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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2017 Small farmers make it work in Alberni Valley
Hard work, low costs and community are a winning combo by TAMARA LEIGH
PORT ALBERNI – Lower land prices and high demand for locally produced food is driving an increase in small scale farming in the Alberni Valley, but it’s not just economics that makes it work. For 20 year-old Makenna
Cyr, the path to farming was made possible by the generosity of the 4-H and farming community in the valley. It has been nine years since Cyr first joined 4-H with her pet guinea pig. “I didn’t start 4-H with any
agricultural intent, but to be able to meet other people involved in agriculture and to be involved in the provincial programs that 4-H offers and learn about different job opportunities in agriculture has been amazing,” says Cyr. Always attracted to
animals, Cyr moved from her guinea pig into rabbits, then chickens, goats, sheep and
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horses. She eventually found her passion with beef cattle. “In Port Alberni, we hadn’t had a beef club active in well over 10 years. I decided I wanted a cow and I got a calf for Christmas so my mom became the 4-H beef leader,” she says. “I got taken in by a few farmers that worked with a beef club over in Parksville/Qualicum and I think they saw my passion and interest for it. It’s been amazing to see how farmers will take someone under their wing and teach. It’s a great opportunity if you have the interest and are willing to take the initiative.” Initiative is something Cyr has in spades. After graduating from high school, she started her studies to become a teacher with the intention of getting into agricultural education, but her heart was really in farming. When a family friend offered Cyr the opportunity to buy her own property and farm, she jumped at it. “I started my own business
– Sun Rae Acres. I run a few cattle, a small flock of sheep, hogs and laying hens. I keep my eggs in many different baskets so to speak,” she quips. “It’s a neat way to run a small farm, for sure, because you have customers who are buying all kinds of products. If you only raise beef cattle, a customer is only going to buy
It all started with a guinea pig in 4-H for young farmer Makenna Cyr. TAMARA LEIGH PHOTO
so much beef. This way I am bringing in customers who can do a lot of their shopping in one spot.” Whether it’s the energy of
youth or doing what she loves, Cyr’s passion and enthusiasm evokes admiration and respect from other farmers in the Alberni Valley. She works two jobs in addition to the farm and in 2016, Cyr was elected president of the Alberni Farmers’ Institute.
Fresh face
Kat Belisle is another fresh face in Alberni Valley agriculture. In her second full season of production, she has built Stellar Jay Farm from the ground up – breaking up and enriching the red clay soils to produce a variety of market vegetables and berries on 1.25 acres.
Belisle learned farming on the job as a farmhand at Three Oaks Farm in Saanich, part of the Saanich Organics partnership. For three years, she worked under the mentorship of Rachel Fisher, Robin Tunnicliffe and Heather Stretch, learning the fundamentals of organic vegetable production and managing a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. “Rachel made me a farm
partner – that’s kind of rare. A lot of small farmers don’t make enough money to really hire people but that was a way to give me incentive to keep working with her and make it worth my while,” she says.
When she finally decided
to strike out on her own, Belisle looked to the Alberni Valley as an affordable alternative to Southern Vancouver Island. She eventually found a property and started to build with the
help of her partner Eli and son Grady. “I grow a wide range of
vegetables and some specialty varieties that people don’t grow here,” says Belisle. “Some Asian varieties grow really well in the shoulder seasons and sell well at the market.”
She markets her produce at the local farmers’ market, has a fully subscribed CSA box program, and sells to local restaurants. “The demand is so high
that everyone could use more of what I am producing. There are more people waiting for the CSA than there are on the list,” says Belisle. In order to meet the demand and grow her business to be self-sustaining, she needs to expand but land is increasingly difficult to come by. “Acreages in Port Alberni
have gone up substantially in the last couple of years since we bought,” she explains. “The small acreages cost almost the same as the large ones.” Looking to the future, she is hopeful that more people will come to the Alberni Valley to farm who might be interested in developing a co-operative partnership similar to the Saanich Organics model. “I want more people to farm with. Even if all you have is a small space, there’s a lot more you can do together,” she says, making her pitch. “People want to support local farmers here. If you’re nervous about farming or not sure, there’ll be people to help and support you. People are excited about local food and that’s not going to go away. There’s definitely a need in Port Alberni.”
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