Ontario women farmers

When Patricia Van Diepen was in her mid-40s, she decided to leave her home in London, buy an old tobacco field in Otterville, Ont., and transform it into Plaid Shirt Farms. 

At the farm, she grows a variety of berries on 30 acres of land and turns the fruits into homemade vinaigrettes, juices and jams — with as little artificial sugar or chemicals as possible.

“I think people are wanting more healthy foods, things to level out their sugars and stabilize,” said Van Diepen, who sells her products on Fridays at the Masonville Farmers’ Market in London.

“Sugar is still required because it brings out the flavour of the fruit as well, so it’s a fine balance.”

It’s a balance Van Diepen said is important to strike because staying on top of customer trends is helping keep the farm she owns with her husband, afloat. 

The rising costs of fuel and fertilizer, paired with the extreme heat, are hitting farmers hard, including Van Diepen and her husband, who opened their farm in 2017. They don’t go to restaurants as much and they don’t take holidays to help make ends meet.

“We’re continually being squeezed, which is a challenge,” said Van Diepen. Despite the challenges, she said new and loyal customers help keep her dream of running the berry farm a reality.

Margo Denison, 19, is an intern at New Moon Community Homestead in Ailsa Craig, Ont. She dreams of one day running her own farm, but she knows getting into the industry can be costly.

“I feel like unless you’re with generational wealth working on a family farm already, it’s so difficult to get into,” said Denison.

She said her grandfather had to sell his dairy farm because nobody was able to take it over, but she hopes to one day revive the farm and work in the dairy goat or cow industry. 

She encourages people from urban areas to volunteer at farms, even if it’s just for a day. Learning about the farm’s daily operations can help foster appreciation among people outside of the industry.

“We’re feeding everyone, we’re raising the next generation of farmers,” she said. “I think it’s absolutely amazing how we’re giving back to the community.”

Shelley Hunter and her husband started Ataboy Farms in St. Marys, Ont., 20 years ago. They couldn’t find many stores that sold locally-grown garlic, so they decided to do it themselves. Ataboy Farms now sells a variety of dips, dressings and sauces.

Hunter has also found more customers searching for healthier products, and that they enjoy meeting and connecting with farmers in person. But rising operational costs are posing a challenge to the business.

“All of our herbicides costs have went way up, our fuel costs to run all of our tractors, so we’re at the mercy of that,” she said. 

“Yet on the other end, we can’t really sell it for much more because there’s only the price [that] people will pay.”

Diane Janssens, owner of Janssens Farm Fresh Produce in Appin, Ont., has been farming since 1984. New forms of technology, including tapping credit cards to buy produce instead of paying in cash, are learning curves Janssens wouldn’t have expected decades ago. But, she’s happy to serve her customers in whichever ways she can.

The Masonville Farmers’ Market gave 16 women, including Janssens, certificates to honour the work they do for people in their community.

“It’s a nice feeling, yeah,” said Janssens. “I’ll frame it and hang it up in my farm market at home.”