Support Local Organic Farms in your community!
Check out the Certified Organic Associations of BC for a list of Organic Farms in the Fraser Valley.
Where to buy Local Organic Food:
Mission City Farmers Market
Where to buy Organic Seeds:
BC Seed Coop
Full Circle Seeds
Saltspring Seeds
Seeds of Diversity - Seedy Saturday
West Coast Seeds
Current Agriculture in the Hatzic Prairie
The Fraser Valley is one of best agriculture regions in the world due to great soil, advantageous climate and abundant water resources, proximity to urban area, diversity of crops grown. Agriculture land is in demand and is in short supply.Agriculture in Electoral Area “F”
Residential and “lifestyle farming” are common, particularly on smaller parcels.
Crops:
Traditionally Hatzic prairie was one of top production areas in Canada for strawberries and other fruits.
• Xmas Tree Farms
• Blueberry Crops
• Nursery Operations
Animals Farms:
• Dairy
• Poultry
History of Agriculture in the Hatzic Praire
Agriculture was one of the main industries in the Hatzic Prairie. Early European Settlers cleared the land and raised crops and animals in the 1800's.In 1910, Mission was known as the "strawberry metropolis" while Hatzic was deemed the "rhubarb metropolis" of the province. At the peak of the season in 1910, 4500 crates each of strawberries and rhubarb were sent from Mission, in addition to six to seven hundred crates of raspberries.
In the summer of 1914, there were approximately 50 acres of strawberries and approximately 182 acres of raspberries growing in the Mission-Hatzic area. Six years later, there were 447 acres of strawberries and 582 acres of raspberries. Fruit prices rose from 5 cents a pound in 1915 to 22 cents a pound in 1921. Berries were in demand.
In the 1920s local berry farms hired thousands of berry pickers each year.
The Issei (literally "first generation") of immigrants from Japan entered Canada in 1884. In 1904 for the first Japanese settlers came to Mission. They were attracted by a promise of good farming and relatively inexpensive land. By 1930 there were 103 Japanese-owned properties in Mission accounting for 979.304 acres. The majority of these farms grew strawberries, raspberries and other fruit. In 1916 the Japanese Farmer's Association, (Nokai), was established in Mission. By 1942 there were 79 members. In 1942, the Federal government ordered the relocation of all persons of Japanese ancestry living within 100 miles of the BC Coast. Beginning in April of 1942, over 600 people from Mission were sent by train to work the sugar beet farms in Alberta. The property and buildings of 125 Mission families were confiscated, never to be returned to them. The impact on Mission's berry farming was devastating. The Japanese farms vacated represented over 75% of Mission's strawberry-growing capacity.
The Great Flood of 1948 caused the dykes to collapse, flooding farmland of the Hatzic Valley.
Sources:
Mission Museum
Canada Virtual Museum
Official Community Plan
