KATHERINE MCDOWELL
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING, ETC)
I am the harvest and planting leader on an eight acre organic vegetable farm.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FARMING?
I just completed my fourth season.
WHAT INITIALLY BROUGHT YOU TO THE FIELDS?
I graduated high school and was accepted into a university for environmental science but I ended up taking a gap year and exploring that field more. I did internships and volunteered in many of the different aspects of environmental science-- water quality lab work, environmental activism, land and trail conservation, food rescue and then volunteered on a small scale organic farm and it just felt so right. Physically working hard out in the elements everyday, connected to the land and weather felt good, and I love how everyday is different but there's a cyclical rhythm to the seasons and always things to look forward to. I proceeded to do an apprenticeship at that first farm and worked full time and then have worked on several different small-scale sustainable farms since.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FARM FOR SOMEONE ELSE (NOW OR IN THE PAST?)
I appreciate working on other people's farms for the learning experience. Every farmer farms differently depending on environmental factors and just personal preference and I love that. That there is no one way to grow a carrot. I love not only working on but also visiting different farms and talking with farmers about their methods and tricks and then continuing on in my farming journey and piecing together what works best in the different situations I work in.
WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES FOR FARMERS WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S FARM - ISSUES THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED?
Decisions are often made from at the top by people who may not be as involved with the everyday workings on the farm.. It is just expected that the employees carry out these changes when they may not even be physically possible while your ideas on how things may run more smoothly are not always heard or implemented.
There's the whole instability of seasonal work and of not always having a year-long position and being out of work during the winter. Wages have never been high in farming, especially if you're not an owner or manager -- we're all barely living off of minimum wage usually. And then some farm cultures have 12+ hour days during peak season, days off just don't happen and burnout is so easy. Too often there is a push, especially during peak season, to go way too fast and power through the burnout because everything is about sales. I think too often even small-scale farms are operating with the bigger and better mentality of big commercial ag and not concentrating on the well fare of themselves and their team during the peak months. Like what if we all concentrated on doing the size and amount we knew we can handle and do it well?
CAN YOU TELL ME THE QUALITIES OF A DREAM FARM NOT LEADING TO OWNERSHIP - THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK ON?
I think this is something I am very much still thinking about. I have really liked working on different models of farms and finding what I like best about each but I feel like there is still a lot I want to investigate and experience. I know I always want to work with a small - medium sized team where there is smooth communication and open dialogue between all roles. I like the designation of roles where everyone is using their skills to do their part to contribute to the whole and one person doesn't have to keep track of it all. I think too I've more enjoyed farms with educational motives, where there is an emphasis on bringing in interns or volunteers and providing opportunities for the public to come and learn. Farms that are less driven by sales and more driven by the movement of increasing the availability, accessibility and awareness of local food.
“I think too often even small-scale farms are operating with the bigger and better mentality of big commercial ag and not concentrating on the well fare of themselves and their team during the peak months. Like what if we all concentrated on doing the size and amount we knew we can handle and do it well?”
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
The joys of watching things grow, munching on the best fresh food everyday, the weirdo veggies, not having to buy produce during the warm seasons, the great people this work attracts, the deep weeding conversations, getting to be dirty, walking around barefoot, feeling satisfyingly tired at the end of the day, being out under the sun and rain and elements, the number of times a season I stand in the field and look around and cannot believe that I am so lucky to do this and be out here everyday and get paid for it -- just how alive I feel when I do this work.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE DIFFERENCE (IF ANY) BETWEEN A FARMER AND A "FARM WORKER"/"FARM EMPLOYEE" BESIDES PROPRIETORSHIP?
I honestly have not thought much about this, but my initial thought is that a farm employee is maybe more attached to a single farm, has been employed there for a while, where farm worker sounds more temporary/seasonal?
DO YOU CALL YOURSELF A FARMER? WHY OR WHY NOT.
I do call myself a farmer and I feel like it's become a very central part of my identity. Honestly it made me feel so good when I got to fill out my first government form and list farmer as my occupation. It's what I'm proud of doing, what my passion is, what grounds and fuels me. Sometimes, in the winter months if I'm not farming, there's almost a feeling of loss of identity. Haha farming is life I suppose.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WORKING ON FARMS NOT THEIR OWN?
Year-long position opportunities. Liveable wages. Days off during the peak season. Reasonable hours. Meetings where staff is heard and involved in decisions.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FARMING? WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
Something I think a lot about is how much I bring my job home with me. I am constantly thinking about how best to structure the next day, or answering messages from the sales team or updating logs when I get home and on the weekends and it's definitely something that takes a toll. It's mentally tiring. A past manager once said to me that it's not you never work a day in your life if you are doing what you love, it's you never work harder, and it's so true. I really love what I do and hence I spend a lot of energy on it. Sometimes it really takes over my life and I've been coming to realize I need to balance my life better and take time to step back from work. Sometimes I am too passionate about it and forget to let myself have time to just be and relax and do other things I enjoy.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION/TAKE ON THE FARMER LUNCH? (DO YOU TAKE LUNCH, DO YOU SKIP LUNCH, DO YOU ENJOY TAKING LUNCH WITH YOUR CREW - FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING, IS THERE PRESSURE TO BE SOCIAL....)
Hahaha I love this question. When it's just me, I tend to be the farmer who just keeps going and wants to get as much as possible done before lunch and then lunch ends up getting pushed way back into the day until I get shaky and literally need to stop. Fortunately I have tended to work with teams who actually care about all of our well-being and ask to take lunch. I really love the situation with lunch at the farm I'm at currently -- right around noon each day, leaders check in with each other on the walkie talkies to see if we're all at a good stopping point and then we all break together for a full hour and eat. No matter how crazy the day is, we always take a strict hour. A full hour sounds long, but it's a chance for us to rest, refuel and stretch. Owners, leaders and crew all eat together at our long table in the shade of the trees and this is the time of day where hierarchy doesn't matter. We're all just humans hanging out together and honestly I think this has cultivated the really great team environment we have.