Spring on the Farm

Spring is a magical season on the farm. The land starts to wake from its winter slumber, birds return to sing their songs, the garlic starts growing, the greenhouse becomes a hub of activity. The promise and potential of a new season is intoxicating! Filling us lazy, winter rested farmers with a burst of energy. Time to get to work :)

We've enjoyed utilizing our greenhouse this spring. As last year, we were without a greenhouse at this time (having not completed the structure until mid May). The propagation tables, where we germinate our seeds, are already overflowing with early season transplants; cabbages, kales, kohlrabi, broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, salad mix, romaine, onions, shallots and leeks, (to name a few!). And the bed in the greenhouse is looking fuller and fuller every day. We've seeded spinach, salad mix, carrots and other greens for early season sales. (YAY, carrots are on the way!).

We've been trying out our new Soil Blocking equipment, and so far we're impressed! Soil Blockers compress soil into dense blocks which are then seeded just like you would cell trays. With this system it's important to mix your own soil to get the consistency & moisture content just right. Once the blocks have been compressed, they are tough little buggers. Holding their shape nicely, even after many waterings. Keeping them moist has proven to be easy as well. We lay the soil blocks in 10x20 trays with no holes, in order to hold the excess water in the bottom of the tray. The block will then take up the excess water throughout the day as needed. Easy Peasy!

We're excited to see the garlic growing so nicely! With over 14 different varieties of garlic on our farm it's a gorgeous array of colours, heights, thicknesses and growing habits. The mid season vegetable beds have all been seeded with green manures, in anticipation of transplants starting next month. We're also ploughing up some new fields this spring. Which will get cover cropped several times this season, and next, in preparation for garlic planting fall of next year.

Also, we've hired our first ever full-time farm worker. And boy are we impressed! Nicole has several years experience working on farms in the Central Okanagan, and is an aspiring young agrarian who wants to start her own farm in the next couple of years. She has been a huge asset to us already. Its amazing what you can accomplish on the farm with an extra set of competent hands :) Welcome Nicole!

More updates to come so stay tuned!

Welcome Nicole! She's potting up some baby pepper plants with our new, easy to use Soil Blocker System.

A sea of Onion, Leek & Shallot transplants!

The prop tables are bursting with baby plants :)

With the heavy snows this winter, and all the spring wind we've been getting, there are a lot of wind fallen trees around the property. Which we then gather up, and chip, to use as a soil amendment in our future orchard site.

Tilling, seeding, & row cover. And so the dance begins :)

The garlic is looking lovely this spring!

The greens, salad mix and carrots in the Greenhouse are coming along nicely :)

Shauna making soil blocks. It's a bit of a technique, but once you get it it's easy :)

Ploughing up several new fields this spring!

The main garlic field looking gorgeous!

Yay! The fancy new farm sign is up :)

Nicole rocking the walk behind tiller, tilling the paths between the garlic beds

Garlic Mulch! Sweet, fluffy, composted horse manure :)

Big News! We've Changed our Name

We've recently incorporated our business (Yay!), and as is part of the process we had to register our name. Our first three choices all had the word "Farmacy" in them (of course), which were all denied as there is a cannabis dispensary in Burnaby with the same word in their name (go figure!). We were suddenly distraught at the thought of not being able to use our beloved name. Luckily for us, our lawyer decided to call them up and dispute it. Voila! They gave us Your Local Farmacy Inc. (three cheers for persistent lawyers!).

We're super excited about these changes. Incorporating your business offers many advantages, as well as a degree of responsibility. But we feel the extra tax benefits, and a myriad of other benefits, far outweighs our new responsibilities.

Along with our name we have also changed our logo (same same, but different!), our email address (yourlocalfarmacy@outlook.com), and our website (www.yourlocalfarmacy.ca). The current email address will forward all emails from now on to our new email address, so we wont miss a thing! But for ease of use please update our new information in your system.

Thanks for bearing with us while we make these exciting changes. And we thank you all for your support! We're very excited about this year; many great things are in the works :)

Stay tuned, more updates to come...

