Eva-Lena Lang Growing up on a family farm in the Mabel Lake Valley, in the North Okanagan, I experienced the many rewards and challenges that farmers can face. I left the region for several years, but whenever I returned for visits, I would notice new struggles confronting the farming community. Certain challenges stand out in… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer The bell rings to start the market day. Relentless and demoralizing rain has been falling since the tents came out of the trailer and we began the set up, two hours ago. The gutters now strung up between the tents are working well, emitting a steady stream of water into the growing pool… Keep Reading
From Farmer to Family Renée Hartleib There can be major advantages to getting lost. Just ask Lovena and Ryan Harvey, owners of Gathering Place Trading Company, a family run company in BC. Fifteen years ago, they were travelling in South Africa, Ryan’s birthplace, in their vintage VW camper van. On an afternoon jaunt through the… Keep Reading
Breaking New Ground Michael Marrapese Spring is often a time of optimism and renewed expectations. This will be Ariella Falkowski’s first year breaking ground for her new Sweet Acres Farm.She is leasing two acres of land at Lohbrunner Community Farm Cooperative on the outskirts of Langford, BC. She’s still getting to know the land and… Keep Reading
Editor’s Note: What follows is the Certified Organic Association of BC’s submission to the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Revitalizing the ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve) and ALC (Agricultural Land Commission). The Certified Organic Associations of BC appreciates the opportunity provided by the BC Ministry of Agriculture to submit input regarding revitalizing the Agricultural Land Reserve.As the… Keep Reading
Excerpts from The Future of Our Food System: Report on the Southwest BC Bioregion Food System Design Project by the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). Reprinted with thanks to Kent Mullinix and the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at KPU Foreword to The Future of Our Food System William Rees Society is… Keep Reading
Bioregionalism: Resilience in a Changing Climate Moss Dance One thing that struck me about this year’s annual COABC conference was the high level of engagement and the cohesiveness of the organic community. This year’s theme was “Bioregionalism: Resilience in a Changing Climate,” and the organic farmers and friends who showed up to learn, share, and… Keep Reading
A Culture of Caring For Our Children’s Children Marjorie Harris BSc, IOIA V.O. P.Ag This past year offered me a renewed and greater depth of understanding for the foundations of organic agriculture that are steeped in a culture of caring and concern for how the long term ramifications of today’s actions will affect tomorrow’s world.… Keep Reading
Family + Change = Succession Planning Basics Karen Fenske For the ten years I have been involved in BC agriculture I have watched a generation of owners and parents run successful operations. Now that they are considering retirement, forced or by choice, and the next generation is looking to secure equity, to own something, change… Keep Reading
Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers Originally published by Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario in “Ecological Farming in Ontario”. This is part 4 of a 4 part series on research into unpaid farm labour. While the research was conducted with farms in Ontario, much of the findings likely carry over to BC. In 2017, the… Keep Reading
