In remembrance of John Wilcox

“Our imperative now lies not in how to grow this or how to market that. What’s critical is a rebirth of BC farm Leadership. In BC, only one half of one percent of the province still farms, and our provincial government spending on agriculture, by percentage of GDP, is the lowest in Canada. We need new mortgage systems to enable investment in farmland. Using the Agricultural Land Reserve to grow our own food will never happen without such enabled investment – and such investment requires leadership.”

John Wilcox, Salt Spring Island farmer, farm leader and farm writer

     

     The farm community lost a prominent voice, strong leader, good friend and mentor when John Wilcox passed away on June 15^th at age 72. John was a sixth- generation farmer/agronomist and agriculture school graduate who owned and operated Duck Creek Farm on Salt Spring Island with his life partner Sue Earle. Over the past twenty years, since moving the family farm from Ontario to BC, John was an active member and served on the boards of directors of several farm and conservation organizations.

      Active is perhaps an understatement. In a notice to all District "A" Farmers’ Institute members, Jenny McLeod, Secretary of District A said “He WAS District "A" Farmers’ Institute and our resident historian. He gave his all for farmers and farming and gave a voice to small scale farmers throughout BC. He was a founder of FARM Community Council and a real contributor to agriculture in BC.”

      John also had interests beyond our borders and was at the forefront of many initiatives. As a new graduate in 1961, he went to rural India as an agricultural volunteer and became a founding member of Canadian Volunteers Overseas, now Canadian University Students Overseas (CUSO). His current positions included membership in BC Farm Writers Association, Island Natural Growers and Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce. John was also a Conservation Partner with The Land Conservancy of BC. In 2007 John received a Life Time Achievement Award for Dedicated Service to Community Agriculture and District “A” Farmers Institute for his many years serving on boards for Islands Farmers Institute, Island Natural Growers, District "A" Farmers’ Institute, BC Federation of Agriculture, FARM Community Council, Investment Agriculture and the BC Agriculture Council.

      His crowning achievement was Duck Creek Farm, an organic market garden and biodiverse conservation area. He had to work hard, for many years, to earn the money to buy and develop the land into a viable, productive farm and home. His success as a farmer was recognized by the business community, as he was awarded the first ever Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce Home Based Business Award in 2006, and the Agricultural/Farm Business of the Year Award in 2011.

     For years John Wilcox wrote pearls of wisdom in his “Barn Side” column, prominently featured with his infectious smile on the editorial pages of the widely-read farm paper, Country Life in BC. His columns dissected government policies and actions, presented opinions and ideas, in essence not just thinking out loud but talking (or shouting) out loud to anyone who would listen. His style was all his own. The farmer-activist, who used his pen as his weapon, or tool, was vital in communicating to policy makers, other farmers and the public. His personal frustrations with the ever-growing counterproductive bureaucracies became the catalyst for his activism and his actions. His early working life included government positions in both Ontario and BC in the golden years of extension services for farmers, so he had a good idea of what farmers needed, and what government could provide.

       John was also known as “Johnny Canuck”, for his anti-Free Trade mission in 1988 highlighted by a cross-Canada round trip in a 1941 maple leaf-painted Chevy. It is so appropriate that his life will be celebrated on Canada Day, July 1^st, at Fulford Hall, starting at 3 pm.

      John is survived by his brother, Jim Wilcox, daughter Lisa Wilcox, first wife Judith Stuart, daughters Samantha Wilcox and Emma Rubatscher (Jon), second wife Lynda Wilcox, stepson Dan Brooke (Erica), granddaughter Megan Brooke, partner Sue Earle, stepson Eland Bronstein and daughter Ella Bronstein.

Salt Spring Abattoir to Open For Business This Spring

A few years ago the government changed the Meat Regulations to require inspection of all facilities slaughtering meat in the province. The upgrades required were costly for many operators, so all around the province, and in the Gulf Islands, local abattoirs shut down. Animals needed to be transported off-island, since most Gulf Islands did not have licenced facilities. The off-island abattoirs available were often over-booked, creating bottle-necks or long waits. Based on surveys in 2004 and 2010, it became apparent that there was a significant decline in meat production on Salt Spring Island. The newly formed Salt Spring Agricultural Alliance prioritized the building of a Salt Spring abattoir, and decided on a mobile processing unit with an accessory modular cut and wrap facility. With a twelve person committee, the Alliance worked hard at fund raising to “Save Salt Spring Lamb”, one of the region’s most famous foods.

Is it on budget? Yes, with the help of donations, price discounts and recycled materials, the plans are becoming reality. At a price of $350,000, the fund raising efforts have been very successful and is very, very close to its goal.. The government is providing $150,000 in matching funds, and about $200,000 has been raised so far. The Salt Spring Agricultural Alliance was awarded $50,000 from VanCity’s enviroFund to increase local food production on Salt Spring Island. This helped push the project ahead in hiring a construction manager.

Is it on time? No, it was hoped that it would be up and running in the fall of 2011. A nine month delay was experienced waiting for the plans to be approved by the BC Centre for Disease Control. There were many changes required to the plans but they are now approved.

What is done so far? The selected location has industrial zoning, is flat and well drained and has good road access. The property owner is also a farmer , which will make his farm’s transportation to the plant just a walk across the field. The Islands Trust gave the project a Temporary Use Permit, which is good for three years and can be renewed once. At that point, the abattoir location will be reassessed. The Trust also required a riparian assessment to be done because of a pond and some drainage areas in the vicinity.

