A new magazine for and about migrant farm workers has launched in Norfolk County.
Advertisement 2
Article content
The editor of On the Farm magazine says the twice-yearly publication is meant to give seasonal workers tips about navigating life in Canada while introducing the broader community to the men and women who visit, often anonymously, on area farms.
“It puts a person behind the faces we see working in the fields,” Leanne Arnal told The Spectator.
“These are people with families and talents and skills, and they offer a lot to our economy. So it’s an introduction to who they are and what they are, with relevant and legitimate information for them as well.”
In a given year, more than 6,000 people from Mexico and the Caribbean spend up to eight months in Norfolk through the federally administered Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.
Advertisement 3
Article content
On the Farm’s 64-page inaugural issue includes tips about first aid and working safely in extreme heat, how to access Canada’s immigration system, the importance of sleep and nutrition, and how to safeguard one’s mental health and navigate communal living in bunkhouses.
The bilingual magazine — all articles are in English and Spanish — also introduces readers to farm workers like Timothy from Trinidad, who tends flocks of sheep at Schuyler Farms in Simcoe, and DJ Serious from Jamaica, who moonlights as a disc jockey.
Short profiles allow workers to explain, in their own words, what motivates them to come to Canada and how they overcome the challenges of being away from home and family.
“A lot of people don’t even know we have farm workers here. So it’s to let the community know that they’re here,” said Arnal, a longtime migrant worker advocate who is contracted by local farms to help workers access needed resources and settlement services.
Advertisement 4
Article content
The magazine — which Arnal calls “the first of its kind in Canada” — has no online presence. Print copies are available for free in places frequented by migrant workers, such as grocery stores and money transfer sites.
“They’re going to be wherever the farm workers go,” Arnal said.
The magazine debuted on July 12 during a street party in downtown Simcoe that featured a Bob Marley tribute band and a tug-of-war competition between migrant workers from five local farms.
“I’m really grateful for it,” Arnal said of the well-attended launch party.
“It’s not very often that we actually get politicians and farm workers and farmers and the community all together at one event. And when it happens, it’s so great.”
JP Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
Article content