Latest news with #JohnsonFreshFarms
Calgary Herald
31-07-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
Annual Taber corn harvest ready to reach Albertans' tables
The corn capital of Canada is already brining its bounty to dinner tables around Alberta, and one purveyor believes there is more than enough for Taber corn to go around in the next few months. Article content James Johnson of Johnson Fresh Farms works alongside his brothers and father to bring what they consider the best, freshest, and sweetest Taber corn to Alberta. Article content Article content 'We just kicked off our corn season, and it's looking like we are having a half-decent crop, so there should be lots of corn all over the province, and even some of the western provinces,' Johnson said. Article content Article content Despite major weather events hitting several areas around Alberta, the Johnson Fresh Farms crops was untouched by some of the extreme conditions were seen over the summer. Article content Article content 'It turned our fields super muddy, and we actually had to stop harvesting for one morning just because it was way too wet, and we lost power here at our packing shed,' he said. 'But overall, as far as crop damage, there really wasn't any, so we we're really lucky.' Article content Since it is the earliest point in the season, Johnson said anyone who is looking to stock up on corn should wait a little bit longer for the main crop to hit the market. Article content 'We always tell people — hey, if you want to freeze corn, just wait another week to 10 days, because that's when we get into our main season stuff and that's way better corn for eating and freezing,' Johnson said. 'I mean our stuff is good, but the main stuff that's coming is a lot better.' Article content When it comes to growing their famous corn, it's not an easy feat to make sure their produce gets into the market first. Article content 'We start some stuff under biodegradable film, which here in Alberta there is a lot of wind and that stuff does not like wind,' he said. 'You can watch a lot of your hard work get blown away fast, which causes challenges, but we have been doing this for a long time, so there's a couple of tricks we have up our sleeves and we've been able to grow some really awesome corn. Article content Then, there's the matter of getting the corn to where it needs to go. Article content 'We pick a pack super early in the morning, sometimes we start at 3 a.m., and we pretty much pack it all day, and get it all gets shipped the same day, too. They go right into our hydrocooler, and then shipped throughout the province.' Article content Johnson said their farm does not use any genetically modified organisms on any of their farms.
Global News
31-07-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Amid a rainy July, long-awaited Taber corn ready to be enjoyed
A little over a month ago, some southern Alberta farmers were extremely concerned for their crops, even going as far as to say it could be an historically bad year. 'We were as dry as I've ever seen it, ever. We were on the road to zero production by the third week of June, then the rain started,' said Stephen Vandervalk, a farmer in the Fort Macleod area. He says the rain that fell in July was so significant, he's had his fill. 'When you're a farmer and you say you don't want more rain, you don't like to say that. 'It's been a long time, at least 10 years, since I've been able to say we don't need anymore rain.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's been a long time, at least 10 years, since I've been able to say we don't need anymore rain." While he says plenty of crops are flourishing, there has been a downside to the wet weather. Story continues below advertisement 'With the weather the way it's been, we just decided to hold off for a few extra days just to make sure the cobs were where I wanted them to be for selling,' said James Molnar or Molnar Farms, one of the producers of the famous Taber corn. However, he says rain or not, his product is finally on the shelves once again. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We got our first stand open today and then we'll move into another one tomorrow, then possibly two more on Friday. Hopefully start shipping to stores next week.' The other Taber corn producer, Johnson Fresh Farms, hit the market a couple days ago, which one seller says has been well-received. 'People love it. They come by and they're like, 'I love seeing these trucks driving around,'' said Breanna Gough. Story continues below advertisement It's that love of the product that makes the job so fulfilling for Molnar. 'Being a farmer, that's probably one of the most pleasurable thing I have is seeing the excitement in people's eyes with all of our products, because we grow a lot of products,' said Molnar.