Looking for a F/T Farm Worker for 2015

We're currently looking for a Full Time Farm Worker for the 2015 season, offering a competitive wage & hefty end of year bonus. Plus all the in-season veggies you can eat! As well, you'll get to work outdoors in a beautiful location with some skilled, crazy cool farmers :)

JOB POSTING

Position: Farm worker
Type: Full-time position with wage, minimum 35hrs/wk
Farm: The Farmacy Organic Farm - www.thefarmacyorganicfarm.ca
Location: Mabel Lake Rd, Lumby BC 

The Farmacy Organic Farm is located 7km north of Lumby, on Mabel Lake Rd. We are a small-scale market farm producing a wide variety of vegetable crops and gourmet garlic made available through our CSA Harvest Box program as well as Farmer's Markets (Vernon, BC) and direct sales. The farm is 32 acres with 6 acres currently under intensive vegetable & garlic production. We are certified organic, and are strong proponents of biologically intensive agriculture and manage the farm accordingly. We employ the use of hand tools, small machinery & a tractor to accomplish farm work.

We are seeking 1 full-time Farm Worker on our mixed vegetable farm and CSA. An ideal candidate will be highly motivated to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a career in agriculture. Applicants must be mature, conscientious, self-motivated, quality oriented, physically fit, capable of following verbal instruction, have their own transportation, as well as not returning to school in September.

Farm Workers will work under the direction of the Farm Manager to carry out the following tasks:

·       Greenhouse work

·       Plant propagation

·       Transplanting

·       Weeding

·       Cultivating

·       Harvesting

·       Vegetable processing

·       Facility & equipment maintenance

·       Irrigation maintenance & repair

·       Farmer's Market setup/sales/take down

·       Assisting with the CSA box program packing

In addition to regular duties, the Farm Worker could gain educational exposure to the following:

·       Crop planning

·       Marketing

·       Record Keeping

·       Profit analysis

·       Soil fertility management

·       Irrigation systems

·       Cover cropping

·       Building construction

·       Small engine maintenance

 

Terms

Schedule:

·         Mar - May: 8am – 4pm Sat - Wed
1/2hr unpaid daily lunch break + 2 x 15min paid breaks

·         May - Sept: 7am - 3pm Sat - Wed

 1/2hr unpaid daily lunch break + 2 x 15min paid breaks

·         Sept - Dec: 8am – 4pm Sat - Wed
1/2hr unpaid daily lunch break + 2 x 15min paid breaks

Pay: $12.00 hr, min 35 hours/week. Wage will be re-evaluated after the 3 month probationary period.       

Start date: March 16, 2015
End date: Early Dec 2015

Bonus: $2000 when season is completed in full

We do not have accommodation available for Farm Workers at this time. We do have bathroom/shower facilities available in our Farm Centre as well as basic kitchen facilities while at work.

We provide:

• Bathroom/shower facilities in Farm Centre
• Basic kitchen & break room facilities in Farm Centre
• Access to in-season vegetables for personal use
• Safe & beautiful working environment.

We do not provide:

• Access to farmhouse
• Meal preparation
• Telephone
• Access to vehicle
• Accommodations

Application process:

Write a brief cover letter, attach your resume and email to:

The Farmacy Organic Farm:

thefarmacy@outlook.com

Only the most applicable candidates will be contacted to provide more details and employment references.

CSA Program 2015 - Registration Now Open!

We're super excited for this year's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program, and hope you are too!

We've been running a CSA Harvest Box Program for three years now, (at our previous farm in the Fraser Valley) and we love it. It's a great way for people to support local small-scale organic agriculture, while reaping the benefits of super fresh, nutritiously dense, high-quality organic produce straight from the farm. It's also a commitment to your health by adding more veggies into your diet, as well as a good way to learn more about the produce (nutrition, how to prepare & cook it, proper storage, etc).

What is a CSA?
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between farmers and the local community, providing mutual benefits and reconnecting people to the land where their food is grown. Members sign up in the spring for a share of the harvest, which helps the farmer during a time when cash flow is low. In exchange, the farmer grows high-quality, super-fresh, affordable produce for the member which is then delivered weekly to a convenient pickup location.

This arrangement is ecologically sound because it reduces the long-distance trucking involved in much of today's produce delivery. In addition, the produce is organically grown; this method of growing food is healthier and more environmentally sustainable for the consumer, the farmer, and the land itself. As well, you're supporting your local economy!

How does it work? 
The farmer offers a certain number of "shares" in the harvest, which they make available to their community. The member purchases a "share" in the spring, which gets them a box of delicious, nutritious, locally grown organic vegetables every week throughout the farming season. 

Check out our CSA 2015 Program Info & FAQ here!

 

Happy New Year from The Farmacy!

