This female-powered family farm is not going to let a pandemic stop them
Ripple Trail Farm in Markland is run entirely by women
Farming in Newfoundland and Labrador is not for the faint of heart.
The season is short, the climate brutal, and the province is covered in grey Canadian shield, which makes digging and growing a chore at the best of times.
According to the 2016 Census of Agriculture, the average Canadian farmer is 55 years old and farms more than 800 acres of land. Farming just doesn't look like that here.
So, 800 acres of arable land is a pipe dream for most Newfoundland and Labrador-based producers — the land just isn't that fertile, and labour is hard to find. Instead of large-scale operations that sell to wholesalers, our provincial farms tend to be smaller and have the highest proportion of farms who sell directly to the consumer. For the most part, there's no middleman farming here.
A farm run by women
Farmers here also tend to look a bit different from the national average.
Take Ripple Trail Farm, for example. This is a farm run entirely by women: Karen Durfey is the main farmer and operator. Her sister, Nina Tucker, runs sales, bakes homemade bread to sell and is one of the production assistants.
The youngest sister, Liza-Ann Tucker, runs the farm's social media accounts, while Diane Meaney and Marilyn Lundrigan (an aunt) assist with sales and production. Finally, Karen's daughter, Kayla Durfey, has pitched in by working the farmer's market on weekends in St. John's, while Karen's mom, Winnie Tucker, makes jams and pickles to sell.
I told my mom I would give it five years and see what happens. That has now turned into 15 years.- Karen Durfey
"Mom'll help out with indoor work and fundraisers, but her outdoor farming days are done," Durfey said.
Ripple Trail Farm has done things like this for the past 15 years. The farm sits on 280 acres of land in Markland, and was officially founded by Bernard William Tucker.
"My husband and I came back to the province to work for my dad on the farm. My husband only stayed one year. He decided we needed a better income than the farm could provide, and it was not a good fit for him," Durfey said.
"I worked for Dad for seven years before he passed away and it was only fitting for me to keep the farm going. I told my mom I would give it five years and see what happens. That has now turned into 15 years."
While there was a time when folks assumed Karen was the farmer's wife, her customers now know she's the boss.
"Sometimes, if he goes with me to pick things up he will get spoken to first, but it doesn't happen as much now."
The farm looks much different since the women took over.
"Dad planted root vegetables ... especially cabbage. He did that mostly by hand. He sold vegetables door to door, and to wholesalers," she said.
Durfey has diversified the crops. "Now, the customers want more variety," she said. "So we try to grow a little bit of everything — kale, Swiss chard, fennel, herbs, tomatoes, cauliflower, and we do really well with squash in the fall. We also bought more farming equipment."
Karen and her team have also expanded the number of greenhouses, created a social media presence, started a roadside stand in Whitbourne, and have operated a farmer's market booth in St. John's. They also sell seedlings, hanging pots, flowers and bedding plants.
"I have the best team. Everyone is just a complete pro at their jobs," said Durfey.
"I also need to give a big thank you to my husband, who helps out from time to time, and our friend Obie Tucker, who gives us a hand. It's mostly women, but we put the men to work from time to time."
With the new business model, everyone had to learn new skills. Durfey laughed. "There was a time when my sister Nina wouldn't get her hands dirty. Now, she can drive the tractor and hitch up the trailer no problem," she said.
While COVID-19 is a concern for the women of Ripple Trail Farm, Durfey hopes it will encourage more people to support local farmers.
"I've already noticed that more folks seem to want to buy local. We've gotten so many calls about vegetable plants and seed potatoes," said Durfey.
"This is a small, close-knit community, so customers seem to want to support local businesses. We want to support our customers too — so we're making sure we have plenty planted."
While Durfey's family continues to build their legacy, Newfoundland and Labrador farms will continue to buck the national trend by focusing on the relationships that can be built once the soil has broken.
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