You’re invited to a Farm Tour and Potluck at Big Rock Ranch in Buffalo Creek, B.C. If you’re curious about what land matching and sharing is all about – or just want to check out what your local farmers are up to – join us for the event. Come out to connect with other farmers and food lovers, share a meal, and learn about mixed fruit and vegetable production, beekeeping and raising poultry.
We’ll enjoy a farm tour from farmer Robin Hunt, who farms on their family’s 148-acre ranch alongside their grandmother, mother and a crew of working and companion animals. We will learn about their mission to grow nutrient-dense food, enhance soil health and biodiversity and maintain landscape integrity. Touring Big Rock Ranch’s mixed vegetable and fruit crops, we will also learn about their innovative irrigation practices and how they extend their growing season using greenhouses. They farm in a high elevation community that only has 80 frost free days a year, so season extension is an important part of their farm’s sustainability. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions about land sharing, collaboration and farming in their Cariboo climate! If you are a new or experienced farmer who is interested in family farm transition and want to understand what that looks like in practice, we hope to see you there. The day will wrap up with a shared potluck meal and informal time to socialize with other farmers and farm-curious folks.
Farm tours connect farmers and farmland holders, and set them up to receive ongoing support through the B.C. Land Matching Program. Your regional Land Matcher will share information about how they can help you find a farmer for your land – or farmland where you can build your dream farm business. Both farmers seeking land and farmland holders thinking about sharing land are encouraged to attend – as well as anyone who loves food, farming, and getting out onto the land.
We can’t wait to see you there!
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 2024 • 12pm-3:30pm
LOCATION: Secwepemc Territory. 6261 Bates Road, Buffalo Creek, BC.
DIRECTIONS/PARKING: The farm is located on Buffalo Creek Rd off of Canim-Hendrix Lake Rd, which branches off of Cariboo Highway from the town of 100 Mile House. As you near the property, Buffalo Creek Rd will turn into Bates Rd, which is where you will find the main farmhouse and parking. Please park at the big greenhouse or alongside the road. Carpooling is encouraged to save parking space for everyone! Additionally, be aware that there are electric fences on the side of the property with a large greenhouse. Please do not bring pets to the event. Kids are welcome! More information below.
REGISTER: So that we can plan for the tour and potluck, please register on Eventbrite.
SCHEDULE (times are approximate):
12:00 – 1:00 Welcome and Intro Circle
1:00 – 2:00 Farm Tour
2:00 – 3:30 Potluck Social
BRING: Please bring a dish to share potluck-style! Bring your own plate, cutlery, and cup for snacks/refreshments. Please include a little card with ingredients if you can for folks with food sensitivities. There will be a wash station available to clean plates, so please plan accordingly. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on (some seating will be provided), and weather and farm-suitable clothing and footwear.
CARPOOL INFO: If you are looking for or can offer a ride to or from the event, please email bclmp@youngagrarians.org to let us know.
ACCESSIBILITY: If you have any accessibility needs, please get in touch with us at bclmp@youngagrarians.org
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- This event is free and open to everyone!
- Children are welcome but please leave furry friends at home
- Please stay home if you have cold or flu symptoms
- Please wash your shoes before visiting the farm, especially if you work on or have visited a farm recently
- Please do not bring alcohol to this event
- Not sure what to bring to the potluck? Consider supporting your local, organic farmer and/or food producer and find inspiration from their ingredients
- Please bring any sunscreen and insect repellant you might need, and do not spray either near the gardens!
ABOUT BIG ROCK RANCH
Big Rock Ranch is a small-scale regenerative farm in Buffalo Creek (near 100 Mile House, BC). They manage a mixed fruit/vegetable market garden, raise free range heritage chickens and care for two honey bee hives. You can find them in 100 Mile House through their vegetable box program delivered straight to your door, at Higher Grounds Natural Foods store, at the South Cariboo Farmers Market, and at Long Table Grocery in Quesnel and Natures Fare in Kamloops.
Big Rock Ranch offers a large variety of vegetables, such as leafy greens, herbs, root vegetables, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and more! For fruit, they offer apples, strawberries, saskatoon berries and soon to be raspberries. The free range heritage chickens produce eggs and the bees produce some lovely honey. Depending on the year sometimes you can find Big Rock Ranch’s lovely pastured, free range heritage chickens available at the South Cariboo Farmers Market.
Stewarding the ecological systems they rely upon is at the heart of their farm. They strive to enhance soil health and biodiversity by using low-till, pesticide-free, and rotational grazing practices. They also maintain pollinator forage and nesting habitat. All of these practices enhance the ability of their soils to sequester carbon, store nutrients, and reduce water runoff, while producing high quality, nutrient-dense food for their community.
CHECK OUT BIG ROCK RANCH ONLINE:
Facebook: Big Rock Ranch
Instagram: @bigrockranch.ca
Website: https://bigrockranch.ca/
Stay in Touch
- Join our Young Agrarians Central & Northern B.C. Facebook Group to stay up to date with all events in the region
- Sign up for our e-newsletter to get events and opportunities for your region delivered straight to your inbox
- We welcome cancellations at any time – you can do so through Eventbrite, through the link in your registration confirmation email, or by contacting bclmp@youngagrarians.org. Please let us know if you aren’t able to attend
- Questions? Email the BCLMP coordinator at bclmp@youngagrarians.org
If you are interested in hosting an event at your farm and bringing together the farming community in your area, please reach out to bclmp@youngagrarians.org with your idea!
GOT LAND? WANT LAND?
Through the B.C. Land Matching Program, Young Agrarians offers support to farmers looking for land for their farm business, and landholders looking for farmers to farm their land. We’ve made more than 335 matches on over 12,249 acres to date!
Are you on the Young Agrarians UMAP? List your land or future farm dream today! You just might find a farmer who can turn your vacant field into a productive farm, or a landholder who has the ideal piece of land for you!
For more info about our land access resources, visit the YA Land page!
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in Central & Northern B.C. by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, with additional support from the Real Estate Foundation of BC.