Special Spotlight Profile in celebration of #CdnAgDay February 15th, 2023
Ericka and Jaime Wilson
Dairy Farmers
Tailes From West Port
@tailesfromwestport
Port Perry, Ontario 

Photos by
Justyne Edgell
Justyne Edgell Photography and Design
@je_photoanddesign

Our Special Spotlight Series is a look inside the lives of 5 Canadian Women who are trailblazhers in the Ag Industry. Canada’s Agriculture Day is a time to showcase all the amazing things happening in the industry and help consumers see the connection to where their food comes from and the people who produce it. Consumers want to learn more, and this day is a great way to start the conversation.

Last year, the entire ag industry celebrated across the country, shared our pride, opened doors to new food conversations, and trended nationally on Twitter. And we can’t wait to do it again in 2023. 

Join us on Tuesday, February 15th as we raise a fork to the food we love. Post a photo, make a video, or write a blog. Share what you’re doing on social media using the hashtag #CdnAgDay. Encourage your friends to show-off their culinary talents using all-Canadian ingredients. Teach someone something new about agriculture. Share your knowledge and story with others. Be sure to participate!

How did you become a Woman in Ag?
We are the 5th generation on our family farm. We are born and raised on the farm and have continued to be involved in this amazing industry!

What has most surprised you about Canada’s Ag industry?
Similar to consumers, we are so intrigued and impressed by how the Ag industry has changed and adapted over the decades to meet the continuous needs of consumers. Cropping technologies, robotics, food safety, product quality, and many more advances have all been contributors to helping raise the standards of food production. We are not necessarily surprised by this, but mostly impressed and motivated by how cool this industry is!

What do you wish people knew about your rural life?
Common stereo types of farms and farmers are frustrating considering the advancements the industry has made in the last few decades. It’s our wish that people continue to want to learn and ask the questions that the industry and us are proud to share.

Describe a typical day…
The main priorities on our dairy farm are the cows. A typical day begins and ends with their care, including cow and calve care, feeding, bedding, cleaning and routine health check ups. Days on the farm are fun, they never look the same and change with the seasons. Between preparation for growing crops, to harvesting the crops that feed the cows, we are always planning ahead.

How do you contribute to Canada’s Food Industry?
We are Canadian dairy farmer’s producing high quality milk for consumers of all types. Any crop that isn’t needed for feed for our herd is sold as a cash crop.

What are you most proud of being a contributor to Canada’s food industry?
Being in the 2% of the population that are given the privilege of producing food for our country, this is one of our proudest motivators of farming. We feel a lot of pride being able to go to the store and see all of the amazing nutritious dairy products available and know that we are a contributor. The agriculture industry is one of the most progressive industries and we are so lucky to be a part of it and share our passion with others.

What is your deep intention in how you show up in your business and the effect you want to have?
We are so proud of what we produce and we want consumers to be proud as well. Through Tailes From West Port, we aim to build trust and support of the ag industry. We can’t expect consumers to trust us, their food producers, without allowing them to see what goes into it. We want to shed light on just how great the industry is and promote it in a a natural way.

What are all of your roles (wife, mother, rancher etc) and are you able to balance them?
Our roles on the farm are different for both of us. As both of us are daughters of the dairy farmers we have each found our way of staying involved and being contributors. Jaime plays an active role in the day to day operation of the dairy. While Ericka, plays a supportive role. Together we have combined our skills and love of the farm to create a fun and educational space promoting Canadian agriculture. Outside of this, we both worked off farm jobs. Balancing our busy lives, is just something we have always known and we thrive off it.

How do you build relationships with your customers?
We build relationships by sharing information in a fun and positive way. We try to go back to the basics that may be second nature to us, but is not common knowledge to the public. We try to think like a consumer, because really we are! As much as we contribute to the ag industry we are also consumers of it.

Follow along with Ericka and Jaime on IG @tailesfromwestport and we encourage you to reach out to learn more about these incredible Women in Ag!