Taking agriculture to the heart of Toronto

Glacier FarmMedia – For the second time this past spring, Jeanine Moyer and her father Allan Wallace were phoning their rural Ontario neighbours, tracking down just the right animals to take to Toronto. They wanted docile animals, and, equally important, trusting owners — the kind of owners who would let Moyer and Wallace take their livestock on an urban adventure.

Moyer and Wallace’s wish list included 36 sheep, three horses, eight beef animals, nine dairy cows, and a few sows and piglets.

And here’s why the animals needed to be docile. They were to be trucked down the Gardiner Expressway to Exhibition Place, where Moyer and Wallace’s staff would get them bedded down at the CNE Farm to stay from August 16 to September 2.

About 1.6 million people go to the Canadian National Exhibition every summer. Most of them are (misguidedly) focused on roller coasters, food trucks, casinos and concerts. But for families with small children and anyone interested in agriculture, the CNE Farm is a great break from a busy day at the Ex.

And when these visitors have questions, Moyer and Wallace and their staff are ready with answers.

Jeanine Moyer and Allan Wallace surrounded by 2024 Farm team members, speaking up for agriculture. Photo: Jeanine Moyer

Best summer job ever

With one year of this under their belts, Moyer and Wallace were excited to put the CNE Farm together again for 2024. For this daughter-father team, the farm is an extension of their commitment to their local agricultural society, just on a slightly bigger scale.

When the CNE first approached them to ask if they were interested in this challenge, Moyer recalls, “I thought they were joking.”

But there was no way she and her father would turn down this opportunity. With Moyer running her own ag company, Barn Door Communications, and Wallace pulling back from full-time farming, they could work it into their schedules. And they’re both believers in the importance of connecting with people at local fairs.

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When Moyer was growing up, taking her 4-H calves to the Fergus Fair, near Guelph, had been her favourite fall activity, and Moyer and Wallace are still active volunteers with the Fergus Agricultural Society.

Their connections with local farmers gave them the network they needed to source animals and staff for the CNE. Wallace found most of the animals, and Moyer took charge of the staff.

This year, the farm crew was made of up 22 young people, all kids from rural communities near Fergus who raised their own livestock and thought they could explain farm life to visitors at the CNE.

Moyer and Wallace literally “brought the farm to the city.” The two of them, their staff, and enough livestock for a small ark lived together on the CNE grounds through all 18 days of the fair. The CNE supplied air-conditioned trailers for sleeping and a kitchen with two refrigerators, but Moyer brought her own deep freeze and Wallace hauled a barbecue along.

Hannah Moyer tends to a horse at the CNE Farm show. Photo: Jeanine Moyer

During the day, Moyer kept eight or 10 staff on hand to look after the animals and answer visitors’ questions. When they weren’t on shift, the kids set off to explore the CNE, trying new foods, attending concerts and soaking in the big city atmosphere. Many of these kids were away from their families for the first time (except, of course, for Moyer’s own two children). All of them made long-term friendships, learned to take responsibility, and had a great time at this weird, farm-themed summer camp.

The kids had their freedom, but every evening when Wallace fired up the barbecue they came home to the farm. “Everyone comes together and has a meal together,” Wallace says. Like any farmer ready for crunch time, Moyer had her freezer filled with pre-made casseroles and kid-favourite desserts.

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It was a lot easier for Moyer to put her team together this year, the second time around. The first time when she asked local farm families if she could take their kids as young as 14 to the Ex for three weeks, the parents had several questions. “There’s a lot of trust,” Moyer says. But last year’s staff quickly came together as a team. “They were all responsible for each other,” she says. “They learned about speaking to the public, and they gained responsibility. They had stamina!”

Most of the last year’s staffers came back this year, eager to reconnect with their friends. Four of the kids not only came back, but also brought their 4-H calves. “They were feeding them every day and washing them,” Moyer says. “It’s cool to see the pride they take in that.”

Every night around the dinner table Moyer and Wallace asked questions, such as “What was the best conversation you had today?” or “What was the funniest thing you saw?” Some days the kids were surprised by how little urban people know about animals. Other days they were surprised by city people’s clothes. Sometimes, Moyer says, it was little things — “like people watching a cow poo and freaking out.”

Moyer’s son Brandon enjoys being part of the Farm crew. Photo: Jeanine Moyer

The solid truth

Most people stopping by the farm are just happy to see animals. “Where are the babies?” is a common question.

“You’re going on the rides. You’re eating some crazy food, and the conversations are pretty high level,” Moyer says. Fair-goers on a break between wasabi ice cream and the Zipper don’t bring up many controversial topics like vegetarianism or climate change. “Most of the time they just want to know what that animal is,” Moyer says.

It’s easy to forget that not every Canadian has seen a real live pig. “They want to know how old the animals are, and if the animals have a name,” Moyer says.

Many new Canadians enjoy the farm. “I find a lot of them have those roots in their home countries and so they want to come and talk to a farmer,” Moyer says. “Even though they were raised on a farm, they’re not working in agriculture here in Canada. They’re able to come and connect and talk to their kids and say, ‘I used to milk these cows at home.’”

“We have a global audience here,” she says. “How great is that, that we can share our stories together?”

Of course, not everyone is a fan. A handful of protesters turned up, mostly outside the gates, to raise animal welfare issues. CNE security were prepared for disruptions and so were Moyer and Wallace.

“Any agricultural event or anywhere you’re showcasing livestock tends to attract some attention in one way or another. That is the reality of exhibiting, anywhere you go, especially in a large urban area.”

There was no protest action dramatic enough to rate media coverage this year, but the kids were paying attention. “It was an eye-opener for our staff,” Moyer says.

Full circle

The CNE began as an agricultural fair in 1879, when it was called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition and admission cost a quarter. Across the rest of the province, agricultural societies have been putting on fairs since even earlier. At one time, Ontario had more than 500 annual fairs.

In 2024 it costs $26.55 to get into the Ex. And Ontario is down to 212 fairs. But these events still bring people together and they still showcase agriculture, to one degree or another.

Rural Ontario is still tightly linked to the CNE too. Since 1971, young representatives from fairs across Ontario have met at the CNE to compete for the annual position of “Ambassador of the Fairs.” The winner travels to fairs across the province and serves as Ambassador for the CNE.

Moyer held this title in 2004. She represented the Fergus Fall Fair and won the competition to become CNE ambassador. She’s taken part in one way or another every year since.

“I was a chaperone for years and gave seminars about things like public speaking,” she says. “It’s great to give back.”

The CNE is a whole different level than small local fairs, but Moyer sees similarities. “It takes people, and it takes that love and commitment.”

Moyer and Wallace plan to take animals and staff to the CNE Farm again in 2025. “Just like a volunteer at a local fair,” Moyer says. “You kind of get roped in.”