Anecdotal accounts of a Mennonite migration to northern Ontario and their impact on local food were of great interest to the research team. As new farmers to the north, we were interested in understanding their motivations for moving from southern Ontario and any challenges they experienced in this move. Five farm families first migrated in 2004 to Algoma District, as the land was significantly cheaper. Since 2004, many more families have moved to the north and there are now approximately 30 families within the Bruce Mines area.

​

Thirteen interviews were conducted with Anabaptist farmers in April 2016 and a draft SWOT analysis was developed. A second trip was organized in November 2016 to hold a focus group with these farmers and receive their feedback on the findings of the SWOT analysis. An updated report was drafted and has been returned to participants for final review. This report is available for download, as is a recent presentation given to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.