Retaining farm land in the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) is a priority.
According to Jason Llewellyn, director of planning for the RDBN and Amy Wainwright, RDBN planner, they are in the process of developing an agricultural plan that will help farmers battle a variety of issues.
During a public meeting held in Burns Lake last week, Llewellyn and Wainwright discussed the issues surrounding farming in the North, asking for input.
"What do you think the RDBN should do and what should be in the plan?" Llewellyn asked.
They said the RDBN is currently gathering information from farmers, local stakeholders and consumers across the RDBN to create the plan that they hope will assist local farmers and producers to capitalize on opportunities and minimize constraints. "What ends up in the finished plan depends on what we hear from farmers, producers and the general public," he said.
While Llewellyn says the RDBN already protects land in the RDBN's agricultural land reserve (ALR) he hopes that the plan will identify more issues local farmers and producers face.
He said the board of directors from the RDBN had only allowed eight new parcels of land to be created in the RDBN ALR during 2011. "The board has a desire to keep this to a minimum to protect agricultural land. There was eight lots approved [for subdivision], half of them are in Smithers, one-third in Vanderhoof and the remainder are spread out across the region. None of the parcels had much agricultural potential," he said.
Bill Miller, RDBN director of area B, Burns Lake rural, who attended the meeting said, "We don't have a lot of good agricultural land in the RDBN and the key is to keep what we do have."
Long, cold winters are just one of the hurdles faced by Northern B.C. producers and farmers.
They are also dealing with challenge of selling their products and are dominated by large grocery chain stores that bring to consumers a steady, high volume supply of fruits, vegetables and meats year round.
Wainwright said the RDBN is looking at what they can do to help facilitate farmers and producers create a local consumer market to sell their products and are looking at possible alternatives to farmers markets, for product delivery. "How do you best deliver locally produced foods to the consumer?" Llewellyn asked.
He said farmers markets are seasonal and only operational for one day per week.
A local farmer said he thought a local shop front would be a great idea.
"It could be designed as a one stop shop for all local produce, or even a co-op style store where local producers can join forces and bring their products to local consumers."
"I think it is easy to generate consumer interest in locally grown foods. We have produce in stores that is genetically modified and already three weeks old by the time it hits the shelves and when you get it home it only lasts for thee days in the fridge. There is a good case to be made and the RDBN can help with public awareness campaigns, but local consumers are only going to stay interested for so long, if they can't find a place to purchase locally grown produce," Llewellyn said.
He went on to say that he didn't think many locals would spend their weekends traveling from farm gate to farm gate to purchase items on their grocery list.
Farmers have also identified problems with invasive plant species encroaching on the farms, spreading from unkept roadsides. "Current containment strategies are not working."
"When the Ministry of Forest cuts a road through my grazing lease this spreads weeds through the fields ... all of a sudden you have traffic and it brings in weeds," said a local farmer.
Wainwright said the RDBN can help by lobbing the government for more invasive species control funding.
The goal is to make sure the RDBN is doing what it can to help."
Llewellyn said invasive species funding is on the agenda for discussion at Union of British Columbia Municipalities meetings. "The RDBN has the ability to lobby for more funding. Sometimes this is successful and sometimes it isn't."
Miller said, "The province have really dropped the ball on [invasive species] funding."
Land costs, land availability and Crown land leases have been brought up by farmers across the RDBN as issues.
Llewellyn said he has heard that First Nations objections to range land access is presenting farmers with increasing amounts of uncertainty.
A local farmer said that while First Nations issues have not been an issue for him so far on the Southside, he said he has had problems with the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations. He said he leases Crown land for his cattle to graze, but loggers have come in and cut down the trees, tearing down his fences and replanted the area.
"I understand that it is the goal of forestry to plant trees after logging, but it is my goal to use the land for range land for my cattle. It is one of the frustrations when you have a grazing lease on Crown land."
Farmers have also reported wildlife as a barrier to their success.
"I have heard from farmers that elk are an increasing problem in the RDBN," Llewellyn said.
Local farmers said they have not encountered many elk, but said they often have issues with wolves, particularly in the Ootsa Lake area.
Regulation issues also plague local farmers, restricting activities.
"I am hearing clearly that there are too many jurisdictions involved in the life of a farmer and that farmers need support understanding how to comply with regulations," Llewellyn said.
District agrologists, funded by the government and who previously filled that role, have been reduced to one person who is located in Prince George.
"We need some support up here for agriculture. Reducing the district agrologists to just one ... that's how important the government thinks agriculture is," said local farmer, Herb Neville.
Neville also said regulations issues, at times, seem ridiculous.
"You can use a farm registered vehicle to take a cow to have it slaughtered, but you can't pick up the cut and wrapped meat in the same vehicle and be insured. That's an ICBC rule."
"We want something done to help ... people are tired of the studies," he added.
Llewellyn said the RDBN plan to make their plan practical and make a plan that farmers are able to use. "We also need to make recommendations to government that are not unreasonable," he said.
Llewellyn and Wainwright plan to use feedback gained from the public meetings, also held in Smithers and Vanderhoof recently and feedback from consumer and producer surveys [available at www.rdbn.ca] to prepare a draft plan.
The agricultural plan is expected to be competed by early 2012, and will be presented during a series of public open houses.