Farming may be the apple of his eye, but Brian Gilroy found another passion in agricultural politics.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Gilroy, 67, Meaford apple farmer and 2023 inductee to the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Q: For how long have you lived in Meaford?
A: I’ll go backward, if that’s all right. I moved to Collingwood in 1970. I lived there until 1978, for my high school years.
I used to work for the Town of Collingwood in the summers when I came home from university.
I moved to Clarksburg in 1978. I moved to Meaford in 1987.
Q: What brought your family to Collingwood in 1970?
A: I was originally from Alliston.
My father became principal of Cameron Street Public School, so my family moved to Collingwood.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a farmer?
A: No. My extended family are mostly farmers. When I was a kid in Alliston, I would often spend time with some of my cousins on their farm.
Some of my uncles and grandparents were big farmers.
I was exposed to farming young, and I’ve certainly enjoyed it.
When I moved to Clarkburg, I lived on an apple orchard. I was 22 then.
I worked starting in 1979 full-time at Hincks Farm. It was a residential treatment program for hard-to-handle teens. I worked there for 20 years.
I moved back to Collingwood for a brief period in 1982. I bought a house, fixed it up and sold it. That’s what allowed me to buy the farm.
I bought the farm in 1987, but I was still working full-time. That’s one of the reasons it’s called Nighthawk Orchards – because I worked during the day and farmed at night. Also, the farm is located on a turn-of-the-century cross road called Nighthawk Valley. It was a natural thing.
Q: When did you turn to apple farming as your full-time and sole occupation?
A: I finished at Hincks in 1999. I maintained work off the farm for another four years, and then basically farmed and got more involved in the politics of farming.
Q: Is there a trick to growing good apples?
A: Sure. There are many small steps when, if taken at the right time, are key to growing a good apple.
Making sure your soil is in good shape and your nutrient levels are up, so I take samples and leaf analysis. Pruning is really important.
Making sure there aren’t too many apples on the tree. Every blossom has the ability to grow six apples, but you want one. Two, at the most.
If the tree is overloaded, you’ll have a heavy crop of small apples that year, and the next year you’ll have a really light crop.
Apples are more delicate than eggs. You have to handle them with kid gloves.
Q: Can you talk about your move into agricultural politics? Why is that important to you?
A: It’s important to present a single voice on issues and supports that are needed by government.
By working with industry partners you can minimize industry challenges, which is my goal.
Right now, there are about 200 apple-growing operations in the province, and we grow about 40 per cent of Canada’s apples. We’ve become so efficient and there are so few of us needed to get the job done, that it’s easy to overlook us when policies are being developed. We have to make sure a unified voice is there.
Q: Which boards and committees have you served on?
A: I've been on the board of the Georgian Bay Fruit Growers Association for more than 35 years. Growers are decreasing. Right now there are not many. In our area, there are about 50 maximum, but when I first started there were over 200.
I was part of a couple of co-operatives.
I was part of the Ontario Apple Marketing Commission, which was discontinued by the government in 2000. I worked to develop a new organization called the Ontario Apple Growers, which I did while I was part of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
I was on the Canadian Horticultural Council, which changed its name to the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada. I was chair of the National Apple Working Group for 10 years.
A lot of the organizations I’ve been with, I moved up and chaired them. It just so happens that while I was chair, significant issues arose. Me being there was part of helping them get resolved. It was just a timing thing.
For example, when I was chair of the Apple Growers, in 2012, we lost 80 per cent of our crops due to spring freezes. That was a rough time.
Q: You were named a 2023 inductee to the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame this month, due to your advocacy. How did it feel to be recognized in that way?
A: The spotlight is something that I haven’t been drawn to. I would shy away.
When it’s talking about a problem, I’ve been relatively successful speaking to the problems, in a few blunt words. I’ve been successful in getting people on board to find solutions and working toward achieving them.
If there’s a problem, you need to be solution-focused. Don’t just keep spinning your wheels about the problem. Dealing with a lot of government, spinning their wheels seems to be an option for them a lot of times.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of farming?
A: Golf. Travel, although travel was severely hampered by COVID-19.
I like watching sports now. I used to like playing sports, like tennis and slow-pitch. Growers and government used to have a regular slow-pitch game.
I like driving. I like observing the countryside and seeing the amazing work farmers do.
Swimming, and the outdoors. I live really close to the Bruce Trail.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I refer to this area as God’s country.
It all started in ’78. I love where I live.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
