It was a bit unusual for Wakamow Valley Authority staff to do the spring planting at the Mosaic Community Food Farm without the help of volunteers this year, but the seeds are in the ground and working to provide just as much produce to the farm’s partner organizations as any other year.
The Mosaic Community Food Farm usually holds a spring planting day in late May, where a large group of volunteers from local organizations around the city come out and plant the garden space over the course of a day.
This year, however, the pandemic’s safe physical distancing measures meant that volunteers weren’t able to help plant the food farm this year. Instead, staff stepped up and took care of the work.
“This year we just had staff doing the planting, so it's taken us a little longer but it’s also keeping everyone safe,” said Todd Johnson, general manager at the Wakamow Valley Authority.
The decrease in volunteer help didn’t change how much of the garden was planted this year, as staff did a staggered planting over several days to ensure that the food farm would produce as many fruits and veggies as usual.
Because planting was spread out over several days, harvesting the produce in the fall will also look a little different. Johnson and the staff are expecting to see one larger harvest, with several smaller, staggered harvests interspersed throughout August and September.
“We’ll be able to spread the items [produced] out over the summer, rather than in one large harvest,” said Johnson. “So we’ll be able to provide the [partnered] organizations with food in stages rather than one big lump sum.”
It's unclear about whether volunteers will be allowed to help with the harvest season, said Johnson, as that decision will depend on what changes in the COVID-19 situation between now and then.
With volunteers or without, staff are prepared to complete the harvest at Mosaic Food Farm themselves — which is expected to be in the usual range of over 5,000 pounds of produce again this year.
All of the produce will once again be distributed to local charity organizations that provide food security in Moose Jaw, including the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank, Hunger in Moose Jaw, the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council, and Riverside Mission.
Mosaic Potash has agreed to be the core sponsor of the food farm project for another two years, and Johnson is glad to have the continued support from such a valued partner, especially during a year like this one.
“Mosaic has been fantastic with this whole thing, they’ve really provided us with the ability to do this,” said Johnson. “We’re just excited to still be able to plant a garden and make sure that we can feed people and make sure that in this difficult time, we’re there to help.”
The Mosaic Food Farm is located on the south end of Wakamow Valley, and those interested can stay updated with the season by checking out the food farm’s Facebook page.
