Planting the seeds for a sustainable future - City of Kamloops

At one time, there were 16 dairies operating in Kamloops. A processing plant was built in 1946 to support these farms butclosed in the early 1950s which put many local dairy farms out of business. Today only one dairy farm (Blackwell Dairy Farm)operates in Kamloops.By the 1950s, consolidation of smaller companies and a year of severe weather resulted in a decline in the local growingindustry. Improved highway networks resulted in a heightened reliance on imported produce due to cost savings. Pressuresfor apple and tomato growers to subdivide their land for housing increases as many of the BC Fruitlands' apple trees(Brocklehurst) were killed by early frost. A lack of sufficient farm and ranch labour and the cost of labour began to affect thelocal sector and added to production costs.By the early 1970s, the overall acreage for commercial vegetables in Kamloops had dropped substantially. The ALR, aprovincial zone that still exists today to protect and preserve agricultural land and control non-agricultural uses on farmland,was established through a public hearing process of the provincial government.Today, few of the local agricultural support organizations of the past still exist, and most of the food purchased locally isimported from the United States, Mexico, and beyond. Many local growers and ranchers still face challenges related toirrigation, farm labour, and pressure to subdivide for housing.A detailed description of the issues and challenges faced by producers today can be found in the Issues Summary Section ofthis report.Lessons Learned From History:Kamloops produced more of its own food per capita in the past than it does now;There was considerable infrastructure in place for storage and processing of local food as well as industrysupport systems;The former KXA was an important part of the local/regional agricultural fabric that brought in people anddollars associated with the bull sale, winter fair, pro rodeo, horse racing and other activities. A lack ofsupport and awareness of the value of the KXA and what it stood for might be contributing factors to itsdeparture;Ranching has survived historically because the local resource base is well-suited for this purpose. It cancoexist in areas also used for other purposes such as logging, recreation, and wildlife habitat; and,A higher cost of living and the availability of mass-produced, cheap, imported food has resulted in fewerhouseholds supporting local producers as their products tend to cost more.CITY OF KAMLOOPS 14