The Slocan/Nelson/Castlegar region of the West Kootenay lacks solid infrastructure that would allow farmers to make a living. At present, livestock farmers must compete with producers in neighbouring regions with existing processing infrastructure and are severely limited in terms of making a living as farmers. There is no way for them to meet local demand or pay their bills as farmers.

All local farmers, regardless of what they grow, lack a centralized system to assist them with processing, storage, distribution and retailing of their products. Those who wish to purchase local farm products face a real challenge, particularly if they want local meat, as there is little of it around.

The flooding of the Columbia River Valley as part of the Columbia River Treaty devastated a thriving agricultural region. Fertile farmland spread from Castlegar to Revelstoke growing grains, hay, animals, fruit and produce. When flooding occurred, local food production was limited and the infrastructure that supported it died along with the farms that are now under water.

The Columbia Basin Trust was set up to distribute the downstream benefits from our American neighbours to residents of the Basin and attempt to mitigate the effects of the Columbia River Treaty on those residents. Clearly, losing much of our farmland had a dramatic effect on the Basin and no organization has a clearer mandate to remedy this situation than the Columbia Basin Trust.

As a farming community, we are tenacious, hard working and creative. As residents of the Basin, we hunger for locally produced products. We want to support our neighbours and build a thriving local food system.

We ask the Columbia Basin Trust to join local farmers and residents in building a vibrant local foodscape we can be proud of. Help us build a legacy for residents of the Columbia River Basin that will serve them well into the future.