Little Path Farm | Subsistence living in a 10 by 12 foot prospector’s tent subject of Manitoba film
Most people who begin farming don’t live in a prospector’s tent beside an acre of vegetables.
But that’s how Wes Huyghe started in 2010, living for two growing seasons in the 10 by 12 foot structure without power and running water, while washing in Manitoba’s Minnedosa Lake.
“That’s something that not everybody is going to be willing to do,” said Huyghe.
“Lucky for me, I don’t mind being dirty and I’ve always loved and enjoyed living in the bush.… My interest was in starting from scratch and doing it all on my own. It was probably a romantic and naive idea in a lot of ways.”
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The beginnings of Huyghe’s Little Path Farm are documented in the film To Make a Farm.
Viewers watch as two acres of ground are broken on Huyghe’s land and the rookie farmer embarks on his first growing season, making mistakes, running low on capital and eventually taking his produce to market.
“I didn’t want to make it look like a rosy sort of career path,” said Regina-based director Steve Suderman.
“I didn’t want to make it look like something that was impossible. I just wanted to be as true as I could to what they were going through.”
The film’s other subjects, two young couples in Ontario, operate more conventionally in as far as they live indoors. But they’re all young farmers who weren’t raised around agriculture and are in the early stages of starting small-scale farms, growing vegetables, raising poultry and livestock and selling directly to their customers.
Unlike his subjects, Suderman has that background. His first film, Over Land, examined his family as it confronted issues of modern agriculture and economies of scale and eventually sold their Manitoba farm.
He revisits these themes in his latest project and expresses strong opinions about industrial agriculture. While he laments the growth of large farms and the spread of genetically modified seeds, his film isn’t overly political or negative.
“I was used to people leaving the farm. It was surprising to see people, especially without a farming background, were becoming farmers,” said Suderman.
“I wondered if it was actually possible at first because it’s a lot to learn.”
Their experiences, as documented in the film, are likely familiar to anyone who has gambled their livelihood on seeds and soil. They struggle with water and irrigation, disease, soil deficiencies, weather and how to make their operation not only sustainable but also economical.
“These guys really want to farm, so they’re willing to go through a lot of hardship to do it and it looks like, at least for a portion of them, that it’s economically viable as well as a business,” said Suderman.
Now at the start of his third growing season, Huyghe’s business has expanded. While studying horticulture through the University of Manitoba, he’s added infrastructure on his farm, moving into a small cabin where he’ll stay through November and spreading out into the rest of his two acres, where he will grow asparagus, beats, potatoes and onions this year.
“You learn a lot of lessons in the first two years,” he said.
“This third year going in, I feel more confident than ever. The fact that I’m planting in April and the ground is ready to go says a lot about where I’ve gotten to.”
The film premiered in 2011 at the Vancouver International film Festival, where it was called “exceptionally hopeful,” and has been shown across Canada and in the United States.
For information on where the film is screening, visit tomakeafarm.ca.