Happy New Year to all! We're so super excited for 2015, we've got some big plans in the works (more info to come later this month) and some big projects planned as well. We're also getting all our program info together for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Harvest Box program starting this year (more info to come so stay tuned!). Its going to be a busy, but amazing year :)

But, for now, we are enjoying the lull of winter. We're hunkering down with our crop planning and winter research (its such a luxury to have time to read again!). Planning out the entire year takes quite a bit of work, but it's definitely worth it. We find that by having everything planned out at the beginning of the year it's a lot easier to just follow the plan and tweak it as necessary, than to try and plan things out during the year. It also makes you more organized and efficient in your work throughout the year.

The farm is covered in a thick blanket of snow now, with another foot on the way tomorrow. It's so pretty out here this time of year. Quiet, serene, peaceful. Exactly what we need after a busy year of awesomeness :)

Stay tuned for some big updates on the way!

a new bed of spinach in the greenhouse has germinated!

The garlic enjoying its winter sleep :)

Bessette Creek which borders the property

Winter on the Farm :)

We Love our Local Monashee Community Co-op Store!

Id like to start off by apologizing. In focusing on getting everything into my last post about 2014, I had a bit of a brain fart and missed one of the key elements - our experience with our local Monashee Community Co-op store! And to all our Co-op brothers & sisters: "We're sorry! Please forgive us <3" But, it now gives me a chance to showcase and offer our heartfelt praise to this amazing project in its very own post!

The Monashee Community Co-op is a volunteer run, and community driven initiative that started right here in little Lumby this year. It showcases almost 100 local vendors in its amazingly beautiful retail space, and is supported by hundreds of local patrons and members, not to mention the dozens of volunteers who believe in, and devote their time to running this project. The Co-op started off as a bulk buying club, and quickly evolved into a beautiful retail space offering a plethora of local and ordered food products, offering workshops, home to an in house massage therapist, a book exchange library, a eco laundromat, a meeting place and much much more!

The products you can find from local vendors range from local food (veggies, meats, cheeses, dairy & more!) & prepared foods, crafts & curios, beauty/spa/house hold products, candles, clothing & accessories, jewellery, gifts, snacks, prepared meals, sculptures & local art, antiques, books, eco products, and so much more! If you need it, chances are the Co-op has it (or can get it in) :)

We are overjoyed to be part of this project, if only as a vendor right now (we hope to support it in other avenues in the future!). We've been selling quite a bit of our produce through the Co-op store, and have received huge support from the local community. We hope to increase the quantities & range of produce we offer next year at the Co-op. And we thank everyone for their continued support.

 We are so grateful to all the volunteers who devote their time, and work with each other to manage and run the Co-op. It is no easy feat to cooperatively run a project (we know this all too well having moved from the Yarrow Ecovillage project in the Fraser Valley). We know how much work is put into these projects and we just cant say enough good stuff about them, or thank them all enough for their hard work!

Their success this year is a sign of the times. People want more and more to support their local artisans & community, and this model project is an excellent example of community supporting community. There should be a Co-op store in all small towns! For the people, by the people <3 Great change starts from the ground up, and we are honoured to be part of the Groundswell that is the Monashee Community Co-op!

We love our local Monashee Community Co-op store and would like to send out a big hug and a heartfelt thanks to all those who make this project possible! <3

Shauna & Nevin Gavigan

Look at all this food! And this is only half of it!

 

A local sustainable meat farmer topping up his freezer at the Co-op

The Co-op tries to have a plethora fresh produce on hand at all times (we help with this!)

A local produce vendor admiring a display (look familiar?)

Some core volunteers donating their time to receive & process a bulk order (Thanks ladies for all you do!)

Its a lot of work organising then receiving and processing these bulk orders, and this lady is a pro!

Look at all this fresh organic produce and dry goods! Made available to the small rural town of Lumby BC through the Monashee Community Co-op!

Some of the local volunteers processing the bulk goods for sale in the Co-op store. Thanks Volunteers!!!!!!!!

Our local in house Massage Therapist is also a very talented artist! (and a dedicated volunteer too!)

Some of the local kids helping out with a day of clean up

Thanks to all the volunteers who keep the Co-op in such a beautiful state!

A couple of the local ladies who volunteer their time to run the daily operations at the Co-op. Thanks Ladies!

Check out these intrigued workshop attendees learning how to compost with worms (vermiculture)

Those are some happy workshop attendees! Thanks to all the local teachers who run workshops at the co-op, and who share their wisdom and talents with their local community!