A piece of farmland in South Surrey, described as 鈥渢he backbone of the local food supply,鈥� is expected to be given an added level of protection by Surrey council next week.
But the man whose family has farmed it for the past 50 years, says it will take more than an agriculture designation to secure the land for future generations.
Tyler Heppell, 28, was responding to an announcement July 6, from the Safe Surrey Coalition (SSC) slate. In it, Coun. Laurie Guerra shared notice of a motion to be brought forward at council鈥檚 July 11, meeting calling for the 220-acre parcel at 192 Street and 36 Avenue to be protected from industrial development.
Heppell鈥檚 Potatos first made news last month, after a petition was started to protect the farmland, which is leased from the federal government, from being developed into industrial property.
The farm is not in B.C.鈥檚 Agricultural Land Reserve, but even if it were, the petition notes, the federal government is not bound by the rules of the ALR.
鈥淪adly, this exact parcel of farmland is slated to be sold and developed into industrial buildings,鈥� the petition states.
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The SSC motion proposes to have the land, currently zoned as Agricultural (A-1), designated Agricultural as part of the Official Community Plan (OCP) review process taking place next year.
鈥淪afe Surrey Coalition made a promise to voters to Pause Development and to only proceed with Smart Development as such our motion will remove these lands from the Campbell Heights Official Community Plan and designate the lands as Agricultural,鈥� Coun. Allison Patton stated in the release.
She added that SSC would advocate to the province to bring the land into the ALR.
鈥淧rotecting high-yield agricultural land is fundamental to ensuring future food security in the region and the Province,鈥� notes a second release, this one from the mayor鈥檚 office.
In her own release, Surrey First Coun. Linda Annis called it 鈥渁 hollow promise,鈥� as long as the land is listed as A-1.
鈥淭he mayor knows this, and he also knows how easy it is to change that designation, something he did in Campbell Heights.鈥�
More than just a piece of land
As of Friday morning (July 8) the Heppell Farm had nearly 50,000 signatures, but, ultimately, Heppell would like to see it receive twice that number to help demonstrate just how crucial it is that the property be maintained as farmland.
鈥淭his is the most productive pieces of farmland in Surrey for sure, if not in all of B.C.鈥� Heppell told Peace Arch News during a tour of the property Thursday.
The Heppell family has been farming this piece of land for 50 years, along with another farm in Cloverdale, which has been in the family for 102 years, he explained.
The Heppells produce up to 50 million servings of vegetables each year. This includes potatoes, cabbages, carrots, parsnips and squash, which are sold in grocery stores and at farmer鈥檚 markets around the province,
鈥淭his land is actually irreplaceable. We plant the first potatoes in Canada (each spring) 鈥� the productivity of this land cannot ever be replaced, but you can build buildings really anywhere,鈥� Heppell said.
Because the land produces some of the earliest local vegetables, they are able to sell immediately to BC Fresh to be put into supermarkets, encouraging companies to buy from local growers rather than take their business to international sellers.
鈥淭his land is really important to all farmers in B.C. 鈥� it鈥檚 the backbone of local food supply,鈥� Heppell said.
Its success comes down to sandy soil and elevation, which allows for good drainage. That鈥檚 especially helpful given the amount of rain Surrey and the province see yearly, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost a little piece of California here in British Columbia.鈥�
Earlier this spring season, farms across the Lower Mainland were struggling to get their crops started due to heavy rainfall and cold weather.
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Although delayed by a couple weeks, the Campbell Heights land was producing crops just shy of four weeks earlier than other farms in the province.
鈥淭here is no other piece of land like this in British Columbia. Not only does it produce the first potatoes and carrots and cabbage, it also produces some of the latest, too. You can鈥檛 really harvest potatoes and carrots in late October because you get frost and a lot of rain, but carrots will come out from this land in November sometimes,鈥� he said.
What is the best solution?
What Heppell would like to see happen is for the land be purchased by the City of Surrey and turned into a dedicated agricultural park. This would make developing the land impossible, regardless of the federal government鈥檚 wishes 鈥� making it essentially untouchable, Heppell said.
While any steps by the City are reassuring to Heppell, the real challenge, he said, is getting the federal government to make a move.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good step in the right direction, but it鈥檚 not binding. It honestly doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 under (ALR protection) or not, the federal government has the power鈥� All it takes is one signature from the federal government and they can disregard what the City of Surrey wants.鈥�
Uncertain future for farmers
Heppell started working on his family鈥檚 farm six months ago, making him a fifth generation farmer. He works on the property daily, alongside his father and grandfather.
While he is passionate about saving farmland, he鈥檚 found that other young Canadians are not quite as eager to step into the business.
Losing the Campbell Heights land to development will only make the situation worse, he said.
鈥淲hen you get rid of pieces of land like this that almost make it easy to farm, I don鈥檛 see why anyone my age or younger would want to get into farming,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e have to remain optimistic because we were told that this would be an uphill battle by everyone 鈥� we鈥檙e not done, we鈥檙e not going to go down without a bit of a fight.鈥�
Although losing the land would be a blow to the Heppell family, the real consequence is the after-effects developing the land will have, he said.
鈥淚f we pave over our most productive farmland, where do we draw the line in the sand? What land is safe?
鈥淭his just doesn鈥檛 give much hope to the next generation of farmers when we drive through Campbell Heights and we see land that used to be super good for farming and it鈥檚 now industrial or warehouses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not really encouraging.鈥�
sobia.moman@peacearchnews.com
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