Living her dream
Goal of farming bloomed early
Living the dream. Growing up in Finland, Marjo Niemi always dreamed of owning a farm. Staff photo/Susie Kockerscheidt
Marjo Niemi finishes our sentences
• My favourite treat to eat is ... old-fashioned apple pie with french vanilla ice cream. It’s so bad, but so good.
•If I could travel anywhere in the world, I would love to go to ... Yellowknife. I have always wanted to explore
northern Canada.
•My favourite flower is ... either a bleeding heart, because it is so unique or lily of the valley, because it is
beautiful.
•If given the choice, I would have lunch with ... (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper, just for fun and maybe to
discuss issues related to farming.
Marjo Niemi believes life is a beautiful thing.
With a personality as colourful as the blooms lining the greenhouses at the Niemi Family Farm in Sharon, she welcomes
every day with an open heart.
Growing up in Finland, she fondly remembers her family’s farm where she, her parents and 13 siblings worked the land and
tended to the animals. It was at that young age her dream of owning a farm began to grow.
“I remember my parents giving me a small plot, where I planted my own vegetable garden and looked after it all summer,”
she said as she plucked a wilted leaf from an Agnes Smith lilac. “I always knew I wanted to have a farm of my own.”
She and her husband, Peter, married and moved to Bradford from Finland in 1988. Although she didn’t have her own farm,
she settled for a job at a local nursery, at which she learned about farming in this climate compared to her homeland.
But as she worked, she never gave up on her dream of having land of her own.
In 2004, the family purchased a 25-acre property and house on Herald Road in Sharon. She now farms organic vegetables,
fruit, trees and flowers with the help of her 10 children.
“Nature is so beautiful and being outside makes my day, every day,” she said, while propping up a potted tree toppled by the
wind. “All I have to say is life is good.”
She gets satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from producing a beautiful flowering plant or tasty tomato from a seed.
She is able to feed her family and give her children an appreciation of where food comes from and how much work goes into
every dollar earned.
Many times, she has been asked why she goes through all of the labour.
“Life isn’t all about the money,” she smiled. “Yes, I’m out here sweating while I work, but it feels good and there is so much
more to life than making money.”
Not only does she have a green thumb, she has a passion for people. She enjoys teaching others about gardening, helping
some select the perfect plant and encouraging others to grow their own vegetables, whether in a back-yard garden or on a
condo balcony.
“You get so much more out of growing something from nothing than just the produce,” she explained. “It feels great to know
you nourished something and produced something with your own hands.”
Ms Niemi was surprised to find East Gwillimbury didn’t have a farmers market, which are a cornerstones in the community in
Finland. She decided to take it upon herself to start one.
Not only is she dedicated to the farming community, but also the community at large, farmers market committee member
Carolyn Watt said, noting Ms Niemi was the driving force that kept everyone inspired and motivated when creating the local
market.
“She’s a wonderful woman who is full of energy,” Ms Watt said. “You can’t help but smile when you are around her.”
The first weekend the market opened, Ms Watt remembers being amazed that a woman with 10 children who also runs a
farm and has taken on the market made the time to bake bread and cinnamon treats before the 8 a.m. start.
“She really is amazing,” she said. “She just sparkles and is a genuine and authentic woman.”
The market is now in its second year and Ms Niemi finds herself excited about the 8 a.m. Saturday gatherings in the parking
lot of the Civic Centre on Leslie Street.
“It really is a place that brings people together,” she said.
“It gives farmers a chance to support each other and makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
There is something for everyone at the market, she said with pride.
From home-made goodies, produce, meat, crafts, jewelry and more, Ms Niemi predicts her creation will only continue to
grow because it is an important part of the farming community’s identity.
“I wish people understood more about farming,” she said. “But more will as more continue to come to the market each
week.”
Although she gets little time to rest with her schedule packed with the market, her farm and caring for her large family, she
knows it has all been worth it.
“When someone comes to the market or the farm and is just happy to see you there, it is a beautiful thing,” she said,
adjusting her apron proudly displaying a red maple leaf.