Fall 2022
Dear World,
As the years have evolved, we have kind of (sort of) learned where our lane is in the market of food. Farmer's markets don’t work for us due to the inconsistency of sales; a typical Customer
Supported Agriculture (CSA) program doesn’t completely work as we are a bit too far away for people to volunteer; and people are very specific on what they like to receive. So what does this mean? Where do we fit?
Well, we fit in the world of relationships, word of mouth and our online ordering. We have an amazing team of great individuals that help us get your products to your door! It is simple and not complicated!
I could spend a lifetime apologizing for the hours I have made people wait for product, mistakes on invoicing, and any multitude of flaws I have made. However, learning is a lifetime adventure and I can say with 100% certainty that I have grown immensely in not just seeing farming through my very own passionate lenses, but through yours, our valued customers. I work hard to try and ensure that you understand what you are supporting when you support Meadow Creek Farms.
Twelve years ago I set out with the belief that a single woman could farm on her own without a husband, and friends, this may have been a little naïve on my part. To run a farm well, one needs to be at the farm almost non stop. It is indeed possible to run a farm without a husband, however, this requires trusted partners. Over the last several years though I have been lucky to work with some amazing women who continue to have my back and treat the farm as their own, respecting all the parts of our model and the work involved to ensuring that the quality of life for our animals and health of our soil are never compromised.
A lot of people talk about gardening and farming with an image of peaceful calm, and there are
moments that peaceful calm do indeed exist, however there are often days when the life of the farm is anything but calm. We work with our hands, our feet, our minds and our spirit to keep our nook in the north going. Gently observing how each person receives information and being respectful to each other.
Each person who works with us is given the opportunity to discover which parts of the work they gravitate to and like, and what they don’t like. Sometimes they have to participate in both parts, but always as a team. Sharing the ideas, opinions and knowledge that each of us possesses to try and make the best decisions in the most efficient way we can. “Doing the best we can with what we have and where we are at”!
When you support Meadow Creek Farms you are supporting fair wages for food produced in Alberta. When you look at coffee that is imported or any product that has the “Fair Trade” label, you do this in hopes that people are being treated fairly. Here at home that same standard matters. There is a lot of food in the market that comes from places where women are not treated well. Where farm workers are seen as lesser-than because they work the fields or barns and are not land-owners. When you become a part of the Meadow Creek Farms village, you will always know that you are supporting a farm that values each person and
treats them with dignity and respect.
Mandy does her best to keep prices as affordable as possible for you, while paying fair and respectable wages to her partners. Often people make suggestions of automation and ways to be more efficient and get things done quick and easy. Real care doesn’t always allow for a quick and easy fix. I could over-produce and use tractors to pull my garlic out of the ground, but instead we hand plant, hand weed, hand dig and work hard to never waver on quality over quantity. “The earth says much to those who listen”!
My lane has shown me over the years that food and the knowledge of food should not just be
something that temporary foreign workers understand, it should be something that is shared with our fellow Albertans and respected. As you drive our highways and visit our lakes and countryside, I ask you to consider the big picture when you choose where your food comes from! Fair wages matter in Alberta in food production just as they do anywhere in the world!
In solidarity,
Farmer Mandy