Opinion
By Kevin Howe, a fifth-generation fruit and vegetable farmer in Elgin County, Ont.
Our family has been farming strawberries in Elgin County, Ontario since 1913 — over 110 years on the same land rotation. To our knowledge, we are the longest generational strawberry farm in the province. That kind of longevity doesn’t come from doing the bare minimum. It comes from stewardship — thoughtful, long-term decision-making that protects soil, water, and people.
We’ve never needed a government mandate to care for the land. We fertilize based on what the crop removes — not more, not less. I’ve heard both sides: that farmers over-fertilize and that they mine their soils. The truth is, good farming doesn’t do either. Our goal is balance — feeding the crop while protecting the land for the next generation. We adopt and innovate farming practices that improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and build long-term resilience into our land.
Stewardship isn’t a buzzword in agriculture — it’s part of the job description. It’s what every good farmer already does. Yet recent federal policy seems to treat stewardship as something that must be imposed on us from the outside—as though it’s not already core to who we are. That disconnect is more than frustrating. It’s insulting.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a wave of new frameworks and expectations placed on agriculture—some of them with good intentions, but without the on-the-ground understanding needed to make them workable. Whether it’s carbon pricing, fertilizer reduction mandates, new sustainability verification rules, or conversations around ESG-linked lending, the message is often the same: “We don’t trust you. You’ll need to prove yourself to us.”
The truth is, most farms in Canada — big or small — are still family-run. And whether you’re farming 10 acres or 10,000, the pressure to do more with less is real. Larger farms often lead the way in adopting precision agriculture and resource-saving technologies, while smaller farms are more agile and able to manage on a micro-scale. What unites us is a shared focus on producing safe, healthy food under growing environmental and financial pressure. And we’re still showing up every day to feed Canadians.
What we need from government isn’t more red tape. It’s policy that trusts and empowers local producers to keep doing what they do best — growing healthy food, responsibly and affordably.
There are simple, meaningful ways to do that. Start by ensuring policies reflect what’s actually happening on farms. Work with growers — not just distant consultants — when setting environmental goals. Support the programs that are already delivering results, like the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, which provides a reliable workforce and has helped many workers gain long-term opportunities in Canada.
And most importantly, reduce the cost pressures that make local food harder to produce. Rising input prices, carbon surcharges, and added compliance layers all trickle down into higher prices at the grocery store. We all want a more sustainable future—but if local farms can’t stay viable, we’ll lose the very people who are already leading that future.
This isn’t just about policy—it’s about perspective. The federal government should see local farms not as a sector to regulate, but as partners in feeding the country and protecting the land. We’re not asking for a blank cheque. We’re asking for room to do what we’ve proven we can do—feed people, care for the environment, and stay in business.
I’ve seen what happens when government programs grow beyond their capacity. We’ve all seen it—from payroll systems that couldn’t pay their own employees, to housing promises that can’t be delivered. When it comes to something as vital as food, let’s not repeat the same mistakes.
Sustainability can’t come from the top down. It starts at ground level—with the people who’ve been living it for generations.
