COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2019


41 4-H sale saves the bacon for ranching student


Young farmer ready to roll north to studies at TRU


by SEAN HITREC VANCOUVER—As he stepped into the Agrodome with his 4-H hog project on August 19, 20-year-old Gabriel Camparmo had no idea about the surprise ahead.


The gavel clapped in a joint sale to Bonetti Meats and Gabriel’s proud father, Maurice Camparmo. Gabriel was beaming as the crowd cheered. Then, Maurice jumped the


fence, walked up to his son and handed him the keys to his new truck. The two men embraced as Gabriel fought back tears. “I’m so happy to know that


I have people in my life that love me like that,” says Gabriel. “[Getting a truck] was my biggest stressor this year because I barely had enough money for school, much less a truck.” Gabriel’s last year in 4-H


went off as well as it could have. Weighing in at 266 pounds, Pedro won champion market and champion swine


showmanship during the PNE 4-H show. Pedro was one of 127 animals sold at the anual auction and at $7 per pound, brought well above the average price of $3.90 per pound. The auction’s total sales were just shy of $308,000 and featured swine, lambs, goats, poultry and beef. Gabriel also sold his lamb Kip for just over $2 a pound. His father Maurice couldn’t


have been happier. Raised in Saskatchewan,


Gabriel came to live with him at 15, and they bonded over the livestock on their small hobby farm in Langley. “At times I wouldn't find him in the house, and I couldn't figure out where he was. He's sleeping in the hay loft [near pregnant ewes]...,” he says. “Animals and caring of animals have been his go- to place and he does it well.” For as long as he can


remember, Gabriel has had a passion for animals. Growing up, all he wanted were animal dictionaries and pets. It


Gabriel Camparmo and dad Maurice share an emotional hug at the PNE 4-H auction. Maurice surprised Gabriel with keys to a new truck following the sale of his top-selling hog project. SEAN HITREC PHOTOS


started with a well-trained hamster named Slinky and eventually led to a dog, cat and then horses he’d save from meat markets.


His passion was


overshadowed by a tough life in Saskatchewan, however. Gabriel spent most of his childhood and early teenage years with his mother. He lived through emotional and mental abuse so in desperation, he left to be with his father in Langley. “I would be hiding under stairs and stuff and it wasn't good. I came out here and I was pretty broken,” says Gabriel. “I had my dad, but I didn't know him. I hadn't talked to him really until I was 15.”


“It's been a really long and


hard trip for me,” Gabriel continues. “To be able to end my 4-H career like this, it makes me very happy because I didn't think I'd ever get here. I didn't think I'd live past 17.” Maurice took note of his


son’s love for animals, and signed him up for 4-H. Gabriel came out of his shell and flourished in the program. “4-H gave me a family,” says Gabriel. “It gave me


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The Sweet Pickins Farm is a 39.45-acre mixed use farm. Main crop is blueberries with a small herd of Black Angus cattle; plus, board horses. The store (open during blueberry season), selling blueberries, pies, jam, and some fruits and vegetables. Products Vegetables - Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Garlic, Pumpkins, Zucchini /Berries - Blackberries, Blueberries/Fruit -apples, Crab Apples, Plums, Rhubarb /Meat - Beef /Specialty Items - Baked Goods, Jams & Jellies, Soaps/ Compost & Fertilizer - Manure/ Store sells: Fresh and Frozen Blueberries, Fresh picked seasonal Vegetables, Fresh and Dried Garlic, Summer and Fall Apples, Free range Eggs, Rhubarb, Blueberry and other Fruit Pies, Homemade Jams and Chutneys. Out buildings; Store/Shop 30X20, Covered Patio 20x8, Walk-in-Cooler 7X11, Garage 25x28, Freezer Room 18x9,Caretaker 12x20, Barn 70x40, Equipment Garage/Horse Stalls 52x41, workshop/Wood shop/Horse Stalls/ Garage 70x40,farm hand accommodation 45x12. This is a great multifamily purchase.


Sweet Pickins Farm Sweet Pickins Farm – 39.45 acre mixed use farm. Blueberries, Black Angus cattle; horse boarding. Seasonal store features blueberries, pies, jam, fruits and vegetables. Outbuildings: 30x20 store/shop; 20x8 covered patio, 7x11 walk-in-cooler, 25x28 garage, 18x9 freezer room, 70x40 barn, 52x41 equipment garage/horse stalls, 70x40 workshop/wood shop/horse stalls/garage. Accommodations: 1930 Country Farmhouse, 12x20 caretaker, 45x12 farm hand. This is a great multi-family purchase. $1,725,000


something to look forward to and support and people to talk to … it allowed me to be a kid again when I didn't have that growing up.” The horses Gabriel had in


Saskatchewan were too expensive to board so he tried swine, an animal with a completely different temperament than he was used to.


“I was so scared of pigs! The first time I saw them I started crying,” he says. Through determination and support from 4-H, Gabriel began to understand and love the animals he’d feared. “I've fallen in love with my pigs because I've figured out that you don't have to push them to do anything. They'll generally do what you want on their own if you ask politely,” he says. “I specifically love their mind. You would think that they are very brutish animals. They [seem] loud [and] aggressive, but they're not ; they're very


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39+ ACRES ON SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND


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