One of the best things about working alongside a sibling is that one can take off on vacation knowing things are covered at the farm. Rachel and her family stayed at the farm, harvesting and going to market, while I was able to get away for a couple of weeks.
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Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alberta and back into BC made for a 3556 KM roadtrip. I travelled through the largest potato producing county in America, caught a glimpse from the highway of the large amounts of hay in storage that is grown all across the Columbia Basin, viewed the rolling ranchland turned into forest in Idaho,and saw the views of the Flathead Valley as prairie turns to mountains in Northwestern Montana (albeit from a chairlift with skis strapped to my feet). I travelled across the Hi-Line in Montana where energy development and ranching seems to coincide, passing through dusty farming towns on the way to the Alberta border.
Two stops on the trip were the most memeroable.
The first was at a friends ranch bordering the Sweet Grass Hills and the Milk River in Southern Alberta. Ranching is an extensive process, rather than the intensive way in which grow at our farm, the goal is to grow grass which in turn grows cows for market. The native prairie has never been broken with a plough and the wildlife, such as antelope, jack rabbits, grouse, white tailed deer, interact and work alongside ranchers. While checking cows across the range one can easily get lost in the vastness of the land. The harsh landscape and the economic realities of farming have taken their toll. Abandoned century old farmhouses, skeletal remains of a calf born in a cold snap, for sale signs along a gravel road, but ranchers, with their pioneering spirit, seem to keep on turning native grass into slim profit margins which is a way of life that I have the utmost respect for.
The second highlight was visiting friends in the Kootenays at their farm in Johnson’s Landing. Colleen and Patrick run Stellar Seeds, a small scaled organic seed company, as well as their farm Kootenay Joe Farm. From just four acres they grow food for their local community as well as seed for farmers such as myself. Johnson’s Landing is remote, an hours drive from Kaslo, much of it on a winding gravel road. Goats, chickens and ducks provide a great source of companionship and, of course, fertility for them. Their water comes from the creek up the mountain and wildlife is abound. Deer fences is the only way to secure any sort of harvest in these parts. Both, Colleen and Patrick, are passionate farmers, involved in seed security and sovereignty and local food. They partake in many ‘Seedy Saturdays’ across the province, a seed swapping event that allows farmers and gardeners to exchange their own local and diverse seed with one another. They live simply and honestly and it was a treat to be able to visit their farm. Stellar Seeds can be found at www.stellarseeds.com
After leaving the Kootenays, the trip took me to Kamloops, through the ginseng in Walhachin, the feedlots at Cache Creek, through the Duffy Lake road onto a quick jaunt into the Pemberton Meadows and then back to the coast. Pulling up to the farm, Rachel, with Addie on her back, had just finished harvesting for the morning. Things have been in good hands while I’ve been away. Now for the 46 emails that have escaped me in a fortnight…
Wooooow what a trip Lydia!