Chilliwack Agriculture - The Heart of our Community

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Chilliwack agriculture is the heart of our community. With 840 farms and 67% of land dedicated to agriculture, we need to take a moment and thank our farmers for the work they do. Check the link in our bio for more videos highlighting farms in our community. #aroundchilliwack #farmchilliwack #sharechilliwack

A post shared by Around Chilliwack (@aroundchilliwack) on Nov 9, 2020 at 1:53pm PST

Check out the farms we recently had an opportunity to film as part of the virtual Agricultural Tour with Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation this year:

The first stop on the tour is Brightside Eggs, a family-owned and operated poultry farm committed to sustainable and humane farming practices, animal care and animal health. These 3rd generation farmers are passionate about producing food for local families.

“Farming is like any job, except you punch in at age 5, and you never punch out” Heritage Farms is a family farm that raises Canadian grass-fed and grain-finished beef and also offers certified organic, free-range eggs. The Garcia family takes pride in teaching their children respect for the animals and the value of hard work, and in providing the highest quality beef that is ethically and sustainably raised.

The third stop on our tour is Bredenhof Hop Farms and R & T Poultry. Raymond and Tracey Bredenhof started their poultry farm with 5,000 birds and have expanded to 250,000 birds per year. They branched out to grow hops about 5 years ago and are now one of the largest hop growers in the region – and they do all their own processing and distribution as well!

The fourth stop on our tour is Sparkes Corn Barn, which is owned and operated by Ian Sparkes and family. Sparkes sweet corn is grown locally in Chilliwack. To maintain freshness and optimum maturity, Sparkes does a planting every few days so there is corn ripening throughout the season. The corn is picked fresh daily and delivered directly from the fields to the convenient drive-thru stands, ensuring it is ripe, fresh, and full of flavour. And, Sparkes only grows non-GMO product!

The fifth and final stop on our tour is Golden Oak Acres, a family-owned and operated farm in Chilliwack that recently transitioned from poultry to dairy farming. Chris Kloot, dairy farmer and City of Chilliwack Councillor, is passionate about supporting Canadian farmers and protecting our food sovereignty. Watch to hear why Chris loves Chilliwack agriculture.

Check out our new highlight reel from the last three years of tours before this year.