CUMBERLAND, B.C. — Christina Willard-Stepan does the heavy lifting and leg work at Seeds Natural Food Market so that her customers don’t have to. The owner of the seven-year-old boutique-style natural food market in Cumberland describes her customers as buyers particular about what they eat. “They prefer knowing about their groceries and knowing the farmer […] Read more
Stories by Karen Morrison
Education initiative training future leaders
Students, some only in Grade 2, filed up to the podium one by one last week at the National Congress on Rural Education in Saskatoon. They were there to share their academic and personal goals with dozens of strangers attending the conference. The students are all participants in Loreburn Central School’s Leader in Me program, […] Read more
Ag groups provide advice for renters
New farmers take part in farm days, educational workshops
COURTENAY, B.C. — Foster Richardson laments that so much farm expertise is not getting passed along to young producers like him. “It’s a bit scary to think of what could be lost,” he said. Eager to farm after graduating from the University of British Columbia’s land and food college, he and a few friends were […] Read more
B.C. island ag ventures find new support
COURTENAY, B.C. — Water buffalo cheese, salmon pepperoni and broccoli sprouts are just a few of the unusual items produced in Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley. The willingness to take a leap of faith on such ventures says a lot about the people who live here: from the dairy farmers who don’t want to milk cows […] Read more
New ideas keep island promoters thriving
BLACK CREEK, B.C. — Entrepreneurial blood has always pumped through Lia and Brian McCormick’s veins. They have grown wasabi on Vancouver Island and operated a restaurant. More recently, they produced salad greens and squash for local markets. Now in their 40s, they are poised to capitalize on a large local food movement with the acquisition […] Read more
Goat farm focuses on quality, niches
Milk is sold to health food stores, cheese makers and at farmers markets or processed into gelato
FANNY BAY, B.C. — Feeding 32 goat kids at once at the Snap Dragon Dairy near Fanny Bay would be a time consuming nightmare if the farmers didn’t use milk pails with nipples on all sides. “They can sully up to the bar and drink all they want,” said Karen Fouracre of her Toggenburg herd. […] Read more
B.C. island breeders advocate for agriculture
COURTENAY, B.C. — Buying a bull at Regina’s Canadian Western Agribition has been a game changer for Vancouver Island purebred Angus cattle producers Brad and Aleta Chappell. “He stepped things up,” Aleta said of the purchase of Copenhagen 3Y in 2011 with Alberta’s U2 Ranch. Brad said it allows them to expand their herd at […] Read more
Local food demand raises safety focus
Set up safety processes to reassure consumers
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Practices that ensure the safest possible food supply become more important as farmers markets and other means of direct farm marketing grow in popularity. Opportunities are also increasing for producers to explain those practices to consumers. Jan Warren, a home economist with Alberta Agriculture’s New Ventures in Lethbridge,, said operations such as […] Read more
Keeping kids safe on the farm
Accidents happen in all occupations but farming is particularly dangerous because it’s where families live, play and also work. The tasks change with the seasons, but the risks to children are constant and the youngest family members are often the most vulnerable. Farm parents are no different than other parents, except that they live, work […] Read more
Teaching safety to youth
Laura Nelson said many families have shared their stories with the centre during its 17 years of safety education programming for rural schoolchildren. Families often approach the centre, hoping to strengthen what it does by sharing their own stories, said Nelson. “Families come to us because they don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” […] Read more
