PLEASE NOTE – THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6th, 4-7pm. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope to connect with you all then!
You’re invited to a socially-distanced Land Social at High Slope Acres, a flower and vegetable farm in Telkwa, B.C! If you’re curious about what land matching and sharing is all about, join us for the event.
Be inspired and learn about the incredible farming that can be done collaboratively! We will tour the farm, enjoy some a locally prepared food, and take a dive into the steps to building a successful farm on leased land. We will explore what farming on leased land is like and learn about how the B.C. Land Matching Program can help you find the perfect piece of land for you to build your dream farm business – or the perfect farmer for your land. Your regional Land Matcher will share information and answer questions about land matching and how leasing land works. Both farmers seeking land and farmland holders thinking about leasing land are encouraged to attend – as well as anyone who loves food, farming, and getting out onto the land!
DATE: Sunday, September 6, 2020 • 4-7pm
LOCATION: Wet’suwet’en Territory. Hislop Rd, Telkwa, BC V0J 2X1. Google map.
REGISTER: Due to COVID-19, we have limited spaces and require registration for our events so we can limit the number of attendees to allow for physical distancing. Please register here.
SCHEDULE (times are approximate):
4-5 Farm Tour
5-6 Introduction circle & B.C. Land Matching Program Overview
6-7 Light snacks & Networking
BRING: Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Some food and drinks will be provided, but if you’d prefer you can bring your own meal instead. There will not be any wash stations for dishes available. Optional: face mask.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
- Please do not attend if you have any symptoms of illness, or have been in contact with any confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. We welcome cancellations at any time (you can do so through eventbrite or by contacting community@youngagrarians.org)
- Please follow physical distancing guidelines and keep 6 feet apart from other people. No handshakes or hugs please!
- Masks are not required, but bring one to wear if you’d like.
- We will have a hand sanitizer station for your use throughout the event. Please refrain from touching tools, pets and livestock, and door handles etc. on the farm.
- If provincial health guidelines for events change, we may cancel the event and you will be notified by email
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- This event is free and open to everyone! Children are welcome but please leave furry friends at home.
- Join our Young Agrarians Central & Northern BC Facebook Group to stay up to date with all events.
- Sign up for our e-newsletter to get events and opportunities for your region delivered straight to your inbox.
SHARE: Planning on joining us? Invite your friends and share the Facebook event!
About High Slope Acres
Mountains, lakes, and a cultural community all close by this 80 acre, 2 parcel / 2 family collaborative farm. It is located in the Bulkley Valley, overlooking both Telkwa and Smithers in Northern British Columbia. There is an abundance of wild and cultivated foods, fields, forests, chickens, pets, and the neighbour’s bees to enjoy. There are some apple trees and raspberries, but mostly the 3 acre garden supplies mixed veggies to the local farmers markets and some restaurants.
The farm has evolved over the years. When purchased in 2003 it was known as a strawberry, raspberry, and domesticated saskatoon u-pick. The perennials were fading, but it meant that some of the basic infrastructure such as irrigation was in place. It seems like we have been building and investing in infrastructure non stop since then, from hoop houses, to processing/washing spaces, mobile chicken coops, fences, curing (drying room), and a new greenhouse with a Ground Air Heat Transfer (GAHT) system currently being finished. In the early years we offered a 10 member CSA, of which 5 shares were ‘full working’, meaning no charge for the weekly veggie box, but those members came every Friday to help harvest for others and for the farmers market. After a few years we chose to be part of a multi producer CSA (Groundbreakers Collective) rather than do it on our own. During these years we doubled the area cultivated, offered areas of the garden to other people to grow things for Groundbreakers, and started specializing in garlic and squash. In recent years has been focusing on cut flowers – both by the stem to Northern florists, and to make our own unique bouquets for sale locally, and in 2019 flowers took the number one spot in terms of volume at High Slope Acres. 2020 has been a challenging growing year for our particular products, but a few tests such as an informal pickling cucumber coop and informal asparagus coop has set the stage for a better 2021.
We like to welcome people to farm, and while we haven’t officially called it agritourism, we have hosted school groups, WWOOFers, and community member who want to learn about or experience good food and flowers. This year we will be offering our first ‘introduction to cut flowers’ workshop, and are now planning the 9th annual ‘harvest party’ (where we can hopefully find to share food and music with guests who come to pick up their years garlic and other goodies as usual, but in a Covid-friendly way).
It is always changing at High Slope Acres but our love of the property and serving the community through farming keeps us going. We’ll see how it evolves next.
Check out High Slope Acres online:
Facebook: Flowers by High Slope Acres
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 81 matches on over 4,600 acres to date! The Central & Northern BC Land Matcher will be attending the event to answer any questions about accessing or offering land through this program. For those unable to join us, you can send a message to jolene@youngagrarians.org for more information.
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in Central and Northern B.C. by the Province of British Columbia, with support from the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. and Patagonia.