Farming isn’t what it was 100 years ago.
The industry, even for small farmers or what we’d term backyard farmers have seen profound changes in technology, automation, regulation and more.
Even 60 years ago a dairy farmer on Vancouver Island could never have dreamed of being able to plant six rows of corn at once, adding fertilizer at the same time, as Porter’s Dairy Farm now can.
And climate change is having a profound impact, on the one hand making the Valley more hospitable for corn production, while on the other requiring sophisticated irrigation systems to keep everything from withering away in the heat of a long summer.
Merridale Cider shows us how farmers these days are going right from the field to the table, adding value and inhabiting the world of trendy cuisine.
Then there are the farmers who are using social media to connect with one another and share tips, tricks and wisdom, while also trading in goods and services. We still have a spectacular downtown Duncan farmers market on Saturdays, but the market, as a gathering place for farmers to talk business and just to shoot the breeze has also moved online.
Modern factory farming has also unwittingly created a need for animal sanctuaries such as the two operating in the Cowichan Valley that take in pigs, fowl and more. This is the dark side of the evolution of farming, and one that shows there is still progress that needs to be made in making sure we respect the animals that provide us with sustenance, for however long their lives may be.
And then there’s straight up agricultural technology, such as that being developed by EIO Diagnostics to be able to better detect mastitis (udder infections) in milk animals.
But with all these changes, zigs and zags, at its heart, farming is about the food we eat. It’s about our very survival and our relationship with the world around us. As such, there is no more important sector in the Cowichan Valley, B.C., Canada or the entire world.