A group of 23 farmers, food provisioners, and food system activists gathered on June 16, 2023 to witness the beginnings of the Okanagan Indian Band’s new Sun Valley Ranch project on syilx territory near Vernon, BC.
We first met Wanda Duncan, Wellness Programs Lead at the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB), when she spoke at a kinSHIFT Elements of Change for Farmers workshop. Wanda is the visionary behind the ranch project, and is now coordinating its development with a small team of staff. We asked her if we could tour the land with the goals of getting to know the staff at OKIB better, fostering relationships among local farmers, food system activists, and Indigenous folks, and seeing if YA can support with any aspects of the project. Wanda graciously agreed to host us, even though they only gained access to the property a few short weeks before the tour!
On the tour we saw the old site of the community garden at Komasket Park, a nearby homestead, and Sun Valley Ranch. We had lots of time to share stories and get to know one another as we travelled between sites. Read on to hear how it went.
Komasket Park & Community Garden
We started the tour at Komasket Park with an introduction circle. Most people in attendance were from the region, but some folks came from as far as Vancouver and Vancouver Island to join!
Then we walked over the baseball diamond, where Nikki Lorentz, the Food Security Coordinator, told us about the community garden and greenhouse here. During the covid years, the Band installed raised beds for community members to grow in. Recently they decided the beds had served their purpose, and are now dismantling the garden so kids can play softball there again. The raised beds and soil were distributed to community members.
Jeff’s Homestead
Next we loaded into the shuttle (shoutout to our driver, Rayne!) and drove up the hill to visit the Garden Coordinator, Jeff Smith’s, homestead, to give us an idea of what was planned for the ranch site. As we walked down the steep driveway, we could see vineyards that were being planted on the surrounding hills.
The land surrounding Jeff’s home had been burned in a fire not too long before. Blackened trees surrounded the lush green gardens Jeff and his wife tended. A named cedar tree growing beside their house had saved it from the blaze. Along with a few thriving veggie gardens, Jeff had a handful of pigs in the lower part of his property.
Sun Valley Ranch
Next we drove a few more minutes up the road to the ranch. What a gorgeous valley! We enjoyed delicious smoked salmon bannock sandwiches and pithouse corn and bean salads from Kekuli Cafe while sitting on the lawn in the shade.
Sun Valley Ranch is about 1500 acres, and is located 40 minutes northwest of Vernon. The Band purchased the property a few decades ago, leasing it out to various ranchers and farmers since then. The property is covered in lush rolling hills, fields, and trees, and is home to a beautiful creek. There are open fields covered in daisies and wild roses, and various outbuildings. There is an old farmhouse that looks out over the land, which is currently under renovations.
The vision for the ranch is a space where the community can return to the land for healing and medicine, grow food, and engage in other activities such as carving, tanning, food preservation and celebration. The main house will have a commercial kitchen, and serve as the headquarters for people of all ages to gather together.
Next we walked down to the site of the garden. Since we visited, they broke ground and tilled in manure, and are planting winter storage crops!
We continued walking down the road to the meadow and creek. The field was full of daisies and we couldn’t help but smile and have some impromptu photoshoots in the flowers.
Blossoming
We feel so grateful to have connected with Wanda, Nikki, and Jeff and all the wonderful folks who attended to event. It was beautiful to see people chatting and making connections with each other. We feel lucky to have gotten a sneak peek of the ranch at this stage, and seeing how it blossoms. We look forward to returning to pick rocks and knock down thistles! A huge thank you to our hosts and everyone who came out.
Some other outcomes of this tour are:
- attendees brought seeds, tools, and compost to donate
- YA has been working to connect the ranch with resources such as seed and tool donations
- an attendee had a corporate connection to donate multiple pallets of irrigation supplies!
Keep an eye out for future opportunities to get involved with Sun Valley Ranch. Currently they are seeking donations of:
- Lumber and fencing materials – both electric fence and permanent fence
- Power and hand tools
- Specialized garden tools such as but not limited to a seeder, weather station, a small tiller or tilther, harvesting totes, washing screen tables and other wash station materials, large uv tarps to help kill off weeds, floating cover and bug netting, broad fork, two wheel or walking tractor
- Contractor time such as general contractor, electricians, plumbers, machinists, landscapers, etc.
If you can contribute any of these items, please get in touch with Michalina at community@youngagrarians.org
Want to Dive Deeper into Reconciliation?
We are offering subsidized registration for kinSHIFT’s Elements of Truth workshops for farmers and food provisioners in BC. Learn more here.
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Thank you to our Funder!
We are grateful to the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia for funding this important work. Thank you!
