Proponents of a comprehensive plan to develop an organic farm to serve the needs of both consumers and producers brought their ideas to Powell River’s local governments recently.
Coco Hess, a board member of the Society for the Advancement of Local Sustainable Agriculture (SALSA), made presentations about Full Circle Farm at both the City of Powell River’s and the Powell River Regional District’s committees of the whole. The vision is that the farm will be a community food hub, benefiting both producers and consumers by providing a retail outlet, market gardens for organic vegetables and fruits, animals for dairy, eggs and meat, food processing and compost facilities, an abattoir and a training centre.
The group has identified 100 acres owned by PRSC Limited Partnership just north of Wildwood as potential land, because it’s in the agricultural land reserve. The Powell River Regional Economic Development Society (PRREDS) assisted the society with developing its business plan. “We would like to see agriculture flourish in the Powell River area,” said Hess.
Historically, the community had a number of farms, Hess explained, and was fairly self-sufficient. Currently, Powell River farms produce only about two to three per cent of the total food consumed in the region. According to a report prepared for PRREDS, called the Economic Development Plan for Agriculture, the region could approach 24 per cent self-sufficiency in the future, if the capacity on all agricultural land was increased. “Our goal is not actually to feed the entire community, but to increase local food consumption,” said Hess.
As well, the goal is to increase the capacity of farmers, bring in new farmers and enhance skills. Providing a local food outlet is another goal that would create a distribution centre for people to purchase local, organic food.
The concept also includes food processing facilities, which would be a benefit to new and existing farmers. “We’re looking at providing an abattoir, a meat cut and wrap facility, a processing facility and increasing the capacity or what we would call the agricultural infrastructure for the community,” Hess said.
Full Circle Farm would be a social enterprise separate from SALSA, Hess said, that would be for the community and preferably owned by the community. SALSA, which is an offshoot of the Powell River Farmers’ Institute, is a non-profit partner in the enterprise.
The root of Full Circle Farm is education, Hess said. “Our goal is a teaching farm,” she said, “and to increase capacity.”
At both meetings, questions were raised about whether the farm would be competing with local farmers.
At the regional district meeting, Texada Island Director Dave Murphy said he had one reservation, related to the fact that farmers in the Powell River region are eligible to apply for Class D and E licences from the provincial government, renewable every five years, which allow them to slaughter livestock for sale to restaurants, retail outlets or at the farm gate. He was concerned the government may not renew those licences if there were an abattoir up and running in the region. “My licence would be in jeopardy and I would have those extra costs to bring my cattle over to Powell River and have them slaughtered at some cost at this facility,” he said.
Hess said she understood that reservation and the board has heard it “loud and clear” from other farmers in the region. Its intention is not to jeopardize local farmers, she added, but to apply for a Class D licence, not a Class A licence.
The group will have a booth at Seedy Saturday with more information about its enterprise. The annual event takes place from 10 am to 3 pm on March 9 at Powell River Recreation Complex.
