Hi folks,

Thanks again for organizing a fantastic Farmer to Farmer week. It was so good to connect with all of you, and I really appreciated the opportunity to share some of the preliminary results of my research.

I would like to share a survey that I created as part of my research project with the Ecogastronomy Research Group at the University of Victoria. The goal is to better understand the many practices that folks use on their farms across southern Vancouver Island. Your help with this would be greatly appreciated!

There is a $15 honorarium offered for your time (details are in the survey).

Thank you!

Matthew

On Wednesday the 21st we are going to be meeting at the Oak Bay Rec Centre at 11am in the upstairs lounge to make some fun creative video recordings to help promote Farmer to Farmer week!
Please feel welcome to join in!
Can't make it to Oak Bay?
Share with us and your followers on social media what you are most excited for at Farmer to Farmer this year!
@sifarmersinstitute #farmertofarmer2026

2-4 volunteers are needed to help set up the O Cert BC (new name for local organic certification!) Afterparty on evening the Farmer to Farmer conference day, January 29th.  Set up starts as soon as sessions end at 4:45, and just involves moving tables and chairs and laying out food.    

Hey folks, just opening up this topic to encourage people attending the Farmer to Farmer field days to self-organize car-pooling. This will help ease the parking burden on host farms, especially since wet ground leaves us with less parking spaces. 

This just in from Ahmed, our ministry Soil Carbon Specialist: 

Based on popular demand, I will be hosting a "rematch" of the soil test interpretation workshop on Feb 05. Also, we will have a follow up workshop on nutrient/fertilizer recommendation on Feb 10. 

REGISTER HERE (Feb 05 2026, 10am)

REGISTER HERE (Feb 10, 2026, 10am)

Regards,

Ahmed

Ahmed Lasisi, Ph.D, P.Ag, EP

Funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Contact Clare Dwyer at events02@VGNResources.ca for event enquiries

These are free, register for the zoom link!

To reach Ahmed, or for general agriculture enquiries, Contact AgriService BC

The Farmer to Farmer event committee is hard at work putting all the pieces in place to make this event a success. We are now looking for a little extra pre-conference support with organizing the lunch. Most of the details have already been worked out (a chef, driver, and a "how to" from last year for whomever takes on this role). Are you a food lover with some organizing experience? Can you spare a few hours from now until Jan 29th? This would be done on your own time, no meetings required so long as you stay in communication with the events committee. Please reach out to us at: info@sifarmersinstitute.ca

Does anyone have any extra news about the changes to CFIA regulations for Central Saanich re:golden nematodes?  Does this mean the ban is lifted for some farms?  How do we find out?

Thanks!

Shawn

Join expert instructors at the Compost Education Centre: 

1. Grow the Best Garden Series - In person click here, online asynchronous click here). Join expert instructor Kayla Siefried for a series that explores a wide variety of incredibly important gardening topics, from planning and planting, to harvest and seed saving! Fabulous for new gardeners, or experienced gardeners who are looking to level up their growing.

2. Public Workshops with regional experts - so many more public workshops! Folks can register for those here.  

3. Book a private workshop - click here to see some of the topics we teach for your group of neighbours, farmers, clubs, but also don't hesitate to inquire about specialized workshops. They can happen at your gardens or here at the Compost Education Centre where we have an indoor space. 

4. And don't forget that the Compost Education Centre has a wealth of resources on our website. From Composting FAQ's to our extensive Factsheet Series - it's worth checking out.

"Repealing two regulations and one Ministerial Order related to the Golden Nematode pest in Central Saanich, British Columbia, which are no longer required to mitigate risk, and narrowing restrictions to only the small area still affected" 
Read more here

B.C.'s Agri-Business Planning Program provides funding support for primary agricultural producers and agriculture, food and beverage processors to support informed decision making and ensure business development.

Funding is available under two streams:

1. Agri-business skills and leadership development 
2. Business planning, preparedness, and disaster recovery

Learn more here: B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program - Province of British Columbia