Fresh Air Market Supports Moncton Region Farmers Through Covid-19
MONCTON – An area farmer is giving some of the local vendors a place where they can sell their products, while still abiding by the rules and regulations of Covid-19.
“People still have to make their mortgage payments, their payments on their trailers and on their equipment, amongst other things,” says Mitchell Boyle, owner of Boyle Family Farm and the Fresh Air Farm Market.
“I think some people who are here participating in our Fresh Air Market would have been in some pretty big trouble if they didn’t have an outlet for a revenue stream.”
He says the Market that is open on Saturdays has been very busy so far. They carry 22 vendor products in the store and right now, and have 12 vendors inside.
Because they are still under Covid-19 restrictions, they are carrying ready-made products including maple syrup, mini doughnuts and things that are packaged and can just be handed to the customer.
“We have lemonade and ready-made meals, and people are pre-ordering meat boxes so they can just grab and go. There’s also the option of buying vegetables,” Boyle says.
He adds it is a positive family experience for those who haven’t been able to get out, especially during the pandemic.
“They are still respecting social distancing but they get to see the sheep, and the alpacas,” he says. “We have peacocks and all kinds of fun things running around. It just brightens up the spirits and lets everyone know, this will all come to an end at some point in time. For now, it’s the little things that matter.”
He believes this is a perfect time to push the message to “Buy Local.”
“I think the number one thing that people should focus on right now, and I hope one of the positive things out of this Covid-19 pandemic is that it encourages people to support local,” he says.
“Buy local and just stay local. Some people think of the convenience of the pork marked down on sale at a super cheap price at the grocery store, but they have no idea where it came from or what was put in it. The local New Brunswick farmers work hard every day to produce food for the public, but yet we struggle to sell it.”
Boyle says he is proud of what his family is doing for the farming community and is proud of what they have to offer
“We have a big farming community and we’re all friends. I think a lot of these people are very happy that we are able to facilitate the sale of some of their stuff as well as our own,” Boyle says.
Boyle Family Farm started small, but it has grown to 220 acres, on Route 126 in Lutes Mountain. Over and above farming, they run a corn maze in the fall, and they also transition over to Christmas tree sales in the winter.
Boyle says they’ve already started thinking about the corn maze, and changes that will have to be made to ensure they are in compliance with the required regulations of Covid-19.
“We’ve already incorporated bigger and wider rows, so people won’t be too close to each other. We are definitely restructuring everything we do towards our fall activities to be compliant,” Boyle says.
Tara Clow is the news director with 91.9 The Bend, a Huddle content partner.