How the Ontario Farmerettes helped feed the masses to save a world war

The photo that sparked the curiosity of co-author Bonnie Sitter to research and write Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes. The book was co-written with Shirleyan English.

We are lost without food, and during the period from 1941 to 1952 it was the 40,000 young women who took up the cause to keep the agriculture industry in southern Ontario alive. The film We Lend A Hand tells the story of these remarkable “Ontario Farmerettes,” who are now in their 90s.

There were two sold out screenings at Stratford City Hall presented by the Stratford Film Festival, each followed by a Q-and-A with filmmaker Colin Field, Kelly McIntosh and Bonnie Sitter, co-author of the book Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes, which inspired the film.

The inspiring documentary was introduced by Senator Robert Black, who in 2024 successfully played a key role in having Canada Post issue a commemorative stamp recognizing the Farmerettes and their role in keeping the farms running.

When the call went out to high schools around Ontario during the Second World War for workers on the farms, these young girls, aged 14 plus, answered and thrived in their opportunity to support those who had gone overseas to fight. Sixty different camps were set up for the girls to live in for the summer while they worked the farms.

Farmers would come to the camps in the morning to pick up the Farmerettes and take them to their farms, where they would tend the crops and weed the rows by hand. It was hard work, and the pay wasn’t the best, but fresh air, good weather and freedom made them look and feel great.

They would work from May 1 until the fall and if they volunteered to join the Farmerettes, they would not have to sit for their final exams, a motivating factor for many. They came from all over and for many this adventure was their first time away from home. Their stories and anecdotes gathered in the book which inspired the film helps reinforce the importance of their role during the war and in the following years. Their work didn’t end with the war, because the returning soldiers were offered education or general labour jobs.

“It brings me joy to hear the Farmerettes say, ‘It was the best summer of my life,’ or ‘A summer never to be forgotten,’” Sitter said in a release. “They are finally being recognized for their service. That means everything to me.”

Field, whose first foray into filmmaking was this film, first became aware of the Farmerettes when he met Sitter and felt compelled to capture their stories while he still could. Now in their 90s, they shared their stories of grit, friendship and the summer jobs that shaped their lives and helped save a war.

“The most rewarding part has been working with the Farmerettes themselves,” said Fields in a release. “They trusted me with their coming-of-age stories and inspired me with their resilience, humour and courage. I’ll carry their wisdom with me always.”