The Morton B. Stratton Manuscript

by Conrad Pilon
In celebration and recognition of the 120th Anniversary of the founding of the Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute, the Salt Spring Farmers’ Heritage Foundation Heritage is proposing to publish the Manuscript written by Morton B. Stratton (August 1991), A HISTORY OF AN ISLAND CALLED SALT SPRING, AGRICLUTURE: Farms, Farmers and Farming.

The Stratton manuscript is a comprehensive and detailed account of the history of agriculture and the people of Salt Spring Island from the Settlement and struggle for Survival 1859-1885 …to the Post-War decline of farming as the mainstay of the island economy. The writer was a history professor at a Denison University in Ohio and moved to Salt Spring in retirement. Morton's son, John Stratton, has agreed to allow the Farmers' Heritage Foundation to publish the Manuscript which has among its many benefits a significant educational component for our schools.

The Board of Directors of the Salt Spring Farmers’ Heritage Foundation is made up of members and directors of the Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute. The Heritage Foundation (formally the I.F.I.) was established in 2003 as a registered charity under the Income Tax Act and is a society in good standing in BC. It continues to receive support and funding from many sources (including the Salt Spring Foundation, the CRD, the Farmers’ Institute, and countless private donations) for numerous education, exhibits and construction/renovation projects at the Bittancourt House Museum.

ABATTOIR SOCIETY

Update

The abattoir is open for business. Visit our website for bookings.

Farming With The Flow….Managing The Wet Stuff In Times of Climate Change

By Shannon Cowan, SSI Watershed Protection Authority Coordinator
It is February. Follow for a moment in your mind’s eye, the path of a creek as it tumbles over the roots and rocks and swirls into the eddies on its way to the ocean. No two water molecules navigate their journey in exactly the same way. Yet, they share so much in common: tumbling in steep sections, oozing in low grade areas, gliding over rocks, frothing from intensity of flow and/or presence of foamy organic fatty acids (natural by-products of bits of soil or leaf that enter the waterway). Mostly, we notice the water molecules redirecting themselves to take the path of least resistance. When conditions allow, water will propel forward according to volume and drop, carving away soil and vegetation in its wake. Also when conditions allow, water will slow, sink and spread….gently guided by its surroundings, it tends to trickle, to soak into the roots and the aquifers below instead of rushing headlong to the lake, and eventually to the ocean.

The drought of 2014-2015 gives farmers, and all islanders and visitors, reason to look for efficiencies (a.k.a. how much water is actually needed to support the agricultural needs, and the population in general?). The drought forces us to improve the process of water collection, storage and management on the farm, including matching quality to purpose, or to go without. Farm water planning and water awareness is nothing new for farmers! We all know we need to carefully manage our rainwater-fed landbase if we are ever to strengthen our local food economy, while taking care to preserve and protect the native ecosystems of which all land use types are an intrinsic part.

Add to the dry year the fact that the province has approved a new Water Sustainability Act, whose regulations will be designed and released in the coming months at the end of 2015, and you have the perfect timing for some local learning about new and age-old wisdom and techniques for water conservation, and management on the farm.

It just so happens that water quality has also been under the lens of the Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Authority. This collaborative roundtable of local government agencies and water district representatives spent the last 8 months in a multi-stakeholder planning process: together, those in the technical working group examined water quality data, and those in the public working group examined and co-discovered social data like environmental and economic community values, about St. Mary Lake watershed. Assessments and interpretations of the data were presented to the steering group, who designed a robust and actionable integrated watershed management plan (www.ssiwatersheds.ca). In June 2015, during development of that plan, the SSI Watershed Protection Authority approached the Agricultural Alliance with a proposal to assist in outreach to the agricultural community. Why? To collaborate and assist in farmer preparedness for drought and demand management, climate change and safe-guarding downstream/downhill precious surface water sources on SSI.

This winter, SSI Agricultural Alliance member groups agreed to collaborate with SSIWPA to host workshops about Group Environmental Farm Planning (ARDCorp). Many local farms are already Environmental Farm Plan-certified. Yet, the ability to join together as a group of 5 or more producers, to assess and address farming impacts on the environment in a watershed, including farm water management and irrigation resources, remains untapped here. The goal is for farmers who live in the same watershed to assess their shared water needs and issues, as well as their nutrient management issues.

To take the first workshop, you need not have farm tax status or ALR status, although these may prove important along the way to qualify. The benefits? Cost-sharing by the province, and efforts become prioritized for the landscape unit represented by the group. Many farmers express that they are motivated by working with others and what they’ve wanted to address themselves becomes feasible and possible. Examples of improvements related to farm water management include: improved stream or ditch crossings for vehicles, better water wise manure land application techniques, riparian restoration/fencing.

For more information about Group Environmental Farm Planning click here:
www.bcefp.ca or www.ardcorp.ca

Water security and wisdom present and future is inextricably tied to thriving communities and food resources on Salt Spring Island, as in other parts of the world.
Farmers or not, we are all water and land stewards. For now, remember to catch, slow, sink and spread all those raindrops to their best potential on your land! Re-purpose greywater where it is possible and safe to do so, and please be on the lookout for the upcoming winter farm water workshops about Group Environmental Farm Planning, and more! More information about SSIWPA and water stewardship at: www.ssiwatersheds.ca.