On Wednesday this week we were honored to attend and be the beneficiaries of the First Annual Gasoline Alley Farmers’ Market Fundraiser. This summer after the big hailstorm that came through our farm Lindsay Beaulieu from ilovemocrogreens got the idea of organizing an event to help us out with some financial relief.
It feels quite humbling and even a bit humiliating for me to receive help (super silly, I know). I wrestle with that stubborn old mentality that says I can do it all myself (which definitely isn’t true). But this event was so fun! And everyone was so kind, and I feel so happy that my wife MacKenzie and I attended. Several members of the Steel Pony Farm team also attended. It was fun for us to get together outside of work and to put on some fancy clothes.
I want to express my gratitude to the many vendors and staff from the Gasoline Alley Farmers’ Market who donated their time and products toward the meal and the silent auction. The meal was delicious! It is possible to eat very very well, even in November, based on produce and meat raised in Central Alberta.
If you are so inclined, one way that you can help to say thanks, on behalf of Steel Pony Farm, is to visit the Gasoline Alley Farmers Market this weekend and support the vendors there. That market is full of a lot of great products and people.
At the event I talked about crop insurance and why it is not currently accessible for small farmers like me. This largely comes down the provincial and federal governments subsidizing 60% of crop insurance premiums for commodity farmers but not offering any subsidization at all for small vegetable farmers. The premiums are very expensive and without that government support the price is untenable – I actually don’t know of any small vegetable farmers in Alberta or anywhere else who carry crop insurance. T
his lack of government support can change if we apply the right public pressure. If the government gets the signal that the people want a change and that our local farmers are important to the fabric of Alberta, then they will focus on supporting us. You can help by writing a hand written letter to your MLA.
How you Can Help
Please help us to promote the important issue of crop insurance for small farmers with our local representatives. You can hand write a personal letter to your local MLA, the Minister of Agriculture, the Premier and Canada’s Minister of Agriculture. Handwritten letters go much further than emails in terms of getting the attention of your elected representatives.
Here are some ideas that you can include in your letter:
- Why you value local foods
- Why you value local farms
- Why small farms and market gardens are important to your family
- Remember, real people read these letters so and personal stories you may have about my farm or any other farm in the area have the most impact.
Who to Write To
Find your local MLA here: https://www.assembly.ab.ca/members/members-of-the-legislative-assembly
To Write to Nate Horner the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation:
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
Member of Executive Council
Executive Branch
131 Legislature Building 10800-97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
Email: aginfocentre@gov.ab.ca
Email: nhorner@unitedconservative.ca
To Write To the Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith
Office of the Premier
307 Legislature Building
10800-97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
Email: premier@gov.ab.ca
To Write to the Federal Minister of Agriculture, The Honorable Marie-Claude Bibeau, MP:
1341 Baseline Road
Ottawa, ON K1A 0C5
Email: Marie-Claude.Bibeau@parl.gc.ca
Customization cut off time - your box is open for customization until this Sunday at 10:00 pm. Please take a look at what is in your box and make any adjustments necessary.
Referral Program - Did you know that we have a referral program? Each time you refer a new customer to us each of you will receive a $25 credit. Once you are logged into your account you will see a "Refer a friend" tab at the top of your page. Click on that and share the link. When someone signs up using that link you will both automatically have a $25 added to your account. Here is a quick how to if you need more help: https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044975613
Missing Items - Please let us know about any packing errors so that we can give you a credit for any missed items. Please reach out to info@steelpony.ca to let us know about missed items.
Quality - if any items you receive from us are not up to your standards please let me know so that we have a chance to make things right for you.
Setting preferences - if you haven't already set your preferences - and even if you haven't done so recently - doing so will help you to get the most out of this program. Here is information on setting your preferences - https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021794754-How-do-preferences-work-
Home Delivery - if you have signed up for home delivery and don't expect to be home on Thursday afternoon you can leave a cooler out for us to put your order into. If the forecast is cold, putting a hot water bottle into your cooler will help to keep the chill off.
Missed pick ups - if you know in advance that you will not be able to make it to your pick up please reschedule or cancel your order through your Harvie account. Here is a how to on doing that. https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001542514-How-to-skip-reschedule-or-change-a-delivery-location. You can make these changes until the customization cut off period on Sunday night at 7:00pm.
If after the cut off period you learn that you are not able to pick up, please let me know via email at mike@steelpony.ca or text at 403-506-3634. Please do not contact drop site hosts about missed pick ups.
Any orders that are not picked up 24 hours after the pick up window will be donated or used as we see fit in order to minimize waste.
Thanks so much for working with us to support the local economy, strengthen the local supply chain, and connect farmers and producers with eaters.
Enjoy!
