Farmers from all reaches of Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge gathered together on Sept. 14 to conduct the first-ever meeting of the Ridge Meadows Farmers Institute.
Dozens of residents showed up to the event at Pitt Meadows Plumbing and helped officially incorporate the new group, which organizer Steve Robinson explained was important to better support the local agricultural industry.
"We formed this group to give farmers a united voice, to address the growing demand for locally produced food, and to push for practical solutions to the unique challenges our community faces," said Robinson.
The Ridge Meadows Farmers Institute identified a few of the biggest issues currently plaguing farmers in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, which included the rising operational costs, impacts of climate change on farming operations, costs and feasibility of the backflow preventer mandate, and the lack of collective advocacy on environmental concerns and sustainability.
Joe Bachmann of Bachmann Farms in Pitt Meadows specifically addressed the backflow preventer mandate, which he explained requires farmers to install equipment that can be quite expensive.
The decision was made to push forward with advocacy efforts to get up to 75 per cent of costs covered through available grants if environmental plans are in place.
To help accomplish this, the Farmers Institute will be offering resources for environmental planning, with the goal of simplifying the grant application process for its members.
"By pooling our resources and working together, we hope to make significant progress on these issues, while also ensuring the future of farming in the region," said Robinson.
In the coming weeks, the Ridge Meadows Farmers Institute will decide its board of directors and release further membership details.
Anyone interested in joining the group or learning more about its efforts can email ridgemeadowsfarmersinstitute@gmail.com.