At Brandon's winter fair, consumers facing economic worries look to buy straight from the farm

As the Canada-U.S. trade war drags on, some consumers are turning to local farmers for direct purchases in search of both quality and economic stability — including visitors to one of Manitoba's premier annual events.

With grocery prices climbing, Royal Manitoba Winter Fair co-chair Clint Swain says he's seeing more people at the Brandon exhibition trying to find out how they can buy directly from farmers, both to support Canadian producers and help keep cash in their wallets.

"The price of produce and meat is skyrocketing in the store. So I think more and more families are going to kind of look for that avenue," Swain said.

That includes his own family, who buy most of their beef directly from a producer they know through the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba— the non-profit organization that hosts the winter fair.

"My family isn't immune to the rising cost either. So as a family, we're taking a look at what we can buy more and more directly from producers."

Experts say the trade war is likely to drive up grocery costs, and could also mean a smaller selection of goods as the importing of U.S. products slows down.

But the fair puts shoppers face-to-face with the farmers behind their food, bridging the gap between producers and consumers by offering insights on where the food comes from and how to source it affordably.

Simon Atkinson, a sheep livestock dealer and chair of the Manitoba Sheep Association, says he's seeing a growing interest in people wanting to purchase meat directly from farms, who want to know where their food is coming from while also cutting costs.

At this year's fair, which started Monday and wraps up Saturday, Atkinson said he got a lot of questions about direct sourcing Manitoba products. He thinks ongoing economic uncertainty will likely drive more people looking for stable pricing to buy directly from producers.

Cattle producer Melissa Atchison also makes some of her sales directly to grocery consumers.

Her southwestern Manitoba farm, Poplarview Stock Farm, has a six-month waitlist of customers looking to take home a quarter, half or full cow.

That can be cost-effective for some people, but she said there is an investment in having the right storage for meat, and being able to afford buying beef in bulk.

But the current climate has created a push to buy local at a level she's never seen before, said Atchison, with more people wanting to be sure their beef is Canadian — whether that's at the grocery store or buying directly from a local cattle producer.

"There has been a very big patriotic push to ensure that we're using Canadian products," Atchison said.