The agriculture industry has not been immune to the rapid changes that have taken place since the coronavirus, and subsequent chain of events have taken hold in our country and globally. From an ag perspective, we see things on the news like dairy dumping, animal euthanization, entire fields of lettuce being rolled over rather than harvested, and food rationing at the store for certain items that are still in abundant supply. Then, we had a run on vegetable seeds and all things related to growing a garden, the list could really go on and on. I was thankful I stocked up on seeds months before that happened and that our seed supplier was only selling to commercial growers for a period of time so we could get the rest of our supplies before things were sold out. Nonetheless, there has been a serious disruption to our food system, folks. I think we all realize that. I’ll be honest, until the last few years I was not a huge “buy local” proponent; I was more of a “what is the best deal” person. Let’s be real, the best value usually comes from China, Mexico, or some other country that has much lower wages. If this pandemic has showed me anything it is how unsustainable, how easily disrupted, our current food system is. “Local” and “sustainable” has a much deeper meaning to me now on so many levels, and I hope it does to you, too. I hope this crazy time has helped us all realize more than ever how much we need to be supporting our neighbors and community members, our local farmers and small business owners. It is these supporters that have helped Bear Canyon Farm to establish and operate, and we are thankful for each and every person that has worked with us, bought from us, or one way or another been a part of making this farm happen. I am thankful there were people who valued “local” long before I did, and have been willing to support and encourage this step of faith we took three years ago to establish this farm.
Because of these people—you know who you are!—we are able to be a small part of providing sustainability and stability to our local food market. For example, Town and Country relies heavily on local garlic producers for their supply. After that supply has been exhausted, they have to order from China. When COVID-19 disrupted that supply chain, their store when several weeks without garlic to offer their customers. Being a small piece of that local supply for them is huge, but is realized even more when systems are disrupted like we have been experiencing most recently. This year will be selling a variety of produce through CSAs, at the farmer’s market, and through Town and Country as well as other local small businesses. If you want an awesome rhubarb pie, Elle’s Belles will now be making theirs with rhubarb from Bear Canyon Farm! Aside from working on marketing our products, we have plants transplanted, seeds seeded, trees blooming and even the honeyberries made it through a harsh fall and some of the little plants have some beautiful little blooms on them! The garlic looks awesome, the asparagus and rhubarb is being harvested and hopefully we have had the last of the spring snow fall for Bozeman! Our season is getting busy and we want you all to know how much we appreciate your support. Buy local. Support your neighbors. If you are in the area, sign up for our CSA this season! bearcanyonfarm.com/csa
