Category: Farming
Stories and insights from the field. Follow our grazing plans, soil-building work, animal care, pasture management, and regenerative practices across the Okanagan, Shuswap, Thompson, and Kootenay regions. This category shares the why and how behind the way we farm.
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New Solar Panel Array at Fresh Valley Farms
Fresh Valley Farms recently installed a large new solar array that will power much of our daily farm work, from buildings and equipment to how we deliver food to our customers. The panels sit right here on the farm and are designed to generate a significant portion of our electricity needs. That means fewer fossil fuels, lower operating emissions, and more control over how our energy is produced. For a working organic livestock farm, energy use matters. Cold storage, processing, packing days, and deliveries all add up. This system helps us meet those needs while staying aligned with our values.…
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Meet ROVABarn, Our New Solar-Powered Robotic Mobile Chicken Shelter
A new piece of equipment has rolled onto our pastures that marks a big step forward for how we raise certified organic poultry. After months of planning, learning, and watching from afar, our ROVA Barn has arrived at Fresh Valley Farms. This solar-powered, mobile poultry barn allows us to keep birds on fresh pasture while providing consistent shelter, ventilation, and protection. It supports the kind of rotational grazing system we already use across the farm, and it fits directly into our long-term goals around animal welfare, soil health, and renewable energy. What the ROVA Barn is, and why we chose…
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What does certified organic meat mean in British Columbia?
The term “certified organic” is regulated in British Columbia. It is not a marketing phrase or a loose promise. When meat is certified organic, it means the farm follows a legally defined production system that is inspected, documented, and verified every year. Organic certification is regulated in Canada In British Columbia, organic meat falls under the Canadian Organic Regime. This is a federal framework enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Farms that sell meat as organic must comply with the Canadian Organic Standards and be certified by an accredited certification body. Certification is not optional. If a farm uses…
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Mothers Day 2021
There are many silly turkeys in this picture, but only one silly turkey who makes Annelise such a proud mom! Happy Mothers Day to all of the wonderful mothers in our lives, who help to nourish and care for us all, often doing the majority of the lowest paid or least recognized work (ie the housework). We had a beautiful mothers day showing our gratitude to our moms (and, in Annelise’s case, also receiving gratitude herself). Starting the week off feeling excited for all that the coming seasons may bring!
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Farming family + Pancho the Cat.
We like showing people our farm. It’s a good way to get excited about new projects, or notice how many messes there are, and which spots most need to be tended to. Sometimes it also results in family photos! It’s not the prettiest season to be farming ( #mudmudmud ) but it passes quickly and all that spring moisture is important for the whole year. Looking at snow data, even though the hills have turned bare around here rather quickly, the snowpack up in the real mountains is higher than average, which is good news if it doesn’t all melt…
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Taking Thanksgiving turkey orders today at the Kelowna Farmers’ Market
I’m at the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market today and taking orders for our pasture-raised, Certified Organic Thanksgiving turkeys. This is one of my favorite times of year to be at the market. Families are starting to plan their Thanksgiving meals, and it’s always good to talk through sizes, cooking plans, and what works best for your table. Our turkeys are raised outdoors on pasture and fed certified organic feed. They grow at a natural pace, with room to move, forage, and behave like turkeys. That care shows up in the flavor and texture when it’s time to cook. Turkey…
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Moving sows, new pasture, and a not-quite birthday
Some days on the farm feel almost symbolic. Today we moved a group of pregnant sows onto fresh pasture, giving them space, shade, and clean ground as they settled in for the final stretch before farrowing. Rotating pigs onto new ground is an important part of how we care for soil health and animal well-being, especially for expectant mothers. Etta and Finley came along to help, and where Etta went, so did the balloon she had proudly picked out for her own birthday a few days earlier. The balloon tagged along all afternoon, bobbing beside tractors, feed bins, and pigs,…
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Spring 2020 (Not good at blogging…)
As farmers, we have to be good a variety of jobs, but blogging is something that I just have not been excelling at. This blog post is a little summary of SOME of the things we have been up to this spring. A bunch of busy bees. Doing a bunch of different things. None of them blogging. While Steve and I compliment each other in many ways: he’s quiet and thoughtful, I’m loud and laugh at my own jokes; he can build anything and think systematically about how all things can improve all the time, I can blame inanimate objects…
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Fresh Valley Farms is officially Certified organic!
Affixed to our fridge in a place of great honour! Our first Certified Organic certificate from the North Okanagan Organic Association. We’re stoked to officially be a part of the growing community of organic farms in our area. What our Certified Organic status means Fresh Valley Farms is a Certified Organic farm under the North Okanagan Organic Association. That means an independent, third-party certifier has inspected our land, animals, and records and confirmed that we meet Canada’s national organic standards. Our certification covers 280 acres of the farm, including: What organic certification requires Organic certification is not a label we…
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An electric fence, an electric bike, and everyday farm progress
Some days on the farm look big and ceremonial. Others look like this. Fence posts stacked over one shoulder and an electric bike underfoot, we headed out to set fence using our trusty farm vehicle replacement. It might not look revolutionary at first glance, but moments like this are where real change actually happens. We use temporary electric fencing every day to manage pasture-raised beef. Moving animals frequently allows grass time to recover, protects soil structure, and spreads fertility naturally across the land. Fence setting is constant work, and how we do that work matters. Instead of relying on a…
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Our transition to Certified organic has officially begun
This spring marked an important milestone for our farm. After years of planning, learning, and adjusting how we manage land and livestock, Fresh Valley Farms officially entered the transition to organic in May 2019. We submitted our first organic application, covering the majority of the land and production systems we steward every day. The application includes all of our hay land and animal pastures, along with our berry patch, our herd of grass-fed beef, and even a small planting of garlic that will be available later this summer. Bringing the whole farm into the process matters to us. Organic isn’t…
