Colourful spring flowers are the forerunners for nutritious ‘showers’ of fresh, local Ontario fruit and produce at the Ontario Food Terminal (OFT) in Etobicoke.
The terminal operates year-round, hosting between 200 and 250 active farmers including winter-season growers, including for example, Den Boer Farms of Otterville or greenhouse tomato producers from the Leamington area. However, early-spring flower production has been a growing trend says OFT General Manager, Secretary Treasurer Bruce Nicholas.
Florals typically begin to arrive in mid and later April, he continued, in advance of asparagus’
May onset.
“And then the veggie guys start to take over through until October or November.”
The two are related by more than timing says Nicholas, with an increasing number of vegetable farmers adding flowers to production to provide an early cash infusion supporting their original horticultural crops’ production.
“So it works out quite well.”
OFT evolution is part of its operational position as arguably the most productive 40-acre agri-business-related property in the province. Five-point-six million pounds of fruits, vegetables and produce are distributed through its environs daily, 2.1-billion pounds annually. That impressive total could be multiplied by a factor of two or three when related direct-sales deliveries are considered.
“Those numbers are hard to quantify,” said Nicholas, although the terminal’s overall status amongst its peers is easier to define. “It’s probably top three in North America.”
The terminal is owned and operated under the Ontario Food Terminal Board, a self-funded (through fees) board-governed provincial agency under the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Employing a staff of 48, it provides direct connection between producers - including roughly 40 from Norfolk County who take advantage of the OFT - and over 5,000 buyers. Products passing through the OFT end up in destinations throughout Ontario and coast to coast from Newfoundland to Vancouver.
“And depending on price and the U.S. dollar we have guys who send stuff to the States,” said Nicholas.
Operationally, it’s a marketplace where producers truck and display their produce for buyers. It is not unusual even at this early phase of the year for 20 or 30 of the latter to be lined up at the OFT’s entrance at 2:30 a.m. waiting for 3 a.m. opening.
“In April,” Nicholas emphasized, noting numbers of buyers and length of their lineups pick up significantly as the growing season advances. “If you are selling something, wouldn’t you like to have a couple thousand people waiting to buy?”
The OFT does offer a crucial option or alternative outside of direct sales to chain stores, believes Nicholas.
“Where you determine what you’re bringing in, what price you’ll accept and meet the needs of the company.”
Its existence plays an important role in helping establish prices based on dynamic market supply and demand, benchmarks applicable and referenced throughout the industry.
“Even if they’re not selling there.”
Timeliness, quality and relationship with buyers are key components to sales. For example,
bringing the first loads of fresh, spring asparagus to the terminal is anticipated to result in a premium. Producers are paid within ten days, or alternatively says Nicholas, can request cash up-front on the day.
“And off you go hopefully with an empty truck and money in your pocket.”
It does take time to bring and sell produce through the OFT says Nicholas, however he considers the exercise both instructive and constructive. Beyond building productive relationships with buyers, farmers can also gain insight into market trends, including new products like for example, watermelon radishes.
“That’s what it’s all about.”
In establishing a nationally-scalable hub between Canadian producers and consumers, the terminal also provides a crucial component in national food security unaffected by border restrictions or politics.
“Do you want to be a country that relies on someone else’s food, or do you want to produce it yourself?” Nicholas concluded rhetorically.
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