DECEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


45 Century Farm award honours historic milestone


Hard work, willingness to adapt key to longevity


by MARGARET EVANS CHILLIWACK – Prior to 1913,


the Kirkness family lived in the Orkney Islands, an archipelago of about 70 islands just off the northeastern coast of Scotland. Twenty of the islands are inhabited, with many of the residents claiming a Pictish and Norse ancestry. The islands’ soils are fertile. Farming has


traditionally been central to the economy with livestock grazing a primary agricultural occupation, something David Kirkness knew well. But in 1913, David and his


wife Catherine emigrated with their sons David and John to join family who had immigrated to BC a few years earlier. There were promising farming opportunities and, when they arrived, they settled in Maillardville. At that time, Maillardville,


now a neighbourhood of Coquitlam, was a busy lumber mill village on the north bank of the Fraser River. It attracted mill workers from other parts of Canada, many of them francophone. Alongside the lumber industry, agriculture was rapidly growing to feed the expanding population. David quickly secured a job as a herdsman. He worked hard and, after six years, he had saved enough money to buy 40 acres of land in Atchelitz, now part of Chilliwack. In 1919, the property became Orkadian Farms and the family home. This fall, the BC Ministry of Agriculture presented the family with a Century Farm award.


The first generation of the family in Chilliwack cleared land, planted crops and established a dairy farm. David died in 1938 and his son John took over running the farm with his wife Carmeta. John and Carmeta raised three children, Margaret, Bill and Flora. In addition to the dairy operation, they did custom farm work grinding grain and baling. In 1962, Bill married Stephanie and soon three children came along, Will, Bryan and Carmen. While Bill continued with the dairy operation, he added beef, peas and corn production to the family operation. In 2006, Will and Tracey, the


current owners, left the dairy business to focus on hay production and custom forages. The farm is now known as Red Barn Hay Co.,


Will and Tracey Kirkness stand in front of their heritage home in Chilliwack. Their family farm has been designated a Century Farm by the province, recognizing its 100-year anniversary in 2019. JULIE CHRISTINE PHOTOGRAPHY


supplying hay to farms across BC.


The passion to farm has


always been in Will’s genes and he attributes it to the dedication and hard work of his brother, father and grandfather as well as the generations of the Kirkness family before them. “I am so grateful for the


opportunity to farm, for the hard work of the generations before me that gave me this


opportunity,” said Will in a government press release announcing the farm’s recognition as a Century Farm. “I couldn’t imagine living my life any other way.” Over the years, Will has seen many changes and challenges facing farmers today. “One of those challenges is a lack of labour force,” he told Country Life in BC. “It can be hard to get help when


harvesting small bales. Another challenge is the weather. This year, 2019, was a challenge with very short windows for haying. Crops were going into round bales rather than square bales. Then there are the rising costs for equipment and maintenance.” Like his forefathers, Will has made farming his passion and his life. Will and Tracey have two married daughters, Brynn and Jillian. This past


September, a sixth generation of the Kirkness family was born.


While faming is tough, and faces increasing challenges, a century of hard work in Chilliwack – and a legacy of fortitude from their Orkney roots – bodes well for the next generation to grow up in agriculture. “You have to really want to be a farmer to make it work,” says Will.


1-866-820-7603 | BAUMALIGHT.COM Dale Howe | 403-462-1975 | dale@baumalight.com


MFG A VARIETY OF ATTACHMENTS BRUSH MULCHERS | BOOM MOWERS


STUMP GRINDERS | TREE SAWS & SHEARS TREE SPADES | ROTARY BRUSH CUTTERS AUGER DRIVES | TRENCHERS DRAINAGE PLOWS | PTO GENERATORS


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