The owners of an apple garden in West Montrose, Ontario, are fed up with people who steal the literal fruits of their work.
Tim Shuh, operator of the DIY DIY orchards near Kitchener, has introduced new rules for visitors this apples collection season: banning them to bring strollers, backpacks and wagons in the U-Pick part of the farm.
After two very busy weekends in a row, Shuh said he reluctantly implemented the rules as a response to the remarkable and growing problem of robbery.
“We realized that with so many people on the farm, it was difficult to monitor how many people were in the ranks, where they were going, if they brought their own bags, if they were putting apples on roads, wagons, backpacks,” he said in an interview with CBC News.
In the last 14 days, there were 7,500 customers in Shuh Orchards: 3,500 the first week and 4,000 the following week.
Shuh said he and his staff have observed how visitors had hidden fruit and tried to walk towards their vehicles without paying. Some families were trapped by carrying Bushels in the trunks of their cars instead of the marked bags of the farm, and in one case, he said, he discovered that customers had hidden apples under the blankets in a stroller.
“I myself, I seized around 250 pounds of apples and my father has reported that others stole,” Shuh said.
“There is no form of 4,000 people on our farm, the times I verified, that we could even get half of the people who were stealing.”
Shuh estimated that at least 500 pounds of apples have been stolen in the last two weeks, and that is to “err on the extreme side of conservatism.”
With approximately $ 4 per Libra, Shuh said, that could be $ 2,000 in lost income. He said he is frustrating and has people on the farm considering whether to continue allowing visitors to choose their own apples.
“We don’t know if we wanted to do this forever if this would continue,” Shuh said. “If they were all stealing, we would certainly close tomorrow.”
‘We know what happens’
Other farms in the region have experienced similar challenges.
Byron Good, co -owner of Good Family Farm Pumpkins, said it is difficult to quantify how much has been taken over the years.
“We know what happens. We have caught some people stealing things. Those are very difficult conversations to have, very stressful,” he said.
“We are always worried about that.”
Despite the concerns about theft, Good said that he does not want to use the same types of rules as Shuh Orchards, worried that he could face the customer’s experience.
“The vast majority of people are honest and appreciate what we do,” said Good.
“If people like to come as families … if it is easier to have their children in the stroller to push them, we don’t want to take that away.”
On the other hand, together with the security cameras, Good said that its strategy of planting valuable pumpkins will be further from the road.
“If you are going to steal a great pumpkin, I will at least make you work to do it.”
Concern for the impact of theft on farmers’ costs
The problems related to the theft in the selection farms (U-Pick) are not isolated to the Waterloo region, said Kevin Vallier, executive director of Agritourism ontarium.
The members of the non-profit organization include Ontario farmers who seek to promote their agricultural sales, including markets on the farm and U-Pick operations.
“Unfortunately, it’s really a big problem,” Vallier told CBC News.
“I have spoken with several members this year and last year that they are seeing a significant increase in theft,” he said, adding that it is “mainly in U-Pick.”
Vallier said the robbery eliminates the inventory and sometimes leads to higher costs for farmers.
“We have had farms that have had to hire security, or have had to put fences, or have more staff to enter the entrances or to monitor,” he said. “Sometimes that cost must be transmitted to recover, transmitted to the client.”
He added that some farmers are considering more drastic measures.
“Some have talked about closing U-Pick completely because they are losing a lot of money.”
Vallier said that some members of Agritourismo of Ontario share the same concerns as good, worried that many rules may unfairly affect the customer’s experience.
“[Customers are] Leaving their condominium in the center, and they are drinking fresh air, and walk through the field and choose their own food, “he said.” The last thing our members want to have to put barriers and change that atmosphere, because that is what people enjoy. “
Shuh agreed with that concern, but added that the robbery has gone out of control.
“The reason why we, as agritourism operators, want to open our business to the public is to close a gap between consumers and producers.”
He expects the new rules to protect both the farm and its customers.
“This is how life is in the farm. This is how we grow apples. We want people to be interested in food cultivated in Ontario.”
