Nick Ferri and family are Peel Region’s farmers of the year

Peel’s Farm Family of the Year includes Mary, David, Nick, Stephanie and Bunny Ferri. Katie Ferri is in Korea and was unable to attend Saturday’s presentation. Photo by Bill Rea The Peel Federation of Agriculture has named the Ferri’s Peel’s Farm Family of the year.

The presentation was made Saturday night at the annual Farm Family of the Year Banquet in Caledon East.

Nick Ferri said he found out about the honour about a month ago.

“You feel humble,” he said, about his thoughts when he got the news. “You feel like you don’t deserve it.”

The family farm has been based in Huttonville in 1933, after Nazarino and Clealia Ferri had come to Canada from Italy.

Nick Sr. was the secondyoungest child of the family. He met his wife Bodil (known as Bunny) when his sister Lucy introduced them on a blind date. They were married in 1947. Nick and Bunny had five children, Nick Jr. being the oldest, born 1948. The other children were Christine, Peter, Anna and Laura, and they were great helpers, either at home or on the farm. They worked as a team, growing apples, greenhouse tomatoes, mums and lettuce. The children had to learn the business at an early age.

Nick Jr. graduated from the University of Guelph in 1971. He went back to the farm, went in to partnership with his father. They called their company Ferri Greenhouse and they expanded the operation to more than one acre. They continued to grow tomatoes, while sometimes experimenting with new crops, such as trellised strawberries.

They later took over the lease on Mac Ferri’s farm The Big Apple Farm where they grow pick-your-own strawberries and apples.

Nick and his wife Mary were married in 1979. They had three children; David, Katharine and Stephanie.

He is a past director and past president of the Toronto Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. He was President of the Peel Federation of Agriculture (PFA) for 2002 and 2004, and is presently a director for PFA. As well, he is the chair of the Peel Agricultural Advisory Working Group (PAAWG). He worked on the Grown in Peel sub-committee to develop a map/guide for Peel farmer’s markets and pick-your-own farms. The Peel Rural Water Quality Project is also a a sub-comm of PAAWG and acts a peer review for water quality improvement projects in the Credit Valley and Toronto and Region Conservation jurisdictions. He is also the vice-chair of the GTA Agricultural Acton Committee.

Nick Sold Agricultural chemicals for NM Bartlett for 10 years and is also the co-owner of NM Ferri Fencing with Mary. They specialize in selling farm fencing.

The fall pick-your-own season is usually pretty busy, with family members and staff preparing and everyone pitching in. Unfortunate boy or girl friends get roped into working on the farm over weekends.

The family was on hand for Saturday’s presentation, except for daughter Katie, who is in Korea this year and couldn’t be seconded for the job.