The B.C. Land Matching Program has helped bring farmers looking to retire together with young families looking to start a farm of their own, according to information released by the province.
Across the province the program has created more than 200 matches, including 20 in central and northern B.C. with a combined 4,309 acres of farmland.
One of those families was Ed Wiebe and Theresa Wood of Wiebe Livestock. Wiebe and Wood were matched to a ranching couple in Punchaw Lake, roughly 70 km south of Prince George, with a 66-head herd of cattle and 968.5 acres of land.
The couple were looking to retire and pass the land and cattle on to the next generation.
“With transition arrangement plans in the future, Wiebe Livestock is in a five-year term to graze the land and purchase the cattle, while integrating their own cattle and growing their existing herd size and operating capacity,” a statement issued by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food said.
In Dawson Creek, near Pouce Coupe, a farming couple with 160 acres was also looking to retire.
“They were matched to Kolby Peterson, a young woman from the Peace Region who was seeking mentorship in farming with horses,” the ministry statement said. “The BCLMP supported the development of a 10-year lease-to-own agreement with Peterson, which includes the farm's existing cattle herd. Peterson is already in the early planning stages for new farm infrastructure projects and a market-garden business.”
The B.C. program is administrated by the Young Agrarians B.C., a program of the Agrarians Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture in Canada.
"Affordable access to land is the number one barrier that new and young farmers need to overcome today to start farms," Sara Dent, executive director of Young Agrarians B.C., said. "We are thrilled to see the positive impact the BCLMP is having to support farmers to get on land and grow food. With an aging farming population and the number of farms declining annually, it is important that we invest now to ensure the next generation of farmers have the best chance possible to grow resilient future food systems for our communities."
For more information about the program go online to: https://youngagrarians.org/bc-land-matching-program.
