Three farms, three different stories.
That represented the Hope Local Farm Tour's itinerary today, which brought residents to the Fraser Canyon Farmstead in Dogwood Valley, the DeLair Farm near the Hope Airpark, and the Lorenzetti Acres in Laidlaw.
Fraser Canyon Farmstead
The Fraser Canyon Farmstead represented a life-changing project of Scott Campbell and Michelle Pilon. Their farm started just two years ago, when the Vancouver residents wanted something new.
“We wanted more control,” said Pilon. “We wanted to have access to local food and healthy food, and we didn't find those in Vancouver.”
For Campbell, he wanted to find meaningful work.
“Neither one of us found something we loved and felt like we're making any difference, until this,” said Campbell.
DeLair Farm
Jack DeLair has run the DeLair Farm since 1970, and it has seen a transformation through those years.
The 86-year-old farmer has gone through rearing 20-25 beef cattle, to growing hay, and then into vegetable gardens on his 30 acres.
“I was born on a dairy farm in Abbotsford, so I've always had some experience with farming,” said DeLair.
Lorenzetti Acres
The Klops of Laidlaw are keeping a multi-generational dairy farm going.
Once the property of their Dutch dad, who bought the farm in 1959, Barb, Gerald, John and Clara Klop have taken over the largest site on the tour, the Lorenzetti Acres.
On that dreary afternoon, construction workers were rebuilding the barn on that property, which suffered a major fire that killed 120 cows and gutted the old barn.
As Gerald led the tour, his explained his methodology and the fine details that will go into his new barn.
Read the full article in the Oct. 13 edition of The Hope Standard.