Jefferies Brothers Vegetable Farm has been operating for more than 50 years, and today the farm is thriving under second-generation leadership. Owner Roland Jefferies says the past few months have brought plenty of challenges, but also plenty to celebrate.
“Everyone knows there’s been a lot of rain this summer, but we’re fortunate we can irrigate. We’re right beside the Assiniboine River, so we have access to lots of water. Crop looks good, and let’s just hope for a good fall to bring it off,” adds Jefferies.
The farm, first incorporated in 1968, continues to carry on a family tradition. Jefferies explains that the switch to the second generation happened only a few years ago, bringing the operation back to being run by brothers.
Weather and its impact
Rainfall has been a mixed blessing this summer. While some storms dumped several inches at once, the fields managed to handle it well after dry conditions earlier in the year.
“The five inches of rain was bad, but overall, the ground was so dry it absorbed it really well. And we’ve had some rain here and there just to kind of keep the moisture level up. So overall, I’d say it’s been good,” continues Jefferies.
Market challenges
Farmers everywhere keep a close eye on what’s happening south of the border, but Jefferies says his farm hasn’t felt much impact yet.
“We haven’t seen it really. You know, equipment prices are going up, maybe some inputs and supplies have gone up, but overall, it hasn’t yet. So, we’ll have to kind of wait and see,” says Jefferies.
A hardworking team
Much of the work on the farm is powered by dedicated employees who return year after year. Jefferies Brothers relies heavily on the federal temporary foreign worker program, bringing in crews from Mexico who play a vital role in harvesting.
“We rely heavily on the temporary foreign worker program. We bring in lots of workers from Mexico. We’re all kind of a giant family here. Some of these guys have been coming for over 20 years, so they’re doing a lot of the physical hand harvesting work,” said Jefferies. “It’s hard to find local help to do that. So that’s where these guys come in. And then we have specialized guys for tractors, irrigation, harvest and it takes a lot of hands to get the crop out."
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Looking ahead
As the farm shifts into fall, Jefferies says the focus will remain on harvesting and packing produce through the colder months.
The Jefferies Brothers Vegetable farm was yesterday's winner of the Harvest Lunch contest on Portageonline, and as a small thank you were taken lunch from Boston Pizza Portage.
With files from Brittany Boschman
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