Meet Your Farmers: Alf Wall, McDermott Farms

According to The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, for the first time in nine years, “Canadians are nearly evenly divided on whether the country’s food system is headed in the right or wrong direction.” Canadians are concerned about where their food comes from, who grows it, and who to trust. Add on the recent level of inflation and ongoing trade wars with the States… and this feels more precarious than ever.

Thankfully, farmers are still ranked top of mind for who Canadians trust.

We want all of British Columbia to feel safe and secure in the turkey products they put onto their plates, so we have decided to break barriers and bust myths when it comes to BC’s turkey farming industry by bringing the farmers to the table. It’s so important for us that BC residents understand where their food is sourced, who grows it, how it gets processed, and why supporting local agriculture is not only good for the economy, but for your health.

So we sat down with Alf Wall, one of our registered turkey farmers, to get a sneak peak at his operations and how he cares for his birds.

Alf Wall, McDermott Farms

Alf Wall grew up on an egg farm near the Abbotsford airport, and from a young age he learned how important local agriculture is. This effortlessly evolved into farming turkeys when he and his brother Bruno bought their first farm in 1985. Over the years, their operation grew, including the number of employees they hired to the point that one of their first workers, Erv Wiens, became their business partner.

Now the three of them run eight different locations under the banner McDermott Farms.

In order to raise healthy turkeys, Alf emphasizes the importance of the environment. “We care for our turkeys with loving hands,” Alf says. This includes investing a hefty amount of money into their facilities.

McDermott Farms recently built two brand new barns on their property after the disastrous 2021 atmospheric river flooded in the Fraser Valley. And the total cost? Six million dollars. Because farming isn’t cheap, especially when our farmers invest in our safety with state-of-the-art facilities and new technology.

Photo Credit: United Agri Systems, Canadian Poultry Magazine

Thanks to these updated facilities, technology plays a key role in the day-to-day operations because the team can control the air intake, heat and light—not to mention check the food and water supply—just on their phones alone. “It’s pretty cool,” Alf explains, and definitely comes a far cry from the tools he had back in 1985.

Alarms will trigger every two hours if a feed line isn’t working or if a hose bursts, and while the team still goes into the barn at least three times a day, this new tech adds even further safety checks.

“Poultry are very susceptible to respiratory diseases,” Alf says, “so you make sure they have a great environment experience and conditions.” Thankfully, these two new barns ensure these standards of care get met.

But new facilities does not make farming easy. “There’s always a surprise around the next corner,” Alf says. “You just never know from day to day.”

One winter, McDermott Farms faced a snowstorm that left piles of snow up to forty feet high. They had to plough in the feed truck, but because the winds were so strong, the trucks got stuck in the yard. The feed line later collapsed because the wind-blown snow gathered high up in the attic, causing even more issues.

In prior years, the temperature plummeted to the point the water froze and the birds couldn’t drink. To combat this, the team had to run a hose 24/7 until it got fixed. “It’s a balance,” Alf says. “It’s just something we’ve always done, so you just accept it.”

Thanks to their dedication and years of experience, each challenge is met and overcome.

And one of the ongoing benefits of being a turkey farmer? “Never have to look for turkeys at Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving,” Alf jokes.

Over the next few months, we here at BC Turkey will be spending a lot of time interviewing our farmers and visiting their facilities to help you better understand how turkey farming works in our province. We’re going to cover things like what an average day looks like, how biosecurity measures are followed, and most importantly, the people who provide safe and nutritious food for our tables.

On behalf of everyone here at BC Turkey, thank you for supporting Canadian products/BC products and supporting our BC farmers.