How the Rovabarn is Changing the Game Julia Smith Agri-tech gets a lot of airtime these days, but it often seems irrelevant to smaller-scale, organic producers. We picture robotic milking barns, precision spraying drones, and complex greenhouse operations—technologies typically designed for large conventional farms. The scale and investment required for many of these innovations put… Keep Reading
Stacey Santos Drought, heatwaves, wildfires, and other climate-related challenges are taking a heavy toll on farmers in BC, including at Blue Sky Ranch in the Nicola Valley. There, farmer Julia Smith is working hard to keep a healthy pasture in the face of climate change by following the principles of rotational grazing: having the right… Keep Reading
Finding Laughter, Balance, and Community On The Farm Kat Roger Nestled in the Okanagan Valley, Lorna and Chris Church operate Grassy Gnome Acres on 65 acres of farmland in Coldstream, BC. At the start, Lorna and Chris never intended to become full-time farmers. In 2008, they were looking for a manageable five acres of forested… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer The sunny weather is persisting, but the shortening days are denying the heat a chance to build beyond a most pleasant warmth. Even the drought, which is also persisting, has its work cut out for it now that the morning dew is so heavy. We are gunning hard to get through these last… Keep Reading
Healthier Soil and a More Resilient Operation Stacey Santos At Jackknife Creek Land & Cattle in Alberta’s Peace River Country, the Noble family is implementing innovative cover cropping practices on their farm, specifically swath grazing in their cattle operation. This practice not only ensures their cows are well fed during the winter, but it also… Keep Reading
By Stacey Santos Spray Creek Ranch, located in Northern St’at’imc Territory near Lillooet, BC, has operated as a cattle ranch since the 1880s. Over the past decade, Tristan Banwell and his partner Aubyn have managed the land and transformed it from a traditional cow-calf operation to a diversified, regenerative organic farm with cattle, sheep, pigs,… Keep Reading
By Julia Smith There is an insurance crisis in the small-scale farm industry in BC. Access to insurance was listed as one of the top challenges for producers in the Small-Scale Meat Producers (SSMPA) Industry Survey Report, published in 2022. The market to insure diversified farms is slim and almost completely non-existent for farm businesses… Keep Reading
Ready for Growth, Small-Scale Meat Producers are Limited by Access to Processing By Julia Smith The Small-Scale Meat Producers Association recently completed a province-wide survey of the small-scale meat producing sector in which we heard from 708 operations representing 2,110 producers across all 27 regional districts of the province. Eighteen respondents reported being certified organic,… Keep Reading
By Ava Reeve Drive down any rural road in this province and you’re sure to pass cattle on the range, a flock of sheep, or mobile pens for pastured poultry. Small-scale livestock production has a long tradition in BC, and has been reinvigorated in recent years with practices such as rotational grazing and regenerative agriculture… Keep Reading
Empowering the Human Micronutrient Supply Chain from the Soil Up Marjorie Harris I have long accepted that the saying “Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants, Healthy people” fully explained the human nutrient supply chain. Turns out, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, the mineral requirements for healthy plants, animals, and people are quite different. During organic… Keep Reading
