Farmers are working together
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Cattle producers in Acadia Valley, Alberta, have received hay for their livestock from an unlikely source, Bryce Rashleigh, a farmer in Saanichton, BC. Bryce found himself with a mountain of hay in 2020 that had nowhere to go.
“Victoria was a tourism town with horse and carriage rides. They cut back on their animals, so I had all this surplus of feed. We talked to prairie folk and realized there was a need out there,” Bryce explained, and he just happened to be acquainted with some folks from Acadia Valley.
Back in 2008, his son attended school at Olds College, where he acquired many new friendships. Consequently, Bryce and his family became friends with a few families from Acadia Valley and “would help out with each other’s farms,” Bryce said.
”We talked to prairie folk and realized there was a need out there, but our biggest issue was the cost of freight,” he said. In his efforts to raise funds to cover freight costs, Bryce realized how many people in Victoria had prairie roots.
Load number 22 of 60 round bales was sent to ranchers in Acadia Valley and Wainwright, Alberta, where they had suffered back-to-back years of drought. Bryce said more hay will be sent to Acadia Valley, and he is planning to deliver one personally.
Bryce’s farm had been the recipient of a generous donation from Acadia Valley last year when Covid hit. “We couldn’t get flour on the shelves,” he said. “I have a stone mill where I grind flour for a local bakery, but I ran out. Acadia Valley shipped a load of lentils and wheat to the island.” That shipment was equivalent to 50,000 loaves of bread. “That touched a lot of people’s hearts here.” Bryce thought it would be great to be able to give back to the farmers in Acadia Valley.
He estimated transportation costs would amount to about $80,000, and so far, $60,000 has been raised. He sells his bales to Alberta for $33 to $50. “If I can move all those bales at that price, I can survive,” he said. “We get notes all the time with a cheque saying to put it towards freight and some towards the cost of the feed, so we use that to mark down the feed.
Bryce appreciates the help of a former Bentley, AB resident, Don Allen. Don had moved to Victoria, where he was working and got laid off. About a year ago, he came to Bryce’s farm saying he needed something to do. “He’s been here every day, except Sunday since then. He has so many prairie connections and identifies where the need is on the prairies,” Bryce said. Although they received requests from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, they don’t have enough feed to go that far.
Bryce is also experimenting with future donations. “I grow 200 acres of grain out here. We’re seeding half of that to fall rye. We’ll grow a crop and ship that back. It will grow at least two feet tall by March or April. It would be an excellent forage crop and will be shipping to Acadia Valley. All the seed came from a seed plant in Three Hills, Alberta,” Bryce said. As a cover winter crop, it will be harvested in early spring, which would help Alberta farmers out since they won’t have a crop until late summer.
“Some of the farm publications are going to run a story about our experiment, so we’re offering any farmers who have a surplus to move feed east. We’ve offered to share our information and connect people with people in western Canada. That could happen in the next month or two,” Bryce said.
He not only donates the feed but also donates his time and labour to the project. He estimates that it takes about 90 hours to load all of the hay he wants to transport to the mainland alone.
“Our main emphasis has been in the BC interior, which makes sense for us. That’s where the need has been really big. BC farmers had to move their animals because of fires. That’s been another part of our effort, people who have lost so much due to fires,” Bryce said. “If you told me a few years ago that we’d ship product out to Acadia Valley, I’d say you’re kidding me, but here we are.”
It is 1370 plus km from the farm in Saanichton to Acadia Valley, and there was a 1.5-hour detour at Golden for road construction. But the truckers just took it all in stride.
The transportation companies also helped make these shipments possible. “For every load that goes out, they have a backhaul lined up. That’s been the whole key to our logistics. In that regard, it works out better than rail delivery,” Bryce explained. He also mentioned a fuel company that donated 1800 litres of fuel to the truckers.
“It’s been a real community effort. To me, this is one of the most rewarding things I’ve seen in Canada. My heart has always been agriculture. It’s encouraging to see how everyone works together,” he concluded. “We know that when someone helps you out, it gives you a mental boost. That’s what donating to Acadia Valley is all about.”
Photo: Bryce Rashleigh and the bales he is donating to Acadia Valley.
