By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
Fall is around the corner following a long, hot, and relatively dry summer season. There are many things we associate with the fall, from pulling out your favourite hoodie, to heading out to the many fairs and events that come with the change in seasons. In a community so heavily steeped in agricultural tradition, fall is synonymous with one thing above all others: harvesting season.
However, despite the popular idea of the fall harvest, many farms, including Richardson’s Farm and Market in Dunnville, are continuously harvesting all year long: “In the fruit and vegetable industry we’re harvesting from spring to fall. Harvest season isn’t really a season, it’s an all-year job. There’s always something to pick, something to pack, and something to weed,” said James Richardson on the sprawling nature of his family farm’s operations.
This year’s first harvest started with maple syrup at the end of February, before moving into rhubarb in May, strawberries throughout the summer and fall, and a wide variety of other fruits and vegetables in between, including sweet corn, tomatoes, melon, cucumbers, fall raspberries, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, peppers, corn, and soybeans.
It’s a lot to keep up with, even on a good day.
“The fruit and vegetable industry is very different than if you’re talking to a grain farmer, where most things are mechanically harvested. In our industry, pretty much everything is hand-harvested,” said Richardson.
The harvesting process for a crop begins with a keen eye for detail, and knowing the right time to act: “Strawberries are pretty easy, you can see when they’re ripe and ready to go. Cantaloupes will be green, green, green in the patch and then – boom – they’ll be yellow. We know at that point they’re ripe. Cucumbers can be harvested anywhere from an inch long up to five or six inches,” explained Richardson.
He continued, “Tomatoes we like to pick when they’re red, but if we’re going to a grocery store or wholesaler with them, they might be pink. Gourds and pumpkins you want to harvest before they overripen. Sweet corn you want it where the kernel is tender, sweet, and juicy. They all have a different metric, but for us in the fruit and vegetable industry, it’s about getting it before they’re too old.”
He outlined the difference in his chosen industry compared to grain and commodity farmers, where soybeans and other crops can mature and be left standing in the field for weeks, if not months: “For us, things are more perishable, so you have to be sure you’re harvesting them at the peak of their ripeness.”
He said the number one challenge in getting the harvesting process right is having the right amount of labour at the right times of the year.
“We had about 28 people on the payroll last run – that doesn’t include my wife and I, but it includes six guys from Mexico…. They are the base of our workforce; they’re here from spring to fall…. These guys are awesome. They’re part of our family and we treat them as such. They are an integral part of our operation, and I would say that goes for most family operations that use migrant workers.”
Richardson said they can go into a field of corn and pick out those cobs that are ‘bang on’, adding, “It comes from experience.”
He made sure to also praise his farm’s 22 Canadian workers: “Some are students heading back to school, we’ve also got some young people that will be around in the fall, and we’ve got two girls who are full time with us right through the winter.”
Successfully growing such a wide variety of crops takes near constant vigilance, and a light foot to adapt to new challenges as they present themselves.
“This year, water was one of our biggest issues. It was so dry in June and July, we were working at getting the right amount of moisture to our crops. We were watering 24/7 almost – and then there’s watching for pests. Whether it’s weeds or insects, it’s about being on top of that,” said Richardson. He noted the fruit flies that go after strawberries and raspberries as an example. “We can use organic products or pesticides to control those, or else we have soft, unmarketable fruit. You have to pay attention to the details, which is easier if you’re doing one crop versus 18.”
Once harvested, the various fruits and vegetables are distributed in various ways, with Richardson’s hosting an on-farm market that sells fresh fruit and vegetables, in addition to a variety of in-house homemade dishes and baked goods. They are open year-round, offering fresh Ontario produce even in the coldest months of the year.
Additionally, fruit and veggie farmers typically make use of the various farmer’s markets in the area, and then a large portion of their crops go to wholesalers. For Richardson’s, this includes Cayuga and Hagersville Foodland, and a wholesaler in Niagara Falls that supplies certain No Frills and Food Basics in Niagara and Hamilton: “There’s no contracts with anyone. We aren’t guaranteed a price on any of our product; it’s all supply and demand.”
Once a crop has been fully harvested and distributed, it’s time to prep for next year. Richardson said that they are already tilling up the ground and planting a cover crop of tillage radishes on the field where they just harvested a crop of sweet corn. Richardson explained the methodology behind the use of cover crops.
“The main radish is about an inch or two in diameter, and the roots will be about a foot long, with the tap root going down into the soil up to four feet. That opens up that soil, aerates it, and lets water in through the winter so it’s ready to go next spring. We use buckwheat as a cover crop as well. It’s about keeping something green and the soil growing. We’ll take samples to see if the soil needs lime or extra nutrients, putting manure to increase the organic matter and soil health, which is a year-round process. We never really stop preparing the soil.”
A salute to the hard-working fruit and vegetable farmers of Haldimand County. You keep us fed, and you do it with style, serving up a bountiful selection of delicious, healthy food grown right in our own backyard. Here’s to a successful “harvesting season” for all.
Bottom three photos courtesy of Richardson’s Farm & Market.
