Get your appetites and bowls ready; the harvest has come and Hill’s lyed white corn is set to return to local stores this weekend! Scott Hill of Hill’s Native Foods invited the Two Row Times to his farm this weekend to discuss the corn shortage and what some have been calling the ‘Corn Crisis of 2013’.
“I’ve head people say our land isn’t fertile, that we can’t grow this stuff anymore.” says Hill. “There was a whole negativity that was brought to it. I thought, no that isn’t happening there is nothing wrong with our fields. Our fields can grow cow corn, they can grow wheat, beans, gardens are growing perfectly fine, there’s tobacco. I was on the board for the Indian Agricultural Program of Ontario, and there is more native farmers on this reserve than there ever has been.”
So what happened?
In 2005, Hill was approached by a non-native farmer who offered to grow white corn for him. “I said no. I turned him down several times. For me it was always if we grow our corn we’re going to dictate whether we have corn or not, we’re going to have quality control, all of that stuff because from the time this stuff gets planted till the time it goes out to the stores we’re going to have that control.”
After a lot of consideration, in 2007 Hill agreed to allow the non-native farmer to grow white corn for him. “I didn’t have to put up the capital to grow it. I didn’t have to worry if I was going to have a good crop or a bad crop, I didn’t have to worry about labor, it was fine and dandy but I also didn’t have that quality control anymore.”
In 2009, Hill’s daughter Keely Louise was born and shortly afterward diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1. Although this was not a deciding factor to have another farmer grow on his behalf Hill shared, “Keely getting sick definitely made the decision easier [to continue] not to grow as it involves a lot more labour. It was kind of one of those everything happens for a reason moments.
If I was growing corn when Keely was sick it would have been a disaster!” Sadly, Keely passed away on June 30, 2011, and her family began the process of grieving and healing.
In 2012, quality control of the white corn became an issue for Hill. He said, “Five years of not growing corn and buying it off of this guy, I’d had enough. I wanted to go back to growing it on my own.” Hill decided he was planting a crop for the summer of 2013; then he discovered there was a shortage.
“I think there is one or two growers that were supplying the market from the Sarnia Reserve all the way up to Akwesasne and Kahnawake and pretty much everything in between.” Hill said. “I don’t know if we are the biggest supplier of lyed corn and cornbread around but I would say that we’re probably close to it. I couldn’t find any anywhere.” Although he tried to secure enough raw corn until his crop was ready for harvest it was just not available. “I figured that there was going to be basically a three month gap where there would be no corn.”
Hill’s spiritual convictions and traditional values are strong. He takes the corn shortage as a message about our responsibilities. “We quit growing our corn. We took our seed to those growers and put the trust in them that they were going to keep us stocked up. That was our first mistake.” Hill said.
Hill was taught by his mother that keeping a good mind when you plant will translate into a good yield for the season. This was another reason he feels Haudenosaune people should have authority over their own crop. “Do you think that those non-native farmers have any spiritual connection to growing our corn? They’re doing it because they see ninety dollars a bushel. They’re not doing it because our people love it or because our people use it in some ceremonies. It’s more to us than just a meal, it’s a part of who we are.”
Hill says the shortage has brought a rise of families growing their own crops. He says, “A lot of people are already planting a couple of rows.” He sees this as a positive change coming from the shortage.
“For me it was a kick in the ass. I’ll be growing corn for the next 30 or 40 years. It’ s important to carry it on.” Hill says. “We’re carrying on a traditional food. The corn is non-GMO. It’s not genetically modified at all.”
Hill also realizes the cultural importance extends farther than a source of food. “If you take that corn there’s so much more to it than just corn soup.” Hill shared, “…they would take cornhusk and they’d make mats out of it, they’d make Gajisahs out of it, they’d make dolls with it.”
Looking forward to the future of Hill’s Native Foods Hill is optimistic. “We’re gonna be okay, we’re gonna be fine. It’s scary what happened but we’re gonna be okay.” Hill expects to re-stock lyed corn in local stores this weekend.
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