On July 26th, 2021, we hosted our second event of the Young Agrarians 2021 Farm Club event series, which took place virtually at Flyway Farm and Forest and the Spilli Station Cafe in Spillimacheen, B.C. Farm Club is when farmers come together to connect and nerd out with other farmers. It can be on any topic the group wants to discuss and can take many different shapes and sizes.
A few months later on September 25th, we were fortunate to also host an in-person Land Social at the farm and cafe. Land Socials connect farmers and farmland holders, and set them up to receive ongoing support through the B.C. Land Matching Program. Both farmers seeking land and farmland holders thinking about sharing land were encouraged to attend – as well as anyone who loves food, farming, and getting out onto the land.
Patti and Bernie offer an opportunity to join them on their farm and cafe through the B.C. Land Matching Program. Check out more information about their opportunity in this blog post.
Read on to check out the video recording from the virtual tour and photos from the Land Social!
Virtual Meal Prep Demo and Farm Tour
This 1.5 hour virtual “table-to-farm” tour features a meal prepared by owners and operators Patti and Bernie in the kitchen of the Spilli Station Cafe, followed by a tour of their farm Flyway Farm and Forest and a conversation with Gerhardt Lepp from Ravenwoods Farm, who supplies the cafe with his nearby farm’s produce.
Land Social
Thirty people from around the Columbia Valley and beyond joined us for a gorgeous sunset tour of Flyway Farm and Forest, followed by a delicious community meal at the nearby cafe!
It was inspiring to not only hear about the farm and tour it in-person with the enthusiastic, warm, comedic and detailed guidance of Patti and Bernie, but also to listen to all of the questions and subsequent discussions, to hear peoples’ stories and all of the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group, and to share lots of laughs and an incredible meal.
Thank you to our hosts and to everyone who joined us for the event and those who even brought their farm fare to share!
About Flyway Farm and Forest and the Spilli Station Cafe
Patti and Bernie have been busy in the Columbia Valley bringing their vision of farm-to-table dining to reality! The hard-working couple who relocated a number of years ago to the area are making waves as they pioneer a new era of dining at the Spilli Station Cafe located in Spillimacheen. From their farm Flyway Forest and Farm down the road, they produce for their cafe and also source locally grown food from around the area to supplement their gardens.
If you’re in the Columbia Valley, pay them a visit at the cafe @ 970 Highway 95, Spillimacheen, B.C.
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GOT LAND? WANT LAND?
Through the B.C. Land Matching Program, Young Agrarians is offering support to farmers looking for land for their farm business and landowners looking for farmers to farm their land. The Columbia Basin Land Matcher will be attending the event to answer any questions about accessing land through this program. For those unable to join us, you can send a message to hailey@youngagrarians.org for more information.
THANK YOU!
The Columbia Basin event series is made possible with funding from Columbia Basin Trust.