Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
As Mother’s Day is on Sunday (don’t forget!), Farms.com reached out to women in Ontario’s ag community to find out the best part about either being a farm mom or growing up with one.
Peggy Brekveld, vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and a dairy farmer from Thunder Bay, enjoyed watching her mom in the barns.
“Her happiest place was being in the barn,” she told Farms.com. “She would rather be there than in the house and I am inspired by her. I know how much work there was in the barn but I knew my mother loved it with her whole heart. It’s because of her I have a deep appreciation for all those who love to work with animals.”
For Nancy Noble, a cash crop producer from Dufferin County, growing up with a farm mom brings back pleasant memories.
“The homecooked meals and baking were always amazing,” she told Farms.com. “But the best part about having a farm mom is that I got to spend lots of time with her.”
The best part about being a farm mom for Gayle Bogart, a cash crop grower from Elgin County, is the amount of time spent outside.
“I love being in the wide-open spaces with nature all around,” she told Farms.com. “Being on a farm, you can look around and always see birds, livestock and other beautiful animals.”
Jenny Groenheide, a beef producer from Thunder Bay, grew up on the farm that she and her husband now run.
Spending time on the farm with her mom allowed Jenny to develop and pass on values she learned from her mother onto her own children.
“My kids would be the first to tell you that their good work ethic comes from having chores all their lives,” she told Farms.com. “They understood that their payment was the great food and the great way of life they had on the farm. And that’s something I would’ve learned from my mom growing up.”
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