Farmers are thankful for harvests, community, and a sense of normalcy
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canadian families will spend time with one another during Thanksgiving celebrations this weekend.
Before digging into a delicious meal of turkey, ham, and other holiday staples, many people will take a moment to reflect on the year and say thank you to the people and things which helped contribute to the year’s success.
With that at top of mind, Farms.com connected with some Ontario producers to discuss what they are thankful for this year.
Carolyn Huber, a beef producer from Thunder Bay, is grateful for the feed she and her husband Mike were able to harvest this year.
“As the crop was growing this summer, it didn’t look like yields were going to be all that great,” she told Farms.com. “But as we got into the middle and inside of the fields, we are blown away by how well the crop grew given the circumstances we had this summer.”
Huber and farmers in her area dealt with severe drought conditions this year.
So much so that Thunder Bay was added to the districts covered under the Northwestern Livestock Emergency Assistance Initiative.
Huber is also thankful for the local farming community.
The Hubers moved to Thunder Bay two years ago from Mount Forest after attending a Beef North tour with Beef Farmers of Ontario.
The ag community has welcomed the Hubers with open arms, Carolyn said.
“We’re still relatively new to the area and we’ve got farmers reaching out to us, asking us how we’re doing and offering to help us get comfortable with our new surroundings,” she said. “People in the community here would give you the shirt off their backs, and we are so thankful to be surrounded by such great people.”
Other farmers celebrating a sense of a return to normalcy.
Todd Arthur, a cash crop producer from Middlesex County, was on his way to an in-person meeting when Farms.com contacted him.
“It’s great to be able to attend these meetings again, see old faces and feel like things are back to normal,” he said.
His normal activities include hockey.
He’s an executive with the Thamesford Trojans of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“I’m glad we’re playing hockey again,” he said. “Getting people back into the local rinks to watch local hockey is a great feeling and an important part of our community.”
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Farms.com!