A new ecoflow peat filtered septic field was installed by Ken Byron. There is a travel trailer for a site office, lunch room and change area for abattoir staff. Three modular structures were framed in when I was given a tour by Margaret Thomson and Mike Robertson– the offal room for the guts, the cooler, the cut and wrap room which will also hold a freezer, along with the washroom and office for the inspector. The crew was working on the hide room when I was there. The CRD building department required each of the modules, which can be moved, to be ten feet apart so walkways are being built to connect the modules. The drawings have been prepared by Brent Baker, who is the construction manager. Brent is a principal partner in Shibui Design, and has been involved in cost effective planning and construction for over thirty years. Brent is also the son in law of Mike Byron, long time Salt Spring farmer who was one of the islanders who processed livestock for the community before the regulations changed.

Although the modules for the abattoir are being constructed on Salt Spring with local labour, the trailer unit which will be used for slaughtering of both red meat and poultry is being made in Coombs. Once the abattoir has its licence, hopefully in April, there will be two test slaughter days – one for red meat, and one for poultry.

The one detail left is to select staff to run the abattoir. The SSI Agricultural Alliance is now looking for “expressions of interest and creative proposals from individuals, groups or other entities who are interested in running ongoing operations of the abattoir as well as anyone interested in being part of the operations team for this exciting new local food venture.” They are anxious to receive proposals by March 15^th so that they can be up and running this spring. To submit a proposal, contact Anne Macey annemacey@shaw.ca or mail to SSI Agricultural Alliance, 106 Old Scott Road, SSI V8K 2L6.

But if you build it, will they come? Already, based on a survey of poultry producers, there is greater demand than anticipated originally. Many red meat producers have been expanding their herds and flocks. Consumers, chefs and retail outlets have shown great interest in receiving a dependable supply of fresh local meat, truly in the hundred mile diet way.

Gulf Island Apples - famous before the Okanagan

The Gulf Islands are dotted with old apple orchards, marking homestead sites where the homes are often long gone. But the trees are there, and many of them have huge apples known as the King apples. The Gulf Island farms were the major growers of apples at one time, shipping apples to Vancouver and Victoria via boat. This was before the Okanagan took the title. According to “A Gulf Islands Patchwork”, published by the Gulf Islands Branch of the BC Historical Association, Mayne Island was the first place in BC to grow apples. As the story goes, a Captain Simpson from England was to do survey work on the Pacific Coast. At a party in England before his voyage, a lady slipped some apple pips into his waistcoat pocket and told him to plant them once he arrived at his destination. Captain Simpson remembered the request once he arrived on Mayne Island and was invited to a formal dinner. He put on the same waistcoat, put his hand into his pocket, and found the pips. He planted them on the spot, where they produced apple trees.

Today many of the orchards in the Gulf Islands are enjoyed by deer and sheep, and are in need of some pruning and care. There are always people who will offer to pick your apples for their own use, but scarce few who will do it in exchange for help with the pruning on those cold days in February. It takes time and work to maintain an orchard, especially the older orchards.



Wilf Mennell telling the story of the Ambrosia apple to a group of international farm writers visiting BC



     Prices to producers have dropped below the cost of production in many cases in Canada. At one time, Canadian apples were exported and in high demand for their quality. Now, there is a worldwide glut of apples as China is now the main producer and exporter of apples. The US, with some export markets dried up now push their exports into Canada. Washington produces 60 percent of the apples in the US, and BC produces 30 percent of Canadian apples. In recent years there have been efforts to increase the value of Canadian apples through replant programs that take out the older trees and replace them with higher density plantings that will produce higher quality fruit and are easier to harvest.

     To aid in the development of new varieties that can give producers a market edge and also fairly compensate them for their work, the government enacted the Plant Breeders Rights Act in 1987 and one of the first apples to receive this protection was the Ambrosia apple. The Ambrosia originated from a single chance seedling in the twelve acre organic orchard of Wilf and Sally Mennell in Cawston, organic capital of BC. Unlike the intensive breeding and screening of potential candidates in a normal plant breeding program, the Ambrosia apple was a product of neglect and sloppiness, with a dash of observation and lots of determination and luck (not unlike many scientific discoveries). The seedling had grown amongst a replanted orchard of Jonagolds where some varieties of Delicious apples and plums had been previously, but was not noticed until some of the pickers started selectively choosing the apples from one tree in the Mennell’s orchard for their own consumption. They must have been really good and unique for apple pickers to strip the tree clean every time it was full of fruit. The Mennell’s found out about the pickers’ favourite apple, and sampled some themselves in 1989. The hard work for the Mennell’s was in working with the newly formed Plant Improvement Corporation of the Okanagan in 1993 to evaluate the new apple, plant test orchards, and file under the new Plant Breeders Rights in Canada, and a US patent as well. Royalties are paid on each Ambrosia tree sold, which has been a very popular apple worldwide.

     The increased interest in unique and special apples of high quality has created a resurgence in the growing of apples for niche markets. One such passionate grower is on Salt Spring Island. Harry Burton not only grows many types of apples organically, he also celebrates them each fall with the community in a special Apple Festival. The Apple Festival contributes to not only farm incomes, but the economy of the island as a whole. The Apple Festival this year had a seminar by long-time Seattle apple expert Dr. Bob Norton, a tour of sixteen farms and many, many participants who came to learn about, taste, and celebrate the apple. The ripening of this year’s crop was delayed  all over the province due to the weather, and Harry has a wide variety of apples ready now and available for sale by the box, all organic. Not only would that be a fine way to stock up for the winter, but they would make unique gifts as well.