Category: Farming

This week brought one of the biggest pasture management changes we have made in a long time. We put grazing collars for a virtual fencing system on our first group of cattle. These collars are from Gallagher Animal Management’s eShepherd Virtual Fencing System. They use virtual fencing. The basic idea is a bit like the invisible boundary systems many people use for dogs, but built for cattle and pasture management. Instead of moving wire and posts every time we want to shift a grazing area, we can now create and adjust paddocks digitally. That gives us a whole new level…

The North Okanagan Butcher Hub is now open in Spallumcheen, and this is a big moment for small-scale farming in our region. For years, small-scale meat producers across the Okanagan have faced the same challenge. Raising livestock is one part of the work. Getting animals processed in a timely, legal, and affordable way is another. Access to processing has been limited, and that bottleneck has made it harder for local farms to bring meat to market. The North Okanagan Butcher Hub This new facility is the first of its kind in British Columbia. It was created to support small-scale livestock…

We have some big news to share. Annelise Grube-Cavers has been nominated for BC Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year, and we could not be more proud. This nomination recognizes farmers who lead with care, skill, and long-term thinking. It celebrates people who are building strong farms while also contributing to their communities and the future of agriculture in British Columbia. To see Annelise named among this year’s nominees is both an honour and a moment of deep gratitude. Annelise is a third-generation farmer and the owner and operator of Fresh Valley Farms in Spallumcheen, BC. Alongside Steve, her partner…

Soil health sits at the heart of everything we do at Fresh Valley Farms. It guides how we raise animals. It shapes how we manage our land. It even shapes the future we want for our kids. The BC Ministry of Agriculture recently featured our farm in a soil health case study, and we are honoured to share more about that work here. Healthy soil is more than dirt. It is a living system that supports plants, animals, water, and people. Strong soil structure helps farms grow better grass, store more carbon, and handle dry and wet seasons. Our goal…

We just added something new to the Fresh Valley Farms fleet = our new all-electric delivery van is officially on the road. This van will be used to deliver customer orders to pickup locations across the Okanagan, Shuswap, Thompson, and Kootenay regions. It replaces a fossil-fuel delivery vehicle and marks a meaningful step forward in how we move food from our farm to your table. What makes this especially exciting is where the energy comes from. The van is powered in large part by the new solar array installed here on the farm. That means many orders now travel using…

Our new passive solar geothermal greenhouse is being installed on the farm! It is already changing how we think about growing, seasonality, and resilience. Winters here are long. Frost comes early, and spring warmth can be unpredictable. That reality shapes how food is grown in the North Okanagan. The greenhouse gives us a way to work with those conditions instead of fighting them. Passive solar greenhouse with geothermal The Greenhouse in the Snow is a passive solar, geothermal greenhouse designed specifically for cold climates. Its curved structure captures sunlight during the day, while the surrounding earth stores and slowly releases…

Farming depends on energy. We believe it should depend less on fossil fuels. At Fresh Valley Farms, we are steadily moving our operation toward renewable energy wherever it makes practical sense. This is not about perfection. It is about making thoughtful, long-term choices that reduce emissions, protect our land, and support a healthier food system. One of the most visible steps we have taken is switching to an electric delivery vehicle powered by solar energy. Our solar panels generate the electricity used to charge our delivery van, allowing us to move food from farm to community with dramatically lower emissions.…