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Home , Kootenays, Lower Mainland

Kootenay Region Agriculture Profile

Key Features: waterways). Agriculture dominates • Moderate supports a the large flat areas located in the Rocky Mountain wide range of crops such as apples Trench and the Grand Forks area, � and cereals, as well as many where cattle ranching is prominent. The vegetable crops, including tomatoes Creston Valley is well known for its fruit and cabbage. and vegetable industry. Five large lakes– • Frost-free days: 110-160. Kootenay, Arrow, Slocan, Duncan and • Annual precipitation (mm): 370- Koocanusa–cover extensive areas of the 569 . region. • Agricultural land is scattered Agriculture and manufacturing make through major river valleys, mountain significant economic contributions slopes and grassland ranges. regionally, as do growing populations • Ranching dominates agricultural of retired people in areas such as activity. Creston, Nelson and Grand Forks. • Meat, honey, fruit and vegetable As the economy diversifies, processors utilize local product. tourism and the service industry are becoming substantial contributors. Cranbrook Population 146,264 is the regional center for trade and services in the Number of Farms 1273 eastern part of the region, while Nelson serves Land in ALR 382,849 ha as the main administrative center for the west Area of Farms 148,246 ha Kootenay area. Total Farm Capital $1.58 billion Jobs 22,859 weeks Land paid labour annually The Kootenay region covers an area of 5,902,490 Gross Farm Receipts $71.10 million ha, of which about 6% (382,849 ha) is within the Annual Farm Wages $15.73 million Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). This represents about 8% of the total provincial ALR. This region includes the lowlands of the Columbia and Kootenay The Kootenay Region Rivers. Agriculture is scattered throughout the The Kootenay region is located in the southeastern region, in the major valleys. Mountain slopes and portion of the province, with the to grassland ranges provide summer grazing for the south, to the east and the livestock; hay and cereal crops are grown (as winter to the west. It represents 6.7% of the provincial feed for livestock) in the valley bottoms. land area and contains 3.3% of the population. A series of north-south valleys are separated by high Agriculture mountain ranges and contain a number of reservoirs The agriculture sector of the Kootenay region for power-generating facilities (Columbia and accounts for 2.6% of the farm gate value of

A Guide to BC’s Agriculture Resources 183 sales in the province. Sales from approximately the ALR in the region, is of the lower quality soil 1273farms in the region approach $69 million each classifications (Classes 5, 6 and 7). year. Ranching is the primary activity of most of the farms. Fruit, field crops and poultry are also Food Processing important products. There is extensive rangeland The food and beverage processing sector in the in the East . In addition to the rangeland, Kootenays is small, but diverse. Meat, honey, fruit there is a significant amount of land not under and vegetable processors use local products. There cultivation that has potential for perennial forage are processing facilities for dairy products, brewing, crops for livestock. The availability of abundant land and livestock feed in the region. There are about for range and forage production makes possible 300 people working in the food processing sector. significant future expansion of livestock farming. The high cost of transporting goods to market Natural resources from the land base (grazing land, from the Kootenays is an incentive to produce high- water, recreational land, forest production, etc.) are value products in the region instead of shipping managed in an integrated fashion, respecting the out unprocessed commodities. There are also unique requirements and contributions of each. opportunities to expand local processing of fruits Imported produce is subject to the relatively high and vegetables that are currently processed in the costs of transporting commodities into the region. Okanagan. This tends to help local production and marketing of horticultural crops. However, local farmers usually Selected Crop and Livestock Inventories face higher transportation costs for their products (2011 Census) and are thus at a disadvantage when selling to Grains 3,500 ha the large market. The topography Corn for silage 334 ha of the Kootenays is very rugged. Horticulture is Hay and Pasture 124,000 ha therefore largely confined to the sides and bottoms Alfalfa 14,400 ha of the valleys. Stony soil and poor moisture-holding Hay 21,198 ha capability restrict cultivation on much of the ALR Potatoes 83 ha holdings. Roughly 140,000 ha, about one-third of Fruits, Berries and Nuts 356 ha Field Grown Vegetables 196 ha Nursery Products 217 ha Greenhouses 46,602 m2 Mushrooms 250 m2 Christmas Trees 1,321 ha Hens and Chickens 22,622 Cattle and Calves 32,696 Pigs 388 Sheep 2,152 Horses and Ponies 3,404 Rabbits 174 Goats 741

Estimated Gross Farm Receipts (2011 Census) Community Number of Farms Gross Farm Receipts of Central Kootenay 552 $34,353,451 Regional District of East Kootenay 396 $14,504,239 Regional District of Kootenay Boundary 325 $22,241,902

184 “Grow BC”