Farmers have to think outside the box to survive.
Working on several fronts to promote his business and generate more income, Terry Bremner of Bremner Foods had that to say Wednesday at his Wellbrook Winery in East Ladner. The Delta resident, whose has an 80-acre blueberry field and also produces bottled fruit juice and other products, was greeted by Delta North MLA Scott Hamilton, who congratulated him on receiving a $50,000 provincial Buy Local program grant.
Bremner said it's much needed help to make shoppers aware just how much locally grown and processed agrifoods and seafood products are available. "It's amazing how many people don't realize what's being grown locally," Bremner said. "People are willing to spend a little more for 'locally grown' even ahead of 'organic.' That helps the farmers and keeps jobs here."
He also had to contribute a matching dollar amount as well as a detailed marketing plan aimed at promoting and tracking sales of his products, part of the Buy Local initiative that has received $6 million in B.C. government funding since 2012. Bremner's products can be found in more than 400 grocery, health and drug stores throughout B.C. and in his 88th Street winery.
Saying his government recognizes the value that agrifoods bring to the local economy, communities and families, Hamilton noted Bremner, who has been operating in Delta for over 30 years, will have a marketing project that includes an online campaign, advertising, in-store demos and new branding.
He added the funding would go a long way to help local growers find new ways to spread the word about their products.
As he embarks on a new marketing strategy, Bremner is also hoping to make some big changes at his family farm to help the bottom line.
Over a year ago he applied to the Corporation of Delta for a rezoning to build a 23,800-square-foot cold storage/receiving and processing facility that would service farm products not only from his farm but elsewhere in the region.
Farms can now have on-site processing as long as at least 50 per cent of the product is grown at the farm where it's located. Bremner's application, which requires expanding the original farm home plate, includes being able to process and store a greater percentage of off-site product.
Recognizing there are not adequate processing facilities in the Lower Mainland, Delta council, as well as the civic agriculture committee and Delta Farmers' Institute, endorsed the application, which has recently gone to the Agricultural Land Commission seeking approval.
"It's all farm related. If the farmers want to survive, there has to be innovation and change... it's almost like farming has become the side businesses to what else you have and it's keeping that farm alive," Bremner said.
He said if a cold storage facility at Annacis Island is full, he has to truck product all the way to Chilliwack, a huge cost that can be saved if he could do it all at his farm.
He added that farmers are looking for other revenue streams to make their operations viable, which is getting tougher due to the high cost of land.
"Thirty years ago a family could survive just farming an 80-acre parcel and that's all, but now that's almost unheard of," he said.
Approved in 2011, Delta's Agricultural Plan aims to improve the viability of local farm operations. It recommends attracting complementary agri-industry, reducing costs and diversifying operations.
The province this year approved a number of changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve, including expanding the types of businesses that can operate on farms. Most of those changes apply to the northern regions of province.
