Tashi Farmilo
Local Journalism Initiative

With challenges from climate change to high interest rates, three Pontiac farmers shared a mix of success stories and concerns as they evaluate this year’s season.

Scott Judd is co-owner of Glad Crest Farms and Little Red Wagon Winery in Shawville. Judd said his operations have never been better with cooperative weather giving an early start, a good amount of heat, and timely rains which produced great crops. He noted the price of feed went up, but it balanced out as the price of the grain they sell also increased.

However, Judd isn’t without concerns; purchasing more land is very expensive, and the need for efficiency and vigilance about minimizing spoilage or “shrink”.

Denise Fitzpatrick of L’Isle-aux-Allumettes has a dairy farm, beef cattle and cash crops. She emphasized the unpredictable weather this year influenced the maturity of the grains. She found hay production difficult.

One of Fitzpatrick’s major concerns is inflation; everything has increased in price. She also noted new farmers will experience these higher costs which may make starting from scratch nearly impossible unless one is exceptionally resourceful.

Lucas Kaiser, owner of Wendelin Farm, raises beef cattle in L’Isle-aux-Allumettes. He spoke of the difficulties of starting a farm in the modern age: initial investments can be prohibitively expensive and the shift towards larger farming operations means small-scale farmers face more challenges. For Kaiser, managing costs is paramount.

Despite the challenges, these farmers remain committed to their trade. Each emphasizes the importance of adaptation, efficiency, and innovative thinking in navigating the dynamic landscape of modern agriculture.