I KNOW WHERE A LOT OF OUR FOOD COMES FROM AND I KNOW the FARMERS!

I grind most of our whole wheat flour with wheat from a local farmer. I buy raspberries from Linda at Treasure Valley Farms (they got very little rain this spring), and a significant amount of our vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, peas, corn, beets, broccoli, strawberries, and saskatoons) come from Paul and Brenda at the Hutterite Colony. On numerous occasions my family and I have meandered the 9 ares of garden they so carefully tend. We know that the raspberries this year were diseased and needed to be plowed under and we’ve seen them on their hands and knees pulling weeds to minimize the amount of chemicals used in the garden.

I love it when people ask us about our bees and how we manage our operation. They, too, want to know where their food comes from and the process involved. As often as we can, we say “yes” to anyone who wants to come and tour our apiaries and/or extraction plant. Please…come and see how we do it and feel confident in the process that gets the honey from our hives onto your piece of toast.