You Gotta Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada

While the escalating price of food is on just about everyone's mind these days, I thought I'd take the opportunity to show you where some of the costs come in.

My husband and I are small farmers here in Cedar, a small village outside of Nanaimo.  While our main cash crop is high quality local hay any field crop would incur similar costs in fuel.  In order to manage our small acreage we have had to invest in equipment, some new some used.  The new carbon tax applies to diesel used for farm equipment as well as road vehicles.  Fertilizer has escalated from about $500 per ton to over $1 000.  The small hayfield in the photos easily takes three tons each spring.  When jobs are too big for our farm equipment, a local person brings their equipment at $80 per hour but rates have to go up for him as well.

This year we were lucky with our timing and got the hay cut, baled and in the barn before the rain last night.  Those who cut a day or so later than us believing the weather reports of no rain until Friday have soggy hay that will be of poor quality.  They can't put it into their barns either because wet hay will heat up and burn the barn down. 

I'm not complaining here mind you.  We've chosen to farm after successful careers in the city.  I just thought I'd remind you that when you look at the prices for farm products, the farmers have escalating costs as well.