The last few weeks have been a little unusual for me - at least, unusual in the context of life since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since all this began, it’s been relatively quiet and I’ve been able to just concentrate on farming. And I have to admit, I’m enjoying it.

As a sector, we were successful in being able to get workers here for this year and we’ve had great collaboration from the provincial government, public health units and growers to make sure every worker who wants to be vaccinated is able to do so. So far, too, this year, we’ve been spared the outbreaks that plagued our sector in the earlier days of this pandemic.

It’s not to say that getting this season underway hasn’t been stressful. Many of us have endured a lot of stress, complication, and expense as a result of the pandemic and getting workers here, and there are still a lot of unknowns about what comes next. How long will vaccinations last? Will there be another wave or are we finally coming out the other side of this pandemic? What will next year bring? 

For the time being, though, it feels almost like we’ve gone back to a somewhat normal life after the high speed everyone has been running on for the last year. It’s something we’ve all been looking forward to as an industry and as an organization after the huge effort everyone has been through the last 16 months so we could continue to run our farms and grow food for Canadians. 

Now, like every other year before COVID-19, we’re mostly back to worrying about Mother Nature and what curve balls she might have up her sleeve to throw our way. 

As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s time to evaluate the needs of the sector and if and how those have changed in the last two years. Issues such as labour, crop protection and safety net programming continue to be key priorities for the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), but it’s also important to stay on top of societal trends and attitudinal shifts.

Climate change and environmental concerns were already growing in importance before the pandemic, but as we look to the sweltering heat waves in British Columbia and the western United States, we know these are rapidly becoming top-level priorities. 

California fruit and vegetable growers are once again dealing with historic drought, and ensuing water shortages are causing some to shift what they produce or even stop production altogether. That state is a leading produce supplier to much of North America and as other markets we depend on also experience climate-based disasters, it highlights more than ever the absolute necessity of being able to produce as much of our own food as possible. 

What will that look like in the future as we also deal with climate-based impacts on our production? How will that affect our needs for crop protection, labour or even safety net programming? Last year marked the first time that labour shortages were included as a peril for crop insurance, for example. 

The pandemic has shown Canada and the world what happens if you’re unprepared for a crisis, reduce long-term infrastructure investments and lack surge capacity to respond to emergencies of longer duration. 

Food production is not something that can be ramped up overnight. It takes time and money to plant trees or vines, build packing and storage infrastructure, and develop processing capacity. We need to look at how we can identify issues and problems so we can be better prepared for the next crisis, whatever it may be, that will come our way. 

That means as an organization and as an industry, we can’t take our foot off the gas. We have to stay engaged and at the table to make sure our voice is heard where policy is being developed and decisions are being made. 

And we’ll make sure we do that -- but for these few weeks, I’m appreciating just being able to focus on farming again.