The Rashleighs initially grew wheat and barley and raised dairy cattle but have since switched to forage grass production
One hundred years ago, Bryce Rashleigh’s grandparents boarded a ship from England to Canada and started the farm that would become their family’s legacy, now known as Saanichton Farm.
Situated on Vancouver Island near Saanichton, B.C., Bryce Rashleigh’s family was recently recognized by the B.C. government with the Century Farm and Ranch Award.
“We’ve now seen 102 harvests, of which I’ve been part of 45 of the harvests,” Rashleigh said in an interview.
The family initially grew wheat and barley and had dairy cattle. However, as times changed, he began to change the farm too.
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“Dairy farms are in decline on Vancouver Island, so we’ve switched into producing forage grasses,” he said.
The Rashleighs also incorporated milling flour into their farm at the request of a local bakery.
“(The bakery) had the mill. I’ve been selling wheat to them for seven years,” Rashleigh said. “And two years ago, they said, ‘we would like to get the dust out of the bakery and just you have the mills back at your farm and you provide us with flour’.”
So, the family began milling flour in March 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic began, so their first month of milling was also the busiest.
“We average about just over nine tonnes of flour a month. For the first month we did 19 tonnes of flour,” Rashleigh said.
“You know, people were lining up getting their flour. We had a drive-through flour stand. We learned that they could scan their card through the window without us opening the window and we would pass the flour out at the next stop. Another window would open, just like going through a drive through.”
Rashleigh took over the family farm at age 15, after his father passed away, and has been operating it since 1977. While he learned a lot from his father and his grandfather, he has also learned from people in the community.
“One of the things that I have to say over and over again, our family farm is in existence because of the people we’ve gotten to work with over the years. And my dad told me years ago, you can have all the fancy equipment you want, but never forget it’s the people that will make your farm successful.”
Working closely with his community is a favourite aspect of farming on Vancouver Island, he added.
“We are blessed in these parts where I get to meet my customers.
“So much of the prairie grain goes somewhere in the world, but I get to have the local influence.”
When the Rashleigh farm was given the award, Bryce’s aunt, Elizabeth (Betty) Rashleigh, attended the event. At 101 years old, she’s seen the evolution of the farm from generation to generation.
“I was born on the family farm in 1920 and, as a farm lass, my links to our farmlands are very strong,” Betty said in a press release.
“I treasure many wonderful memories of milking the cows and spending time with my parents, my brothers and sister. I am so proud to see my nephew and his family keep alive our farming tradition that my father first began.”
Now Bryce Rashleigh’s three children help continue the work.
“We get to see the benefit of what my grandfather and my father did for us, and so it inspires you to try to keep it going and to appreciate what they did,” Rashleigh said. “What I love about the next generation is they have bright ideas, they have technology, they have new ways of doing it.”
