By Andy Walker andy@peicanada As far as Steve MacKinnon is concerned, the situation being faced by David and Brian Best is a tragedy on a number of levels. The district director of the National Farmers Union said throughout his farming career, David Best has put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Island economy. Now, MacKinnon said, the 73-year-old finds himself fighting for his economic survival. The Tryon farmers have turned to the Internet fundraising site Indiegogo in an attempt to raise $200,000 to satisfy their financial institution and avoid foreclosure. Since they were unable to obtain funding to put in this year’s crop, activity on the farm has ground to a virtual standstill. As of June 7, they had over $6,000 in pledges. MacKinnon said he knows the Best family well and realizes how difficult it was for them to take their story public. He understands their situation all too well, having faced his own financial problems a number of years ago, and he is thankful he was able to work out a solution with his lender. “I would like to see the financial institution sit down with the Bests and try to work something out,” said the district director. “It is in the bank’s best interest to have them farming.” Brian Best said his family struggled with the idea of telling their story. In the end, he is hoping the campaign will not only raise the funds to save their farm, but also raise awareness of the financial challenges facing producers. “It is well past time to start looking after the family farm or else they will be all gone,” Brian said. “It seems the trend now is towards bigger and bigger farms—bigger farms are not always more profitable but they always carry more debt.” Brian said one of the most frustrating aspects of the family’s situation is that it was caused in large measure by circumstances out of their control. The 400 acre farm was hit hard by PVYn in 1991 and, again, by the six month border closure caused by potato wart in 2000. They also suffered significant losses during a drought in 2008. While prices have fluctuated since the 1960’s and 1970’s, he said input costs like fertilizer and feed have continued to shoot up dramatically—in some cases by close to 2000 per cent from 1960. Currently, it costs close to $3000 to plant an acre of potatoes. “How can we as a society allow somebody to work for over 50 years for essentially nothing?” MacKinnon asked. “These are hard-working farmers that have generated thousands of dollars for the economy and they have not been able to keep enough for themselves.” He said the sad part is there are hundreds of other people across Canada in the same boat, and many have already exited the industry quietly or are just trying to hang on. “In farming today, if you are making $100 and spending $99 you are a rich man, but if you are spending $101 you are in trouble,” he said. “It’s not much of a difference.” Brian agrees, saying his family decided it was simply “not acceptable” to let the farm that has been in their family since 1934 go without a fight. Their Tryon roots actually go back considerably further than that—there have been members of the Best family working the soil in Tryon since the 1800’s. Back then, they had plenty of company. Now, they are the only potato farm in their immediate area. “Put yourself in the position of a young person who grew up on a farm and you are just considering what you are going to do in life,” MacKinnon said. “If you are watching this hard working family facing the real prospect of losing their farm, it’s not likely you are going to be thinking about farming and who could blame you.” Brian agrees, and both men said they fear what the state of the industry will be in five or ten years. Brian added, “I know the only thing we could take to the bank right now is two buckets of hope and, while hope may be good for the soul, it’s not much of a business plan.” As part of their campaign, the Bests are offering donors some perks. Any donation over $20 receives the recipes of David’s wife, Heather, for biscuits and cinnamon rolls that are reputed to be some of the best on the Island. Donations of $100 and over will receive recognition on the campaign’s Facebook page. Those contributing $500 are invited to stay at the farm for a weekend and a $1000 donation will entitle the giver to a weeklong stay. Donations can be made at indiegogo/projects/saving-best-acre-farms.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 20:41:02 +0000
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