Finally, a good stretch of dry warm weather! Our local fields are catching up on the worst spring start in 40 years. As if dealing with Mother Nature was not enough, a 30 percent rise in fertilizer prices and even higher increases for fuel have left farmers scrambling to adapt.
Farming is a complex industry and there are many logistical challenges that face our local farmers. I hear about these challenges at our regular Delta Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) meetings where issues such as diking, sea level rise, education, climate change, irrigation and other issues are discussed and debated. A regular topic of discussion is the access to and the maintenance of our extensive dike system in Delta.
AAC member and local farmer Brent Kelly knows the ins and outs of our dike system. He and other members of the AAC have described how the City of Delta and Metro Vancouver have worked very hard to ensure that the livelihoods of our farming community are made as painless as possible and that issues around irrigation, pump stations and dike maintenance are reconciled to collectively ensure that local food security remains intact.
You may have read the story in last week’s Optimist about the encounter Brent had with a cyclist on the dike. For whatever reason, this cyclist took an aggressive stance and would not allow Brent’s spray rig to pass him. The standoff lasted 40 minutes or so, and if you are a farmer working several non-contiguous fields at once, time is a luxury you just don’t have.
The lack of respect from the weekend warrior cyclist toward our farming community is astounding to me. Brent is a soft spoken, articulate man that runs a successful farming operation that is currently putting “new potatoes” on your dinner plate. Despite his quiet demeanour, I know I would never want to cross him. The cyclist is lucky as it appears that Mr. Kelly is a patient and tolerant man as well.
We have all been stuck behind farm vehicles. Next time you are, rather than swear below or above your breath, remember that agriculture is an industry. It is dirty, sometimes smelly, immensely complex but guess what….it feeds us! The next time you are slowed down by a farm vehicle on the dike or elsewhere, give a wave or a toot from your horn to someone whom you should respect and be thankful for.
