June 2010 Newsletter for Seniors on Vancouver Island

Officially summer began last Monday, June 21st, but the temperatures over the past month or so in the mid Island gave no indication of its imminent arrival. One of the effects of this has been the very limited amount of choice in fruit and vegetables at our local farmers market. Over the past week or so however the night time temperature has risen and the result was a much better selection of products this morning at Qualicum’s farmers market. This was true of both variety and volume.

On the basis of this I would like to once again say a big thank you to all our Island farmers who work incredibly hard so that we have the luxury of buying fresh, locally grown produce. There is not much that we as consumers can do to help them in the challenges they face with the weather and on the ongoing battle with natural predators in order remain, where ever possible, ‘organic’. There is one thing that we can do however, and that it to buy as much as we can from our Island Farmers, either directly from them at the farm gate, or through farmers market.

We desperately need Island farmers. Without them this Island would be much poorer. The family farm, which has historically been the cornerstone of Canadian society, is in grave danger of disappearing altogether both here on the Island and right across the country. I understand we now only produce about 4% of the food that we consume here on Vancouver Island. What are we doing to ourselves? As a people we need fresh locally grown food a hell of lot more that we need more blacktop or cheaper imports. We need to secure the land base on which to farm and to create the security of a ready and appreciative consumer base for our current farmers and to encourage young people that there is a future for the family farm on Vancouver Island. It is time to face up the reality that quality is paramount, both in the food that we eat and in the communities that we wish to live in.

Buy Island, and don’t quibble on the price, because if we don’t pay and support Island Farmers now we will pay a terrible price later.